Functions of Brain Structures Flashcards
What constitutes the forebrain?
Cerebral cortex (frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe, limbic structures, and occipital lobe), basal ganglia, and thalamus
What are the general functions of the brainstem (midbrain, pons, medulla)?
Homeostasis, life sustaining functions, cranial nerve nuclei (III-XII). The more caudal parts are most essential for life, the more rostral parts are higher level functions.
What are the general functions of the cerebellum?
Coordination of movements that use more than one joint.
*Damage leads to ataxia
What are the general functions of the spinal cord?
Ventral and dorsal nerve roots, ascending and descending pathways, proprioception, spinal reflexes, sympathetic nervous system.
Define consciousness
Being awake and aware.
Study differences between unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (vegetative state), locked-in syndrome, minimally conscious state, and coma.
OK
Which lobe is the motor control center and controls executive function?
Frontal lobe
Which lobe is responsible for somatosensory processing?
Parietal lobe
Which lobe is responsible for auditory processing and new memory formation?
Temporal lobe
What is responsible for emotional processing, learning, and memory?
Limbic structures
Which lobe is responsible for visual processing?
Occipital lobe
What does the basal ganglia do?
- Coordinates choice of mutually exclusive skeletal muscle actions
- Operational learning via linkage to limbic system
- Dysfunction leads to movement disorders
What is the thalamus responsible for?
Interpreting/modulating sensory input to cortex. Lots of sensory neurons synapse here.
What is the function of the midbrain?
Vertical eye movements, pupil control, posture and locomotion, non-rapid eye movement, level of arousal
What is the function of the pons?
Conjugate horizontal eye movements, posture, rapid eye movements, facial expressions.
