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Never-Ending Road to Licensure > Brain Regions/Functions - Hindbrain, Midbrain, Subcortical Forebrain > Flashcards

Brain Regions/Functions - Hindbrain, Midbrain, Subcortical Forebrain Flashcards

1
Q

3 regions of the brain

A
  1. Hindbrain
  2. Midbrain
  3. Forebrain
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2
Q

Brainstem comprised of…?

A

Hindbrain and midbrain

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3
Q

Hindbrain structures

A
  1. Medulla
  2. Pons
  3. Cerebellum
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4
Q

Midbrain structures

A
  1. Reticular formation
  2. Substantia nigra
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5
Q

Forebrain comprised of….?

A

Subcortical structures and cerebral cortex

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6
Q

Subcortical forebrain structures

A
  1. Hypothalamus
  2. Thalamus
  3. Basal ganglia
  4. Limbic system
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7
Q

Limbic system structures

A
  1. Amygdala
  2. Cingulate cortex
  3. Hippocampus
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8
Q

Medulla functions

A
  1. Involuntary mouth and throat movements (swallowing, coughing, sneezing)
  2. Regulates survival functions (respiration, heart rate, blood pressure)
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9
Q

Damage to medulla

A

Death

(commonly damaged through opioid use)

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10
Q

Pons functions

A
  1. Connect two halves of cerebellum
  2. Coordinates movements on two sides of body
  3. Relays messages between cerebellum and cerebral cortex
  4. Regulates respiration, deep sleep, REM sleep
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11
Q

Cerebellum functions

A
  1. Coordinates voluntary movements, posture, balance
  2. Processing and storing procedural memories and implicit memories
  3. Involved in some cognition (attention, language processing, visuospatial)
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12
Q

Damage to cerebellum

A

Ataxia

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13
Q

Reticular formation

A
  1. Network of neurons from medulla to midbrain
  2. Contains reticular activating system (RAS)
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14
Q

Reticular formation functions

A
  1. Regulates muscle tone
  2. Eye movements
  3. Control of pain
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15
Q

Reticular activating system (RAS)

A
  1. Also known as ascending reticular activating system (ARAS)
  2. Part of reticular formation
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16
Q

RAS functions

A
  1. Consciousness and arousal
  2. Controls sleep/wake cycle
  3. Alerts cerebral cortex to incoming sensory signals
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17
Q

Damage to RAS

A

Coma

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18
Q

Stimulation of RAS

A

Waking (if asleep) or becoming more alert (if awake)

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19
Q

Substantia nigra

A

Contains dopamine-producing cells

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20
Q

Substantia nigra functions

A
  1. Reward-seeking
  2. Drug addiction
  3. Motor control (alongside basal ganglia)
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21
Q

Damage to substantia nigra

A

Parkinson’s motor symptoms (slowed movement, tremors, rigidity, etc.)

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22
Q

Hypothalamus functions

A
  1. Homeostasis and survival (body temperature, blood pressure, heart and respiration rates, thirst and hunger, growth, sexual activity, reproduction, physiological stress responses)
  2. Influences ANS and pituitary gland
  3. Related to emotions, memory, circadian rhythms
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23
Q

2 hypothalamus components

A
  1. Contains mammillary bodies
  2. Contains suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)
24
Q

Damage to/stimulation of hypothalamus

A

Aggression/rage, crying, laughter

25
Q

Mammillary bodies function

26
Q

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) functions

A
  1. Biological clock
  2. Sleep-wake cycle
  3. Circadian rhythm
27
Q

2 ways the hypothalamus influences the pituitary gland

A
  1. Hypothalamus produces hormones that stimulate or inhibit release of hormones by the anterior pituitary
  2. Hypothalamus sends oxytocin and vasopressin to posterior pituitary to be released into bloodstream when needed
28
Q

Hypothalamus and pituitary gland (hormone example)

A
  1. Hypothalamus secretes gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH)
  2. GnRH stimulates anterior pituitary to secrete gonadotropins
  3. Gonadotropins regulate testes and ovaries
  4. Development and regulation of reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics
29
Q

