The Brain

Question 1

phrenology

Answer 1

the practice of assessing personality trains and mental abilities by measuring bumps on the human skull

Question 2

Paul Broca

Answer 2

physician and anatomist that discovered the part of the brain linked to speech production

Question 3

Broca’s Area

Answer 3

a small portion of the left frontal region of the brain, crucial for the production of language

Question 4

brain stem

Answer 4

an extension of the spinal chord; it houses structure that control functions associated with survival, such as breathing, swallowing, vomiting, urination and orgasm

Question 5

cerebellum

Answer 5

large, convoluted protuberance at the back of the brain stem essential for coordinated movement and balance

Question 6

reticular formation

Answer 6

a network of neurons in the brain stem that projects up into the cerebral cortex and affects general alertness

Question 7

forebrain

Answer 7

the two cerebral hemispheres that contains the cerebral cortex

Question 8

subcortical regions

Answer 8

a region that contains the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala and the basal ganglia

Question 9

limbic system

Answer 9

the border between the evolutionarily older parts of the brain important for controlling appetitive behaviors such as eating, drinking and emotion

Question 10

hypothalamus

Answer 10

the brain structure that is involved in the regulation of bodily functions, including body temperature, blood pressure and blood glucose levels and influences basic motivated behaviors

Question 11

thalamus

Answer 11

the “gateway to the cortex” that receives incoming sensory information before that information reaches the cortex (EXCEPT FOR SMELL!!)

Question 12

hippocampus

Answer 12

the brain structure that is association with the formation of memories

Question 13

amygdala

Answer 13

brain structre that serves a vitral role in our learning to assocate things with emotional responses and in processing emotional information

Question 14

basal ganglia

Answer 14

a system of subcortical structures that are important for the production of planned movement

Question 15

cerebral cortex

Answer 15

the outer layer of brain tissues, which forms the convoluted surfaces of the brain

Question 16

occipital lobes

Answer 16

regions of the cerebral cortex, at the back of the brain, important for vision

Question 17

nucleus accumbens

Answer 17

a structure in the basal ganglia important for experience reward and motivating behavior

Question 18

cerebral cortex

Answer 18

the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres that gives the brain its distinctive wrinkled appearance. the site all thoughts, details perceptions and complex behaviors

Question 19

corpus callosum

Answer 19

a massive bridge of millions of axons that connect the hemispheres and allow information flow between the two

Question 20

parietal lobe

Answer 20

regions of the cerebral cortex- in the front of the occipital lobes and behind the frontal lobes - important for the sense of touch and for conceptualizing the spatial layout of an environment

Question 21

temporal lobes

Answer 21

regions of the cerebral cortex - below the parietal lobes and in front of the occipital lobes - important for processing auditory information for memory and for object and face perception

Question 22

frontal lobes

Answer 22

regions of the cerebral cortex - at the front of the brain - important for movement and high-level psychological processes association with the prefrontal cortex

Question 23

prefrontal cortex

Answer 23

the frontmost portion of the frontal lobes, especially prominent in humans; important for attention, working memory, decisions making, appropriate social behavior and personality

Question 24

primary motor cortex

Answer 24

the rearmost portion of the frontal lobes that includes neurons that project directly to the spinal cord

Question 25

primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 25

a strip in the front part of the parietal lobe responsible for grouping nearby sensations

Question 26

gyrus

Answer 26

ride of the brain

Question 27

sulcus

Answer 27

valley of brain

Question 28

fusiform face area

Answer 28

the part of the brain necessary for recognizing faces

Question 29

left brain

Answer 29

controls the right side of the body, the right visual field and specializes in language, computation and logical reasoning

Question 30

right brain

Answer 30

controls the left half of the body, the left visual field and specializes in spatial reasoning, face recognition and music