Lecture 6 Flashcards
What is the center of the nervous system?
Brain
The brain coordinates all nervous system activities.
What correlates with intelligence rather than brain size?
Brain surface area
A larger surface area allows for more neural connections.
What are the oldest parts of the brain that develop first in utero?
Hindbrain
Includes structures responsible for survival mechanisms.
What is contralateral control?
Right and left hemispheres control opposite sides of the body
The right hemisphere controls the left side and vice versa.
What are the three main divisions of the brain?
- Hindbrain (brainstem)
- Midbrain
- Forebrain
Each division has distinct functions related to survival, orientation, and sensory processing.
What does the medulla control?
Heart rate, reflexes, respiration, circulation
It is part of the hindbrain and regulates vital body functions.
What is the role of the reticular formation?
Mood, sleep, and attention
It plays a critical role in regulating arousal and consciousness.
What functions are associated with the cerebellum?
Balance, coordination, fine motor skills
It has the densest concentration of neurons in the brain.
What neurotransmitter is a large source in the midbrain?
Dopamine
It is crucial for voluntary movement and reward pathways.
What connects the two hemispheres of the brain?
Corpus callosum
It is a band of fibers facilitating interhemispheric communication.
What is the primary function of the frontal lobe?
Higher order processing
Involves decision making, judgement, creativity, logic, and reasoning.
What is the prefrontal cortex known as?
Manager of the brain
It coordinates and regulates brain systems and is the last to develop.
What does the motor cortex control?
Motor movement
It is located at the back of the frontal lobe.
What does the parietal lobe process?
Somatosensory information
It is involved in touch sensation and visual integration.
What is the primary function of the occipital lobe?
Vision
It processes visual information and builds complexity from simple features.
What is lateralization in the brain?
Differences in function between the right and left hemispheres
The left hemisphere focuses on speech, while the right is more about non-speech hearing.
What is Broca’s area responsible for?
Speech production
It is located in the left hemisphere.
What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?
Speech comprehension
It is crucial for understanding spoken and written language.
What does the thalamus process?
Sense information except smell
It acts as a relay station for sensory information.
What is the limbic system focused on?
Emotion and memory
It includes structures like the amygdala and hippocampus.
What does the hypothalamus regulate?
Feeding, fleeing, fighting, mating
It plays a key role in homeostasis and survival behaviors.
What are the strong negative emotions associated with?
Amygdala
It is involved in processing fear and anger.
What is the primary function of the hippocampus?
Creating stable long-term memory
Its size and function decrease with age.
What does the cingulate gyrus focus on?
Information worth processing
It can be dysfunctional in individuals with schizophrenia.
