Structure and Function of Areas of the Brain Flashcards
Hindbrain
Found at the base of the brain. Contains lower level brain structures:
- Cerebellum
- Pons
- Medulla
Medulla
- Found at the top of the spinal cord.
- Often referred to as the medulla oblongata due to its shape.
- Controls reflexive functions vital for survival (e.g. swallowing, breathing, heart pumping)
Pons
- Connects the top of the spinal cord to the brain.
- Involved in sleep, dreaming and arousal.
- Has a relay/bridge function from the cerebrum to the cerebellum.
Midbrain
Located deep within the brain.
- Collection of structures involved with movement, processing of sensory information and sleep and arousal.
- Contains Reticular Formation (includes the Reticular Activating System).
Reticular Formation
- Filters incoming sensory information so the brain is not overloaded.
- Maintains consciousness, regulates arousal and muscle tension.
Forebrain
Controls and regulates higher order functions (e.g. personality, cognitive functions, learning, perception). It contains the:
- hypothalamus
- thalamus
- cerebral cortex/cerebellum
Hypothalamus
- Maintains the body’s internal environment (homeostasis).
- When sections of the hypothalamus are damaged or stimulated eating problems can occur.
Thalamus
- Filters and transfers all sensory information (except smell) to relevant parts of the brain for processing.
- Transfers neural information (concerning alertness and attention) from the Reticular Formation to the cerebral cortex.
- Minimises sensory pathways during sleep.
- Damage can cause loss of any sense (except smell), attention difficulties and diminished arousal.
Cerebral Cortex
The top layer of the cerebrum. Divided into two hemispheres and four lobes. Involved in:
- receiving and processing sensory information
- initiating motor responses
Hemispheric Specialisation
The cerebral hemispheres are the two almost-symmetrical areas of the brain running from its front to its back that are connected by the corpus callosum. The cerebral hemispheres share many of the same functions, but perform these functions on different sides. These are central
Hemispheric Specialisation
The cerebral hemispheres share many of the same functions, but perform these functions on different sides. These are contralateral, meaning that each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.
Hemispheric Specialisation
The cerebral hemispheres are the two almost-symmetrical areas of the brain running from its front to its back that are connected by the corpus callosum. The cerebral hemispheres share many of the same functions, but perform these functions on different sides. These are central
Frontal Lobe
Concerned with higher-order functions such as decision making, reasoning, planning and emotions. In involves the primary motor cortex.
Primary Motor Cortex
Stores information about how to carry out different movements.
Damage to the Frontal Lobe
- mood fluctuations
- inability to express language
- changes in social behaviour
- changes in personality
- inability to focus on a task and to filter out distractions (attention)
- loss of simple movement of various body parts
Parietal Lobe
Concerned with processing sensory information (including temperature and touch), orientation and types of recognition and memory.
Somatosensory Cortex
Receives and processes sensory information from skin and body.
Damage to the Parietal Lobe
- difficulty with drawing objects
- difficulty in distinguishing left from right
- inability to focus visual attention
- lack of awareness of certain body parts and/or surrounding space (neglect)
- spatial disorientation and navigation difficulties
Occipital Lobe
Contains the primary visual cortex. It is concerned with processing information from the eyes including vision, colour, shape and perspective.
Damage to the Occipital Lobe
- difficulty locating objects in environment
- difficulty with identifying colours
- production of hallucinations
- difficulty reading and writing
- word blindness - inability to recognise words
Temporal Lobe
Concerned with processing auditory information. Also involved in memory and encoding faces and expression.
Damage to the Temporal Lobe
- persistent talking
- difficulty recognising faces
- impaired factual and long-term memory
- emotional disturbance
- difficulty with identification and categorisation of objects
Language Centres
- Broca’s area located in the frontal lobe
- Wernicke’s area located in the temporal lobe
Broca’s area
Responsible for the production of clear and articulate speech.
Wernicke’s Area
Involved in the comprehension of speech.
Aphasia
An impairment in language production or comprehension brought about by neurological damage.
Broca’s Aphasia
Characterised by non-fluent speech. However, speech perception is not affected, and language comprehension is normal.
