Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

PSYC 301 > Major Divisions of the Brain > Flashcards

Major Divisions of the Brain Flashcards

Anatomical Dimensions

1
Q

Neuraxis

A

The spine-to-brain path.

move from the nose to the tail of the animal (brain down to the spinal cord); decide what is anterior (rostral) and posterior (caudal)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Anterior

A

Towards the front of the brain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Posterior

A

Towards the back of the brain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Superior

A

Higher/above in the brain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

Inferior

A

Lower/below in the brain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Rostral

A

Towards the front of the brain in humans and animals. Points up the spinal curvature in humans.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

Dorsal

A

Towards the back. To humans, points to the top of our brain, but points sideways on our back. If a human had a fins like a fish, those would be visual indicators of the dorsal directions.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Caudal

A

Towards the “tail” (so for animals, towards the back of the brain, but for humans is both referring to towards the back of the brain and downwards on the axis of the brainstem/spinal cord).

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

Ventral

A

Towards the belly. In humans, points to the bottom of the brain and to the belly on the spinal axis.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Coronal Plane

A

Vertical plane that divides anterior and posterior sections of the brain.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

Horizontal Plane

A

Divides the brain into superior (upper) and inferior (lower) sections.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Sagittal Plane

A

Vertical plane that divides the brain into left and right sections. Is called a midsagittal plane if it divides the brain directly in half.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

Spinal Cord

A

Vertebrae → cervical→ thoracic → lumbar→ sacral→ coccygeal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Narrows/tapers when from cervical to coccygeal

A

The sacral region has fewer sensory neurons, and their information must travel upward to the brain. The cervical region is thicker due to more sensory input, and as motor outputs decrease down the spinal cord, the cord becomes thinner.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Spinal cord damage

A

loss of function related to segment of damage

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Major divisions of the brain

A

Forebrain:
telencephalon
diencephalon

Midbrain:
mesencephalon

Hindbrain:
metencephalon
myelencephalon (or medulla)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

What is the dorsal/ventral organization in the spinal cord?

A

The dorsal side carries sensory (afferent) information, while motor (efferent) information exits from the ventral side.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Myelencephalon

A

Intersection between the brain and the spinal cord- largely comprised of tracts; bundles of axons

Involuntary control of life-sustaining functions
Part of our brain that keeps our heart beating, diaphragm move even if we’re unconscious: swallowing reflex

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Myelencephalon

How does spinal cord damage affect function?

A

Damage to the cervical region is the most severe because it blocks all afferent inputs and motor outputs, while damage to the thoracic region only affects inputs from lower segments like the lumbar and sacral regions, leaving cervical inputs intact.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

Myelencephalon

Function of Reticular formation or the reticular activating system

A

consists of many nuclei that regulate basic functions. As you move higher in the system, it becomes essential for wakefulness, sleep, arousal, and attention.

Damage to this region can cause severe disruptions to life, such as difficulty staying awake, and may even be fatal.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
21
Q

Metencephalon

A

Contains many afferent and efferent pathways and also houses part of the reticular formation.

differentiates pons and cerebellum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
22
Q

Myelecephalon

Doctors are reluctant to perform surgery on the medulla

A

Small amount of damage; fatal or catastrophic results

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
23
Q

Metencephalon

Role of the cerebellum, and what effects does damage to it have?

A

cerebellum makes up about 10% of brain volume and is primarily responsible for motor coordination rather than motor control.

not life-threatening but impairs the ability to make smooth, unconscious adjustments in movements, such as grabbing a cup, forcing individuals with damage to make these corrections consciously.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
24
Q

Metencephalon

What is the ventral side of the pons

A

A pale structure containing many myelinated axons (both afferent and efferent), continuing from the spinal cord and medulla.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
25
Q

Metencephalon

What happens if the ventral side of the pons is damaged?

A

Damage to the pons, such as a stroke, can result in a combination of numbness, lack of coordination, and disruptions to the sleep-wake cycle.

