Ch2 Part 2 Flashcards
Medulla
Base of brain stem, controls heartbeat and breathing
Brain stem
Oldest part and most central point of the brain, begins where the spinal chord enters the skull, automatic survival functions
Reticular formation
Nerve network in the brain stem, plays a role in arousal
Thalamus
Sensory switchboard, top of brain stem, relays all senses except smell
Hippocampus
Processes memory
Pons
Helps coordinate movement, (ask mrs Lund before quiz)
Cerebellum
Attached to the rear of the brain stem, coordinates movement and balance
Limbic system
Doughnut-shaped system of neural structures between the brainstem and the central hemispheres, (hippocampus, pituitary gland, amygdala, hypothalamus)
Amygdala
Two bean-sized neural structures that are linked to emotion aggression and fear
Hypothamus
Below the thalamus, directs maintenance activities (drinking, eating, body temp) governs endocrine system via the pituitary gland, also linked to emotion
Cerebral cortex
The bark of the brain, covers the hemispheres, ultimate control and processing center
Glial cells
Support, nourish, and protect neurons
Frontal lobes
Just behind the forehead, used for speaking, muscle movements, planning, and judgement
Occipital lobes
Back of the head, visual areas, receives info from the opposite visual field
Parietal lobes
Top of head and towards the rear, receives sensory input for touch and body position
Temporal lobes
Above the ears, auditory areas, primarily receives info from the opposite ear.
Motor cortex
Rear of the frontal lobes, controls voluntary movement
Sensory cortex
Part of the parietal cortex, receives info from sense organs
Association areas
Gray matter of the brain, in the cortex, involved in higher level thinking, more advanced animals have more
Phineus gage
A railroad worker who had his frontal lobes damaged, this severely changed his personality for the worse
Aphasia
Impairment of communicating or understanding through language due to damage in the Broca’s or Wernicke’s area
Broca’s area
Controls speech via the motor cortex, left frontal hemisphere
(Broca’s area = broken speech)
Wernicke’s area
Interoperates auditory tone, temporal left hemisphere
Plasticity
The brain’s ability to repair or modify itself in response to an injury or damage, more effective in younger people
Corpus callosum
A large band of neural fibers that connect the brain’s two hemispheres
Split brain
The brain’s hemispheres are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers between them
