Brain Functions Flashcards
What are the 5 different structures in the limbic system?
- Thalamus
- Hypothalamus
- Amygdala
- Hippocampus
- Septal nuclei
What are the 3 different parts of the cerebrum (=forebrain)?
- Limbic system
- Cerebral cortex
- Basal ganglia
What are the overall 4 functions of the hypothalamus?
- homeostatic functions 2. emotional experience during high-arousal stages
- aggressive behavior
- sexual behavior
What are the 3 parts of the hypothalamus and their function?
- Lateral: hunger
- Ventromedial: satiety
- Anterior: sex, sleep (suprachiasmic nucleus), body temp
What are the 3 functions of the amygdala?
- Fear
- Aggression
- emotional implicit long term memory
What part of the brain is affected in Parkinson’s disease?
Basal ganglia: substantia nigra
What are the 4 parts of the cerebral cortex?
- Frontal
- Occipital
- Temporal
- Parietal
What are the 2 overall functions of the parietal lobe of the cerebral cortex?
- somatosensory processing
2. spatial processing
What are the 4 overall functions of the temporal lobe of the cerebral cortex?
- auditory processing
- memory processing
- emotional control
- language
What are the 2 parts of the brainstem?
The midbrain and the hindbrain
What is the role of the septal nuclei?
feelings of pleasure, pleasure-seeking behavior, and addiction
What are the 4 functions of the basal ganglia?
- Coordinate muscle movements
- Smoothen movements
- Maintain posture
- Routes info from the cortex to the brain and spinal cord
What is the role of the reticular formation?
Pain
What are the 3 functions of the pons?
- relays information between the cortex and medulla
- regulates sleep
- carries some motor and sensory info from the head and neck
What are the 4 parts of the hindbrain?
- Medulla oblongata
- Cerebellum
- Reticular formation
- Pons
What are the 3 functions of the medulla oblongata?
- Breathing
- Heart rate
- BP
What are the two main roles of the limbic system?
- Emotion
2. Memory
What are 3 parts of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex?
- Prefrontal cortex
- Motor cortex
- Broca’s area
What is the role of Broca’s area?
Speech production
What is the role of the occipital love of the cerebral cortex? What part of it carries this function (2 names)?
visual cortex=striate cortex: controls visual processing
What are the 3 parts of the temporal lobe and each of their functions?
- Auditory: sound processing
- Medial temporal lobe: explicit long term memory
- Temporal gyrus: Wernicke’s area: language processing
What are the 2 roles of the hippocampus?
- Storage of the declarative long term memory
2. communication with other parts of the limbic system
What are the 2 brain parts that have to do with aggression?
- Amygdala
2. Hypothalamus
What are the 3 parts of the prefrontal cortex?
- Dorsal
- Ventral
- Ventromedial
What are the 2 functions of the dorsal prefrontal cortex?
- Attention
2. Cognition
What is the definition of cognition?
the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.
What are the 2 functions of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex? What is another name for it?
- Decision making
- Long-term planning
= orbitofrontal
What is the function of the ventral prefrontal cortex?
connects with regions of the brain responsible for experiencing emotions
What are the 3 main functions of the prefrontal cortex?
- Working memory
- Decision making
- Long-term planning
What are the 2 main functions of the frontal lobe of the cerebral cortex?
- Executive functions
2. Impulse control
What are the 5 main functions of the hindbrain?
- Balance
- Motor coordination
- Breathing
- Digestion
- General arousal processes
What is the role of the cerebellum?
Muscular coordination
What is the main function of the motor cortex (part of the frontal lobe)? What is it a part of?
initiates voluntary motor movements
part of precentral gyrus
What part of the motor cortex is somatotopically-mapped? What does this mean? Example?
homunculus is somatotopically-mapped: point-for-point correspondence of an area of the body to a specific point on the central nervous system
Ex: right footed person would have a larger allocation of cortical volume to the right foot in the LEFT primary motor cortex
What part of the brain is affected by alcohol the most?
Cerebellum
What is the main role of the thalamus?
relay and sorting station for sensory information to be transmitted to the cerebral cortex
What parts of the brain are responsible for procedural memory?
the cortex-basal ganglia-thalamus-cortex loop
What are the 2 main functions of the midbrain? What are its 2 parts?
- manages sensorimotor reflexes to visual and auditory stimuli
- gives rise to some cranial nerves
inferior and superior colliculi
What is the cerebral cortex?
outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres
Which cerebrum hemisphere is the dominant one?
The left one
What are the abilities of the dominant hemisphere?
analytical functions = language, logic
What are the 4 abilities of the non-dominant hemisphere?
- intuition
- creativity
- musical cognition
- spatial processing
What is the role of the pineal gland?
produces melatonin
What are the sulci and gyri of the cerebral cortex?
a sulcus is a groove in the cerebral cortex. It surrounds a gyrus, creating the characteristic folded appearance of the brain in humans and other mammals.
Where does the vagus nerve lead to in the brain?
Medulla oblongata
What are the roles of the superior and inferior colliculi?
superior colliculus: saccadic movements of the eye (without moving your head)
inferior one: head is moving, but eyes are staring at one point
What is the one sense that is not first processed by the thalamus?
Olfactory
What is the gate theory of pain? What does it explain?
There is a special “gating” mechanism that can turn pain signals on and off
Explains why rubbing an injury seems to reduce the pain
What is the mesolimbic reward pathway? What is it made of? What does it affect?
It is 1 of 4 dopaminergic pathways in the brain
Parts: nucleus accumbens, ventral tegmental area, and medial forebrain bundle (connecting the 2 others)
It affects motivation and emotional response, substance addiction, gambling, and falling in love
What is the corpus callosum?
broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain
