The Brain Flashcards
What is the central nervous system and what does it do?
A specialised and complex network of cells in the human body
• divided into central nervous system (CNS brain and spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
It collects, processes and responds to information in the environment and it co ordinates the working of different organs and cells in the body
What happens in the brain?
The source of our conscious awareness and where decision making takes place
• the corpus collosum which is a bundle of white matter found in the frontal cortex
• brains control of the body is contralateral so the left hemisphere controls activity of the right side of the body, the right hemisphere controls activity on the left side
• the outer layer of the brain called the cerebral cortex is highly developed in humans. It is about 3mm thick and covers the ‘inner’ parts of the brain
What are the lobes/cortical regions (belonging to the cortex)?
• frontal lobe
• parietal lobe
• occipital lobe
• temporal lobe
• brain stem
• cerebellum
What is localisation?
Certain areas of the brain are responsible for specific functions and behaviours.
The cerebral cortex of both hemispheres is subdivided into four lobes. Each lobe is associated with different functions.
What are the frontal lobes and where are they located?
- located right at the front of the brain - make up about 40% of the cerebral cortex in humans
Control high-level cognitive functions such as thinking, planning , problem solving and decision making
Also contains the motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements on the opposite aide of the body
What do the parietal lobes do?
Contains somatosensory cortex
Processes sensory information from skin (touch,temp,pressure)
What do the temporal lobes do?
Contains auditory cortex
Deals with sound information (mainly from opposite ear)
Processes location, volume, pitch of sounds
Has a role in understanding language
What do the occipital lobes?
Contains auditory cortex
Deals with sound information (mainly from opposite ear)
Processes location, volume, pitch of sounds
Has a role in understanding language
What are the Subcortical (below the cortex) structures?
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Limbic system
Cerebellum
Corpus callosum
What does the thalamus do?
Receives information from various senses and passes it onto the appropriate areas of the cortex for higher level processing. Act as a ‘gate’ or filter of info. Also has a role in sleep and wakefulness.
What does the hypothalamus do?
Sits below the thalamus.
Controls motivational behaviour such as hunger, thirst and sex. Has a role in stress response through its control of fight or flight.
Maintains balance of bodily functions such as temperature (homeostasis) and also regulates activity of hormones
What is the limbic system?
Consists of several structures such as the amygdala, which plays a large role in regulating emotional responses. Also has the role in memory (hippocampus)
What is the cerebellum?
This word means ‘little brain’. It coordinates posture, balance and movement. It does this by receiving an integrating info from the spinal cord.
What is the corpus callosum?
Dense collection of nerve cells physically connects the two hemispheres below the cerebral cortex. It allows communication between hemispheres.
Interesting sections
Broca’s area - responsible for speech production - damage to this area causes ‘broca’s aphasia’ which is slow, laborious speech lacking in fluency
Wernicke’s area - responsible for understanding language - damage to this area means difficultly understanding language and producing fluent but meaningless speech (wernicke’s aphasia’)