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
26
Q

Mesencephalon (midbrain)

A

Divide midbrain by dorsal (roof or tectum)
Comprised of a roof (tectum) and a floor (tegmentum)
AKA the Boston Pizza Part of the Brain

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
27
Q

Mesencephalon

Superior colliculi

A

vision with respect to eye movement

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
28
Q

Mesencephalon

Inferior colliculi

A

auditory with respect
to head/body orientation

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
29
Q

Mesencephalon

Tectum

A

Comprised of the inferior colliculus and the superior colliculus, which deal with auditory and visual processing

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
30
Q

Mesencephalon

Damage to the mesencephalon

A

Stokes- trouble from automatic eye movement (orienting our eyes upward); Parinaud’s syndrome

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
31
Q

Mesencephalon

Tegmentum

A
  • Contains part of reticular formation
  • More fibres
  • Periacqueductal grey (main input is from the amygdala, motor control; ex: freezing when scared, flinching)
  • Dopamine-producing regions
32
Q

Metencephalon

Pons

A

large white-matter bulge,
continuing from spinal cord/medulla
* essential in sending information to your body

Damage to this region: combination of numbness/ lack of feeling in the body, lack of coordination, sleeping and waking state

33
Q

Mesencephalon

Red nucleus

A

primarily involved in motor coordination, closely connected to the cerebellum, helping to coordinate fine motor actions (swinging of arms when walking)

if damaged: motor coordination problems

34
Q

Mesencephalonss (Tegmentum)

Dopamine-producing regions

A

Substantia nigra and Ventral tegmental area (VTA)

35
Q

Mesencephalon

Pattern of function

A

motor control, sensory processing, vision and hearing reflexes, and regulating consciousness and sleep-wake cycles.

36
Q

Diencephalon

A

Comprised of two structures:
The thalamus and hypothalamus

37
Q

Diencephalon

Thalamus

A

an egg-shaped structure in the middle of your brain. It’s known as a relay station of all incoming motor (movement) and sensory information — hearing, taste, sight and touch (but not smell)

inputs from sensory systems, cerebellum, basal ganglia

38
Q

Diencephalon

Sensory info in the Thalamus

A

goes from thalamus to cortex but equal numbers come from cortex to thalamus= continuous loop

39
Q

Diencephalon

Damage to the thalamus

A

people who have damage to thalamus disorder in conscious: look awake but they don’t really seem there

40
Q

Diencephalon

Functions of the hypothalamus

A

sex, aggression, feeding, sleep, wake, more

41
Q

Diencephalon

Corticothalamic loops

A

communication pathways between the cerebral cortex and the thalamus that play a critical role in processing and regulating sensory, motor, and cognitive information.

Two-Way Communication: These loops involve reciprocal connections, where the cortex sends signals to the thalamus (corticothalamic projections), and the thalamus sends information back to the cortex (thalamocortical projections).

42
Q

Diencephalon

Hypothalamus

A

Key intersection with endocrine system via the pituitary gland (master gland)

43
Q

Diencephalon

Damage to the hypothalamus

A

Regulatory role, interfere with sleeping, eating, sex
Damage in this region is hard to pin down

44
Q

Diencephalon

Narcolepsy and the hypothalamus

A

Inability to stay awake; transition from awake to sleep so fast due to lost of specific neurons in the hypothalamus

45
Q

Telencephalon

A

Largest in the human brain

by volume (not by total number of neurons)

46
Q

Telencephalon

What are parts included in the telencephalon

A

Cortex, amygdala, hippocampus

47
Q

Telencephalon

Damage

A

wide-ranging in its symptoms

seizure, stroke, alzheimer’s, cog. impairment

48
Q

Telencephalon

Cerebral cortex

The cortex, neocortex

A

The largest and most prominent
feature of the human brain

49
Q

Telencephalon

Why is the cortex highly convoluted

A

No special reason, just part of the brain that has the best ability to learn is in the cortex; we need more cortex so we fold it up and convolute it

Other mammals have smooth brains: The lissencephalic (smooth) cortices

50
Q

Hemisphere

Corpus callosum

A

The corpus callosum is located in the central hemisphere and connected by cerebral commissures.

It connects the left and right hemisphere and allows for communication between them.

largest white matter structure in the brain

51
Q

What is interesting about the damage in the convolutions

A

Some disorders affect the sulcus first before the gyrus

52
Q

Hemisphere

Longitudinal fissure

A

Separates the ledt and right hemispheres

53
Q

Hemisphere

Callosotomy

A

where some axons connecting the left and right hemispheres of the brain are cut to reduce excessive spontaneous activity. Patients report feeling no immediate effects after the procedure.

