Neurophysiology of the Brain

Question 1

Hindbrain Structures

Answer 1

medulla, pons, and cerebellum

Question 2

Medulla

Answer 2

critical bodily functions
• Breathing automatically
• Controls heart rate

Question 3

Cerebellum

Answer 3

walking and balance
• Can learn to do some movements easily; what was once difficult becomes easier(muscle memory)
• Learns muscle movements and sequences with a certain type of intensity to save for later

Question 4

Pons

Answer 4

arousal and sleep
• Level of engagement with environment
• Alerts body to wake, sleep, excite, inhibit, etc.
• Brain can take on great damage without sleep

Question 5

Midbrain Structures

Answer 5

Tectum and Tegmentum, Recticular formation, and brainstem(medulla, pons, and recticular formation)

Question 6

Tectum and Tegmentum

Answer 6

• Visual reflexes
• With eyes(constrict and expand pupils)
• Cause eye movement every few seconds

Question 7

Rectiular Formation

Answer 7

Arousal

Question 8

Forebrain

Answer 8

The limbic system, Thalumus, Basal Ganglia, Cerebral Cortex

Question 9

The Limbic System

Answer 9

Made up of the Amygdala, Hippocampus, and Hypothalumus

Question 10

Amygdala

Answer 10

o Fear and anxiety
o When activated, uneasy feelings occur; impending doom
o Different drugs and chemical can inhibit this to calm this part of the brain
 Example: marijuana, alcohol

Question 11

Hippocampus

Answer 11

o Major role in learning and memory
o Emotionally important and relevant info is remembered here since it is connected to amygdala
 Not just fear and anxiety, other emotions involved too
o If damaged or inhibited, problems with memory occur
 Blackout from alcohol can seriously inhibit hippocampus

Question 12

Hypothalumus

Answer 12

o Anything requiring body regulation
o Anything to be kept in particular window
 Body temperature; shiver to generate heat when cold, sweat when hot
 Hormones
 Water intake
 Food intake; keep you from passing out
o Stores energy to regulate the body when certain intakes are low to an extent, like hunger

Question 13

The Thalamus

Answer 13

• Large ball in the middle
• All sensory information routed through the thalamus
o Like from eyes, hearing(auditory information)
• “All trains go to grand central before branching out to other places”

Question 14

Basal Ganglia

Answer 14

• Combination of structures in the brain that produce movement
• Can cause health problems with movement later on

Question 15

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 15

• Location where information is made aware
• Without it, we can respond to things but not be consciously aware of it
- made up of right and left hemisphere
- each hemisphere has four lobes

Question 16

Right hemisphere of the brain

Answer 16

o Spatial location
 Good at seeing the whole picture arrangement
o Faces
o Art/music
o Creativity
o “whole units”
 Whole figure

Question 17

Left hemisphere of the brain

Answer 17

o Logic mathematics
o Verbal skills
o Conscious awareness
o Special location
o memory

Question 18

Four Lobes in each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex?

Answer 18

Frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital

Question 19

Contralateral Organization

Answer 19

“opposite sides”

Question 20

Corpus Callosum

Answer 20

allows right and left hemisphere to communicate, connects hemispheres
• If one does not know what I saw, it will be a real struggle (since certain hemispheres provide certain things in the brain)

Question 21

Split Brain Patients

Answer 21

o Joe’s severed brain causes him to see just on one side, going to only one side of hemisphere
o Like his hands controlled by two separate people
o Problems come along with which certain hemisphere pairs with what

Question 22

Frontal Lobe

Answer 22

o Stretch of motor cortex in very back, creates voluntary motions

Question 23

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 23

right in the front, involved in paying attention, inhibits behaviors that should not be done(self control); thinks ahead and strategizes
 Last place to develop in the brain, develops until about 25 years of age; deals with maturity level
 Serious issues with young teens taking drugs to affect development of this area

Question 24

Parietal Lobe

Answer 24

o Pain, tickle, itch, cold, warm(anything from touch of skin) involves the Somatosensory Cortex

Question 25

Temporal Lobe

Answer 25

o Auditory cortex

Question 26

Occipital Lobe

Answer 26

o Visual cortex