Chapter 6 Definitions

Question 1

association areas

Answer 1

regions of the cerebral lobes that are not part of the sensory (visual, auditory, somatosensory) or motor cortices. The association areas make up 75% of the cortex and integrates the information between the motor and sensory areas and higher-order mental processing.

Question 2

autonomic nervous system

Answer 2

consisting of the parasympathetic and sympathetic branches and responsible for the communication between the body’s non skeletal (visceral) muscles and the internal organs; glands that carry out bodily functions.

Question 3

central nervous system

Answer 3

comprises of the brain and the spinal cord

Question 4

cerebral cortex

Answer 4

outer layer of brain. Location of higher mental processes and complex behaviours

Question 5

cerebral hemispheres

Answer 5

large, wrinkled structures of the brain that are covered by the cortex

Question 6

corpus callosum

Answer 6

the thick band of about 200 million nerve fibers connecting the right and left hemispheres

Question 7

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 7

a branch of the autonomic nervous system, responsible for maintaining out day-to-day functioning and for most of the automatic functions of the body such as digestion, heart rate, breathing and some glandular functions.

Question 8

frontal lobe

Answer 8

the largest lobe of the brain. It has several functions, including initiating movement of the body, language, planning, judgement, problem solving, aspects of personality and emotions. It is extremely well developed in higher mammals.

Question 9

occipital lobe

Answer 9

the cerebral cortex at the rear of the brain. It is the location of the primary visual cortex and association areas involved with integration of visual stimuli.

Question 10

parietal lobe

Answer 10

the location of the primary somatosensory cortex in the brain. The parietal lobes enable a person to perceive their own body and to perceive where things are located in their immediate environment.

Question 11

peripheral nervous system

Answer 11

communicates information from the body to the central nervous system (for example aches and pains) and to the body’s organs, glands and muscles.

Question 12

primary auditory cortex

Answer 12

located in the upper part of the temporal lobe. Receives sounds from the ears.

Question 13

primary motor cortex

Answer 13

located at the rear of each frontal lobe. Responsible for movement of the skeletal muscles of the body.

Question 14

primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 14

located at the front of each parietal lobe. Processes sensations such as touch, pressure, temperature and pain from the body.

Question 15

primary visual cortex

Answer 15

located in the occipital lobe. Processes information from the eyes.

Question 16

somatic nervous system

Answer 16

the division of the peripheral nervous system that carries sensory information in the central nervous system, and also carries motor commands from the central nervous system to the skeletal muscles

Question 17

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 17

a branch of the autonomic nervous system that activates the fight-or-flight

Question 18

temporal lobe

Answer 18

the part of the forebrain beneath the temporal plate of the skull,at the side of the head above the ears. Contains Wernicke’s area and the primary aurditory cortex.