However, they may experience manual disagreement, where one hand acts independently of the other (e.g., one hand buttoning a shirt while the other unbuttons).

rare treatment for epilepsy

54
Q

Hemisphere

Contralateral organization

A

Left hemisphere governs the right half of the word
Right hemisphere governs the left half of the world
Right hand is controlled by left and vice versa

55
Q

Hemisphere

Left hemisphere dominance for language

A

Speaking, listening, language comprehension

right hemisphere has limited capacity or not so effective

56
Q

Hemisphere

4 lobes in the cerebral cortex

A

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal lobe

57
Q

Hemisphere

Central fissure

A

separates frontal and parietal lobes

58
Q

Hemisphere

Lateral fissure

A

separates temporal lobe from frontal/parietal

Deep in the letral fissure: the insula- older cortex underneath the cerebral cortex

59
Q

Hemisphere

Limbic system

A

Amygdala (latin word for almond), HTh, mammillary body, hippocampus, fornix, cingulate cortex (related to sensation of pain, decision-making, tough decisions), septum, olfactory bulb

symptoms from damage can vary from region to region

60
Q

Hemisphere

Basal Ganglia

A

Includes striatum (caudate + putamen) and globus pallidus (pale globe), sometimes others (e.g. subthalamic nucleus)

Critical in movement, skills, habits, decision making
Muscle memory
Learning skilled but not too thoughtful actions–playing piano, riding a bike
Somehow a part of drug addiction

61
Q

Nucleus accumbens

A

subregion of striatum/caudate, sometimes called ventral striatum (opposite of dorsal)

Connected to drugs and addiction: important for motivation

62
Q

Anatomy of the cortical layers

A

Layer 6- deepest
3,5,6 much thicker in motor cortex
4 is thick for

63
Q

Sensory cortex vs motor cortex

A

In the sensory cortex, layers are thicker and packed with input-processing neurons (INPUT)

In the motor cortex, layers for sending signals are more prominent, reflecting their role in controlling movements. (OUTPUT)

64
Q

Differences between
parts of the cortex

A

can be used to make maps
e.g. Brodmann areas

65
Q

Line between motor and somatosensory (most anterior for parietal)

A

Central fissure

66
Q

Precentral gyrus

A

Located in the frontal lobe, this is the motor cortex (Brodmann area 4), responsible for controlling voluntary movements.

67
Q

Do we use only 10% of our brains?

A

NO.

Ex. drinking a glass of water
Make a decision that you want to drink water- prefrontal cortex
How to pick up a glass of water- Premotor areas; has the templates on how I should do it
Executed into motor commands- Motor cortex; Send axons to spinal cord (efferent signal)
regulates movement- basal ganglia
Brain stem- pons
Sensory info- weight of the glass etc- cerebellum
Looping to other areas to find motor coordination

68
Q

Postcentral gyrus

A

Located in the parietal lobe, this is the somatosensory cortex (Brodmann areas 1-3), responsible for processing sensory information from the body.

69
Q

Meninges

A

Three layers of membranes that protect the brain and spinal cord.

Pia mater, arachnoid mater, dura mater

70
Q

4 total, including the skull

Layers that protect the brain and spinal cord

A

Skull -> Dura Mater -> Arachnoid mater -> Pia mater

71
Q

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)

A

Fluid that flows in and around the hollow/empty spaces of the brain and spinal cord. The brain produces CSF for nutrients, to remove waste, etc. but also is like an “airbag” in case we bump our heads.

Flows down to central canal spinal cord- take a sample from spinal cord and withdraw the fluid and see what drug metabolize and see what’s happening at the CNS

72
Q

Hydrocephalus

A

neurological disorder caused by an abnormal buildup of cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles (cavities) deep within the brain

Passageways get blocked but ventricles keep producing CSF= puts pressure into the brain
Wants to drain but it can’t so it pushes against neurons
Ventricles will get larger and larger= hydrocephalus

If let untreated, consequences on cognition

73
Q

Treatment for hydrocephalus

A

Insert an artificial tube (shunt) to drain from brain to abdomen

74
Q

Cerebral blood flow

A

Flow from blood to brain is limited (supply) because there is only 4 veins (2 in front and 2 at back)

No redundancy, if 1 artery is blocked, that artery is gone; that’s why stroke is so detrimental

No reserves- energy brain consumes have no storage; drug overdose and no energy store= you can get brain damage

neurons= no oxygenated blood for 4 minutes= they start dying

75
Q

Mesencephalon

periaqueductal gray

A

propagation and modulation of pain, sympathetic responses as well as the learning and action of defensive and aversive behaviors.

76
Q

Medial

A

Towards the middle (of the brain).

77
Q

Lateral

A

Towards the edge (of the brain).

PSYC 301 (8 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions