Chapter Two : Part Two

Question 1

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; is responsible for automatic survival functions

Answer 1

brainstem

Question 2

the base of he brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

Answer 2

medulla

Question 3

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

Answer 3

reticular formation

Question 4

the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Answer 4

thalamus

Question 5

the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem; its functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Answer 5

cerebellum

Question 6

a doughnut shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex (hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus)

Answer 6

limbic system

Question 7

two lima bean sized neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are liked to emotion

Answer 7

amygdala

Question 8

a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

Answer 8

hypothalamus

Question 9

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information processing center

Answer 9

cerebral cortex

Question 10

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Answer 10

glial cells

Question 11

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

Answer 11

frontal lobe

Question 12

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body postion

Answer 12

parietal lobes

Question 13

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

Answer 13

occipital lobes

Question 14

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear

Answer 14

temporal lobes

Question 15

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

Answer 15

motor cortex

Question 16

the area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers an processes body touch and movement sensations

Answer 16

sensory cortex

Question 17

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

Answer 17

association areas

Question 18

a railroad worker who had a rod shot through his frontal lobe and survived; however, the damage to his frontal lobe altered his personality

Answer 18

Phineas Gage

Question 19

impairment of language, usually cased by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impairing understanding)

Answer 19

aphasia

Question 20

controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Answer 20

Broca’s area

Question 21

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Answer 21

Wernicke’s area

Question 22

the brain’s capacity for modification, as evident in brain reorganization following damage (especially in children) and in experiments on the effects of experience on brain development

Answer 22

plasticity

Question 23

the large band of neural fibers connecting he two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Answer 23

corpus callosum

Question 24

a condition in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them

Answer 24

split brain

Question 25

a structure of the brain that lies directly above the medulla; is responsible for unconsciousness and dreaming

Answer 25

pons

Question 26

a neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage

Answer 26

hippocampus