UNIT 1-BIOLOGICAL ASPECTS-BRAIN Flashcards
What are the three main bulges of the brain?
The hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain.
What is another name for the hindbrain and midbrain together?
The brainstem.
What does “cephalon” mean?
Head.
What are the three parts of the hindbrain?
The medulla, the pons, and the cerebellum
What is the medulla and what does it do?
The medulla is the most caudal part of the brain, essentially an enlarged extension of the spinal cord. It’s a nodal point for information passing to and from higher parts of the brain and controls reflexes like breathing and heart rate
What is the function of the pons?
The pons acts as a “bridge” and contains nuclei from several cranial nerves. Axons cross over here, so the left brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa
What is the cerebellum’s primary role?
The cerebellum controls movement, balance, coordination, and information processing.
What are the dorsal and ventral parts of the midbrain called?
Dorsal: Tectum, Ventral: Tegmentum.
What fluid is contained in the cerebral aqueduct?
Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).
What is the reticular formation responsible for?
Arousal.
What are the superior and inferior colliculi responsible for?
Superior: Guided eye movements. Inferior: Hearing and auditory reflexes
What are the two hemispheres of the forebrain connected by?
The corpus callosum.
What is the outer layer of the brain called?
The cerebral cortex.
What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?
Frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.
What is the frontal lobe responsible for?
Fine motor movements, executive functions (attention, planning), language, memory, decision-making, and problem-solving.
What is the main function of the parietal lobe?
Receiving and processing sensory input from the skin and muscles.
What does the occipital lobe process?
Visual information.
What is the temporal lobe involved in?
Auditory information, spoken language (left side), complex vision (movement, face recognition), emotional and motivational behaviors.
What is the thalamus’s role?
Regulating and processing sensory information (except smell) and sending it to the cortex.
What does the hypothalamus regulate?
Eating, drinking, sex, biorhythms, temperature control, and the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.
What structures are part of the limbic system?
Olfactory bulb, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate gyrus.
What are the functions of the hippocampus and amygdala?
Hippocampus: Learning and memory. Amygdala: Evaluating emotional information, especially fear.
What are the basal ganglia responsible for?
Motor control, learned skills, and habits.
What is the role of cranial nerves?
They connect the head and organs to the medulla and adjacent brain areas, controlling reflexes like breathing, heart rate, and salivation.
Which part of the frontal lobe is crucial for fine motor movements?
The precentral gyrus (primary motor cortex).
