CHP.5 HINDBRAIN, MIDBRAIN & FOREBRAIN: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION & THE ROLE OF THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

Question 1

What are the three parts or sections of the brain?

Answer 1

the hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain

Question 2

what does the hindbrain consist of?

Answer 2

the medulla, the pons and the cerebellum

Question 3

what is the medulla?

Answer 3

a continuation of the spine responsible for the control of breathing, heartbeat and digestion

Question 4

what is the pons?

Answer 4

the pons sits above the medulla and receives information sent from visual areas to control eye and body actions

Question 5

what is the cerebellum?

Answer 5

receiving information from the pons, the cerebellum coordinates body movement along with perception, cognition and balance.

Question 6

what does the midbrain consist of?

Answer 6

reticular formation

Question 7

what is the reticular formation?

Answer 7

a network of neurons that runs through all 3 sections though mostly midbrain, the reticular formation is Important in the control of arousal and in the ‘sleeping and waking’ cycle and consciousness

Question 8

what does the forebrain consist of?

Answer 8

a number of important structures including the cerebrum, the hypothalamus and the thalamus

Question 9

what is the cerebrum?

Answer 9

the biggest and most recognisable part of the forebrain, covered by the cerebral cortex and divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres

Question 10

what is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 10

the outer layer of the brain responsible for higher mental processes and complex behaviours

Question 11

what separates the left and right hemispheres?

Answer 11

the longitudinal fissure, a deep groove

Question 12

what joins the left and right hemispheres?

Answer 12

the corpus callosum

Question 13

what is the corpus calosum?

Answer 13

a thick band of nerve tissue

Question 14

what is the hypothalamus?

Answer 14

a very Important role in basic survival actions- sleep, regulation of body temperature, expression of emotion and the four Fs

Question 15

what are the four Fs?

Answer 15

feeding, fighting, fleeing and fornication

Question 16

what is the thalamus?

Answer 16

it is divided into two egg-shaped parts, one in each hemisphere. the thalamus is the ‘communications centre’ of the brain and it receives information from the ears, eyes, skin and other sensory organs

Question 17

what are the roles of the thalamus?

Answer 17

it has two important roles. processing sensory stimuli in the environment and to determine which of the constant incoming sensory stimuli is the most important to pay attention to

Question 18

what is the role of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 18

receiving information from the environment, controlling g our responses and higher order thinking processes including problem solving and planning. it is also involved in memory, language and regulating emotions

Question 19

what are the four lobes?

Answer 19

the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and temporal lobe

Question 20

are there foru lobes in total?

Answer 20

technically, there are eight. each hemisphere has its own set of four

Question 21

what are the role of the primary cortices?

Answer 21

each lobe has a corresponding primary cortex, and when senses first receive information from the environment the thalamus relays it the primary cortex of the relevant lobe, to then process and interpret it

Question 22

what are the four primary cortices?

Answer 22

the primary visual cortex, the primary auditory cortex, the primary somatosensory cortex and the primary motor cortex

Question 23

what is the role of the primary visual cortex?

Answer 23

located in the occipital lobe, it receives visual information

Question 24

what is the role of the primary auditory cortex?

Answer 24

located in the temporal lobe, it receives sound information

Question 25

what is the role of the primary somatosensory cortex?

Answer 25

located in the parietal lobe, it receives information from sense receptors in the skin

Question 26

what is the role of the primary motor cortex?

Answer 26

located in the frontal lobe, it controls our movements

Question 27

what is the frontal lobe?

Answer 27

the largest of the lobes, they have several functions including motor function, language, planning, judgement, problem solving, aspects of personality and regulation of emotions

Question 28

define contralateral organisation

Answer 28

the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and vice verse

Question 29

define Phineas Gage’s story

Answer 29

damaged his frontal lobe when his brain was pierced with an iron rod. survived, but due to the damage to his frontal lobe had a complete negative personality change

Question 30

what is the parietal lobe?

Answer 30

responsible for processing and recognising sensations and touch

Question 31

what is the temporal lobe?

Answer 31

responsible for processing auditory information. receives sound through the ears and performs the complex auditory analysis necessary for recognising speech

Question 32

what is the occipital lobe?

Answer 32

responsible for vision and visual stimuli. information from the left eye will be processed in the right occipital lobe and vice verse

Question 33

what is the association area of each cortex?

Answer 33

involved in the integration of information between the motor and sensory areas information important for that area

Question 34

what are the association areas of the frontal lobe?

Answer 34

Broca’s area, the limbic system, the prefrontal cortex and the orbitofrontal cortex

Question 35

what is Broca’s area?

Answer 35

responsible for communication and conversation

Question 36

what is the limbic system?

Answer 36

the emotional, learning and memory centre of the brain

Question 37

what comprises the limbic system?

Answer 37

the amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, and cingulate gyrus

Question 38

what is the amygdala responsible for?

Answer 38

responsible for processing memories, decision-making, and emotional reactions

Question 39

what is the hippocampus responsible for?

Answer 39

responsible for the consolidation of information from short-term memory to long-term memory and spatial navigation

Question 40

what is the basal ganglia responsible for?

Answer 40

responsible for control of voluntary motor movements, procedural learning, routine behaviours or “habits” such as bruxism, eye movements, cognition and emotion

Question 41

what is the cingulate gyrus responsible for?

Answer 41

responsible for emotion formation and processing, learning, and memory

Question 42

what is the prefrontal cortex?

Answer 42

involved in making plans and predicting outcomes, helping to regulate emotion and behaviour by anticipating the consequences of our actions. also involved with anxiety and focus

Question 43

what is the orbitofrontal cortex?

Answer 43

important structure in decision making and thinking processes. it is also thought to impact behaviour pattersn and involved in addiction.

Question 44

what are the association areas of the parietal lobe?

Answer 44

an important function of the parietal lobes are to enable a person to perceive their own body and the location of objects in their vicinity. the right parietal lobe is associated with perceiving 3-D shapes and designs. the left parietal lobe has a role in reading, writing and performing mental arithmetic.

Question 45

what are the association areas of the temporal lobe?

Answer 45

the left temporal lobe contains Wernicke’s area, responsible for comprehending written and spoken language

Question 46

what would happen if you damaged the association areas of the occipital lobe?

Answer 46

it would not cause blindness, but would effect a person’s ability to recognise object

Question 47

what is hemispheric association?

Answer 47

the lobes and cortices in each hemisphere receive information from the opposite side of the person’s body. eg, seeing a flower in your left eye would lead to the sensory information being processed in your right occipital lobe