Ch 14 Forebrain Flashcards
Diencephalon location
between the cerebral hemispheres and superior to the brainstem
Diencephalon function
processes sensory and motor signals, master control center for: hormone secretion, autonomic nervous system regulation, body temp control, circadian rhythm regulation, melatonin production
Parts of the diencephalon
epithalamus, thalamus, hypothalamus
What contains the pineal gland?
epithalamus
Pineal gland function
releases melatonin
Mammillary bodies function
memory relay, licking and swallowing reflexes
Infundibulum function
connects hypothalamus to the pituitary gland
Thalamus function
relay center for the brain
Nuclei of the thalamus
anterior group, posterior group, medial group, lateral group, ventral group
What sensory information comes through the thalamus?
taste, hearing, vision, touch, pain, pressure, heat, cold
What sensory information DOES NOT come through the thalamus?
smell
What brain region is the sensory relay center of the brain?
thalamus
Hypothalamus function
rage, fear, pain, sexual arousal, pleasure, alertness, excitement, lethargy, sleep
Nuclei of the hypothalamus
supraoptic nucleus, suprachiasmatic nucleus, posterior nucleus, anteior nucleus, dorsalmedial nucleus, ventromedial nucleus, arcuate nucleus, preoptic nucleus, paraventricular nulcues, mammillary nuclei
Mnemonic for the nuclei of the hypothalamus
silly sailors paddle along dangerous vessels around peculiar passageways meticulously
Telencephalon definition
the region of the brain that develops into the cerebrum
Portions of the epithalamus
pineal gland and habenula
Epithalamus function
circadian rhythm regulation, limbic system connections, neuroendocrine signaling
Cerebrum location
largest part of the brain; 83%, superior to the brainstem and cerebellum
Cerebrum function
cognitive thinking, language processing, motor control, sensory processing
5 lobes of the cerebrum
frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, insula
Frontal lobe functions
- abstract thought
- explicit memory
- mood
- motivation
- foresight and planning
- decision making
- emotional control
- social judgement
- voluntary motor control
- speech production
Parietal lobe functions
- taste
- somatic sensation
- sensory integration
- visual processing
- spatial perception
- language processing
- numerical awareness
Regions of parietal lobe
primary somatosensory cortex, somatosensory association cortex
Occipital lobe functions
visual awareness, visual procesing
Insula lobe functions
- taste
- pain
- visceral sensation
- consciousness
- emotion and empathy
- cardiovascular homeostasis
Location of insula lobe
deep within the brain’s lateral sulcus; covered by temporal, frontal, and parietal lobes
Temporal lobe functions
- hearing
- smelling
- emotion
- learning
- language comprehension
- memory consolidation
- verbal memory
- visual and auditory memory
- language
Which side does each hemisphere send/receive sensory/motor info from?
from the opposite side
Two areas of the cerebrum that contain gray matter
cerebral cortex and basal nuclei
Basal nuclei function
helps initiate and terminate movements
Basal nuclei location
deep within cerebral white matter and lateral to the thalamus
Tracts found in cerebral white matter
commissural fibers, association fibers, projection fibers
What type of fiber is the corpus callosum?
commissural fiber
Commissural fibers function
connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres
Association fibers function
connects areas within the same hemisphere
Projection fibers function
connect cerebral cortex to diencephalon, brainstem, cerebellum, and spinal cord
Function and location of primary motor areas in the cerebral cortex
Function: initiate involuntary muscle movements, sends direct signals to brainstem/spinal cord, control specific muscle groups
Location: precentral gyrus
Function and location of primary sensory areas in the cerebral cortex
Function: first to receive sensory input and creates initial awareness of stimulus
Location: postcentral gyrus
Function and location of association areas in the cerebral cortex
Function: interpret and integrate sensory information, provide cognitive meaning, connect multiple sensory inputs
Location: surrounding primary areas
Function and location of somatosensory cortex
Function: processes sensory information, awareness of sensory stimuli, interprets touch, pressure, temp, pain
Location: immediately posterior to central sulcus, part of parietal lobe
Function and location of prefrontal cortex
Function: consciousness, abstract thought, cognitive and emotional processes, speech production
Location: immediately behind forehead
Function and location of primary motor cortex
Function: initiates voluntary movement, sends signals to brainstem/spinal cord
Location: most posterior gyrus of frontal lobe
Broca’s and wenicke’s areas of the brain are both involved with what
language
Function and location of wernicke’s area
Function: language comprehension
Location: posterior portion of temporal lobe
Function and location of broca’s area
Function: speech production
Location: inferior prefrontal cortex
Function of precentral gyrus
voluntary muscle movement, motor signal generation, sending commands to brainstem and spinal cord
Function of postcentral gyrus
sensory information processing, awareness of body sensations, interpreting sensory inputs
What is the left hemisphere more involved with?
language skills, analytical tasks
What is the right hemisphere more involved with?
relating to sensory environment, emotional context of conversations
What is the limbic system?
functional grouping of regions of the brain
Limbic system function
emotions, motivation, learning, memory
Where is the limbic system?
located on the medial side of each cerebral hemisphere
Regions of the limbic system
amygdala, cerebrum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, reticular formation
Pituitary function
- makes hormones
- posterior portion releases hormones (oxytocin, ADH, regulatory hormones
Habenula function
relay from the limbic system to the midbrain
Amygdala function
regulates heart rate, responding to fear and anxiety, controlling fight or flight response, linking emotions with specific memories
Hippocampus function
learning, retrieval of new long-term memories
Cerebral cortex regions
motor, sensory, association areas
Regions of frontal lobe
primary motor cortex, premotor cortex, prefrontal cortex, broca’s area
Regions of occipital lobe
visual cortex, visual association area
Regions of temporal lobe
auditory cortex, auditory association area; olfactory cortex, wernicke’s area
Regions of insula lobe
gustatory cortex
