The Brain And Its Functions

Question 1

How do we study the brain?

Answer 1

Accidents, lesions, Electroencephalogram (EEG.), computerized axial tomography (CAT scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and position emission tomography (PET scan)

Question 2

Accidents

Answer 2

Example Phineas Gage, spike damaged his pre-frontal cortex, altered his personality, higher order thinking, behavior, and temper control. Different parts of the brain controls different parts of the human behavior

Question 3

Lesions

Answer 3

Destroys a part of the brain in an animal or human following by studying the behavior caused by the destruction or removal of the brain, example frontal lobotomy’s destruction of the frontal cortex/lobe

Question 4

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 4

Detect brain waves through their electrical output, lets the doctors know how your brain works

Question 5

Computerized axial tomography (CAT scan)

Answer 5

3-D x-ray of the brain, good for locating abnormalities in the brain like tumors. Disadvantage of the CAT scan is that it tells nothing about the brain’s function

Question 6

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Answer 6

Takes a more detailed picture of the brain. MRI takes many still pictures and turns images into movie like production

Question 7

Position emmission tomography (PET scan)

Answer 7

Measures how much a chemical of the brain is using (usually glucose consumption)

Question 8

What are the four structures of the brain?

Answer 8

Hindbrain, midbrain, for brain, and cerebral cortex

Question 9

What structures are in the hindbrain?

Answer 9

Cerebellum, pons, medulla oblongata

Question 10

Cerebellum

Answer 10

Allows you to do automatic movements and not to think about it, “little brain”, coordinates fine muscle movements, located at the bottom of the brain

Question 11

Pons

Answer 11

Located at the top of the medulla oblongata, involved in the control of facial expression, connects the hindbrain to the midbrain and forebrain, allows biting, chewing, and swallowing

Question 12

Medulla Oblongata

Answer 12

Located at the top of the spinal cord, regulates basic biological functions of the human body (example breathing, sneezing, etc.)

Question 13

Midbrain

Answer 13

Located on top of the pons, most importantly changing levels of arousal (attention), focuses attention when aroused, damage to the midbrain makes you unarousable

Question 14

What structures of the brain are needed for basic evolutionary and survival functions?

Answer 14

Hindbrain and midbrain

Question 14

Forebrain

Answer 14

The largest forebrains in all species, largest part of the brain

Question 15

Thalamus

Answer 15

Information center of the brain, takes information coming and leaving the brain, communication, sensory information in, motor functions out

Question 16

Limbic system

Answer 16

Hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, and amygdala

Question 17

Hypothalamus

Answer 17

Important part of the brain, controls and regulates: body temperature, sexual arousal, hunger, thirst, endocrine system (hormones). One of the most powerful structures in the brain

Question 18

Pituitary gland

Answer 18

A small structure at the base of the brain which releases a wide variety hormones that, in turn, control the activity of the body’s other hormone glands, tied in with endocrine system

Question 19

Hippocampus

Answer 19

Involved in the processing and storage of memories

Question 20

Amygdala

Answer 20

Involved and how we process memories, more involved in volatile emotions like anger

Question 21

Cerebral cortex

Answer 21

High order thinking, personality. Contains gray matter, glial cells, and fissures.

Question 22

Gray matter

Answer 22

Densely packed neurons

Question 23

Glial cells

Answer 23

Support brain cells

Question 24

Fissures

Answer 24

Wrinkles in the brain

Question 25

Lobes of the cerebral cortex

Answer 25

Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, Temporel lobe, and occipital lobe

Question 26

Hemispheres of the brain

Answer 26

Contralateral control, left and right hemisphere

Question 27

Left hemisphere

Answer 27

Logic and Sequential tasks

Question 28

Right hemisphere

Answer 28

Spatial and creative tasks

Question 29

Corpus Colossum

Answer 29

Connects the right and left hemisphere

Question 30

Frontal lobe

Answer 30

Abstract thought and emotional control. Contains motor cortex and Broca’s area.

Question 31

Motor cortex

Answer 31

Sends signals to our body controlling muscle movements

Question 32

Broca’s area

Answer 32

Responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech, damage involves not being able to speak

Question 33

Parietal lobe

Answer 33

Behind frontal lobe, contains sensory cortex and of most of the parietal lobe has association areas

Question 34

Sensory cortex

Answer 34

Receives incoming touch sensations from the rest of the body

Question 35

Association areas

Answer 35

Any area not associated with receiving sensory information or coordinating muscle movements

Question 36

Occipital lobe

Answer 36

Deals with vision, processes visual information

Question 37

Temporal lobe

Answer 37

Processes sound, interpreted in auditory cortex, not lateralized, contains Wernike’s area

Question 38

Wernike’s area

Answer 38

Interprets written and spoken speech, damaged won’t be able to understand that language anymore

Question 39

Brain plasticity

Answer 39

The idea that the brain, when damaged, will attempt to find new ways to reroute messages, children’s brains are more plastic than adults