Brain Regions Flashcards
What is the largest part of the human nervous system?
The brain
Contains between 10 and 100 billion nerve cells.
What are the three major brain regions?
- Hindbrain
- Midbrain
- Forebrain
What is the most primitive part of the brain?
Hindbrain
It links the spinal cord and the brain.
What does the hindbrain support?
Bodily functions, movement, and balance
What are the major components of the hindbrain?
- Medulla
- Pons
- Cerebellum
What is the function of the medulla?
Controls breathing, heartbeat, and digestion
What does the pons do?
Receives information from visual areas to control eye and body actions, and coordinates communication between spinal cord and brain hemispheres
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Receives information from the pons and coordinates sequence of body movements
Where is the midbrain located?
Above the hindbrain and below the forebrain
What does the midbrain regulate?
Sleep, motor movement, and arousal
What is the reticular formation?
A network of neurons important in controlling arousal and the sleeping and waking cycle
What is the largest part of the brain responsible for?
Higher order thinking processes
What covers the cerebrum?
Cerebral cortex
How are the cerebral hemispheres separated?
By a deep groove called the longitudinal fissure
What connects the two cerebral hemispheres?
Corpus callosum
What does the left hemisphere control?
The right side of the body and receives information from the right visual field
What does the right hemisphere control?
The left side of the body and receives information from the left visual field
True or False: The brain is highly lateralized.
False
The brain is not as lateralized as we often believe.
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Regulates sleep, body temperature, emotional expression, and the 4 f’s: feeding, fighting, fleeing, and fornication
What does the thalamus do?
Processes incoming sensory information (other than smell) and transmits it to higher parts of the brain
What is the amygdala centered on?
Emotion, aggression, and implicit learning
What is the role of the hippocampus?
Involved in transferring information from short to long-term memory