Oxytocin

A
  1. When released from posterior pituitary, stimulates uterine contractions during childbirth and lactation after childbirth
  2. Beneficial for ASD, schizophrenia, and other disorders that affect social-emotional cognition
  3. Inconsistent or marginal evidence to support oxytocin benefits for facial recognition
30
Q

Vasopressin

A
  1. Also known as antidiuretic hormone
  2. Controls water reabsorption in kidneys, regulates water balance in body
31
Q

Roles that oxytocin and/or vasopressin play

A
  1. Social bonding
  2. Trust
  3. Cooperation
  4. Social recognition
  5. Sexual behavior
  6. Social memory
  7. Aggression
  8. Psychosocial stress
32
Q

Elevated oxytocin and stress

A
  1. Can inhibit hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and SNS responses to stress, which decreases stress response
  2. Can increase sensitivity to facial expressions, which can increase stress
33
Q

Thalamus functions

A
  1. Relays sensory information to cortex for all senses (except smell)
  2. Coordination of senses and motor function, language, declarative memory
34
Q

Damage to thalamus

A

Korsakoff syndrome

35
Q

Korsakoff syndrome

A
  1. Chronic alcoholism > damaged neurons in thalamus and mammillary bodies > thiamine deficiency
  2. Anterograde amnesia, retrograde amnesia, confabulation
36
Q

3 basal ganglia components

A
  1. Striatum
  2. Globus pallidus
  3. Sometimes includes nucleus accumbens
37
Q

3 striatum components

A
  1. Caudate nucleus
  2. Putamen
  3. Nucleus accumbens
38
Q

Striatum function

A

Receives input from cerebral cortex

39
Q

Basal ganglia functions

A
  1. Initiation and control of voluntary movements
  2. Procedural and habit learning
  3. Cognitive functioning (attention, decision-making)
  4. Emotions
40
Q

Damage to basal ganglia linked to:

A
  1. Mood disorders
  2. Schizophrenia
  3. ADHD
  4. OCD
  5. Tourette’s
  6. Huntington’s
  7. Parkinson’s
41
Q

Globus pallidus function

A

Transmits information from basal ganglia to thalamus

42
Q

Amygdala functions

A
  1. Emotions
  2. Recognition of facial expressions
  3. Conditioned fear responses
  4. Evaluating emotional significance of events
  5. Attaching emotions to memories
  6. Flashbulb memories
43
Q

Amygdala and PTSD

A

PTSD linked to:
1. Hyperactive amygdala (distressing memories and other symptoms)
2. Hypoactive VPC (reduced regulation of amygdala)

44
Q

Kluver-Bucy syndrome

A
  1. Studied in monkeys
  2. Lesions in amygdala, hippocampus, temporal lobes
  3. Symptoms = hyperphagia, hyperorality, reduced fear, hypersexuality, visual agnosia
45
Q

Papez circuit

A
  1. Papez:
    Hippocampus and other structures are part of emotions
  2. Klover and Bucy:
    Hippocampus primary cause of syndrome symptoms (later changed to amygdala)
  3. Papez circuit updated to add amygdala
46
Q

2 cingulate cortex components

A
  1. Cingulate gyrus
  2. Cingulate sulcus
47
Q

Cingulate cortex functions

A
  1. Motivation
  2. Memory
  3. Emotions (emotional reactions to pain)
48
Q

Damage to cingulate cortex

A

Pain without emotional distress

49
Q

Abnormalities in cingulate cortex linked to:

A
  1. Depression
  2. Bipolar disorder
50
Q

Hippocampus

A

Involved more in memory and less in emotions than amygdala and cingulate cortex

51
Q

Hippocampus functions

A
  1. Moving declarative memories from short-term to long-term memory
  2. Spatial memory
52
Q

Hippocampus and Alzheimer’s

A

Damage to hippocampus:
1. Impaired episodic memory
2. Impaired spatial navigation/memory

53
Q

Hippocampus and stress

A

Stress > increased cortisol in hippocampus > impaired retrieval of declarative memories

54
Q

Abnormalities in hippocampus linked to:

A
  1. Depression
  2. Bipolar disorder
  3. Schizophrenia
  4. PTSD
55
Q

Hippocampus and PTSD

A

More extreme trauma linked to smaller hippocampus

(may be trauma > reduced hippocampal volume > PTSD)

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