the brain Flashcards
reading 5
what is the structure of the forebrain?
two subdivisions: the telencephalon and the diencephalon.
what is the telencephalon?
It includes two symmetrical cerebral hemispheres that make up the cerebrum. It also controls almost all voluntary movements within the body
what is the cerebral cortex?
It surrounds the cerebral hemispheres and appears folded which helps enlarge the surface area of the cortex. It consists mostly of glia, cell bodies, dendrites and interconnecting axons of the neurons. It is referred to as grey matter due to its appearance.
what are the main fucntions of the lobes in the cerebral cortex?
Frontal lobe= controls the way you move, thing and remember things. Key part in social skills and managing higher level executive functions.
Parietal lobe= receives and processes sensory input such as touch, pressure, heat, cold and pain.
Temporal lobe= manages emotions, processes information for the senses, stores and retrieves memories and understands language.
Occipital lobe= visuospatial processing, distance and depth perception, colour determination, object and face recognition and memory formation.
what is the sensory cortex?
Made up of three areas: primary visual cortex (receives visual information and is located in the occipital lobe), primary auditory cortex (receives auditory information and is located in the temporal lobe), primary somatosensory cortex (vertical strip of cortex that receives information from the senses).
what is the sensory association cortex?
A sunken region of the cerebral cortex that is normally covered by the rostral superior temporal lobe and caudal inferior frontal lobe. It is involved in perceiving and learning and ach primary sensory cortex of the cerebral cortex sends its information to it.
what is the primary motor cortex?
The region of the posterior frontal lobe that contains neurons that control movements of the skeletal muscles.
what is the motor association cortex?
Controls the primary motor cortex and directly controls behaviour.
what is the lateralisation in the cerebral cortex?
Left hemisphere= analyses information, recognises serial events and controls sequences of behaviour: verbal activities (talking, understanding speech, reading and writing).
Right hemisphere= specialised for synthesis, good at isolating elements to perceive things as a whole. Allows us to read maps, and construct complex objects to smaller ones.
what is the corpus callosum?
A large band of axons that connects corresponding parts of the cerebral cortex of the right and left hemispheres.
what is the limbic system?
Formed by the limbic cortex, hippocampus, amygdala.
Hippocampus= helps us with our sense of direction
Amygdala= a major processing centre of emotions.
what are the basal ganglia?
Are a collection of nuclei below the cortex in the forebrain. The main parts are the caudate nucleus, the putamen, and the globus pallidus.
what is the diencephalon?
The second major division of the forebrain and surrounds the 3rd ventricle, its most important structures are the thalamus and hippocampus.
what is the thalamus?
Has two lobes connected by the a bridge of grey matter. Where most of the neural input to cerebral cortex is received.
what is the hypothalamus?
Located under the thalamus, contains many nuclei and fibre tracks, controls behaviours such as eating and sleeping. The pituitary glad is attached to the base of it. Produces and controls the secretion of hormones of the posterior pituitary gland.
