the brain Flashcards
what is the nervous system?
- a complex communication system
- it reveives messages about our enviroment, monitors our body and sends messages to control what we do
what is the central nervous system?
- made up of the brain and the spinal cords
what is the peripheral nervous system?
- made up of all our other nerves
- autonomic (automatically controls actions of organs)
- somatic (controls coluntary movements of skeletal muscles)
what are the the three main physical sections of the brain?
- hindbrain
- forebrain
- midbrain
what is the forebrain?
- thoughts and reason
- motivation, emotion, and action
- cerebral cortex
- thalamus
- hypothalamus
what are the functions of the cerebral cortex?
- Sensory, cognitive, and motor functions
- Conscious experiences
- Voluntary actions
- Language and intelligence
what are the functions of the thalamus?
- redirects sensory input travels to the appropriate areas of the cortex.
what are the functions of the hypothalamus?
- motives and emotions
what is the midbrain?
- influences complex behaviours such as defense, aggression, or reproduction
- regulates consciousness
what is the hindbrain?
- Controls the reflexes for orienting the eyes and ears (attention) (sensory control)
- Influences wakefulness, arousal level, and attention
- Muscle control and cardiac responsiveness
- pons
- cerebellum
- medulla
what is the medulla?
- controls breathing and heart rate
what is the cerebellum?
- receives sensory input from all sensors, regulates balance, postural control, fine movement, and coordination.
what is the pons?
- is a relay station between the cerebrum and cerebellum
what are the two hemispheres of the brain?
- left
- right
what is the corpus callosum?
- large band of neural fibers
- connects the two brain hemispheres
- carries messages between the hemispheres
what does the left hemisphere do?
- controls the right side of the body
- controls verbal aspects
- responsible for the production of language, mathematical ability, problem-solving, logic
what does the right hemisphere do?
- responsible for the left side of the body
- responsible for creativity and spatial ability
- controls non-verbal aspects
what are fissures?
- divide the cerebrum into lobes
what are the 4 lobes of the brain?
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
what are the functions of the frontal lobe?
- regulates emotional behaviour
- personality
control of voluntary movement - abstract thinking
what are the functions of the parietal lobe?
- integrates sensory information relating to touch, temperature, position in space, and muscle movement
what are the functions of the temporal lobe?
- Involved in receiving and processing auditory information
what are the functions of the occipital lobe?
- receive and process visual information
what is the gray matter?
- Outer layer of the cerebrum
- Composed mostly of neuron cell bodies
what is white matter?
- Fiber tracts inside the gray matter
- Example: the corpus callosum connects hemispheres
who is phineas gage?
- 1848
- a metal rod shot through his left cheek and out the top of his scull
- affected his frontal lobe
- personality completely changed
