unit 2 : brain structures

Question 1

brainstem

Answer 1

• central core of the brain that connects to the spinal cord
• responsible for automatic survival functions

Question 2

medulla (oblongata)

Answer 2

• part of the brain stem (base)
• controls heart rate, digestion, & breathing

Question 3

pons

Answer 3

• part of the brainstem
• acts as a bridge between different areas of nervous system
• helps with sleeping, waking, and dreaming

Question 4

thalamus

Answer 4

• on top of the brainstem
• acts as the brains sensory control center
• receives info from all senses except smell

Question 5

reticular formation (RAS)

Answer 5

• a nerve that travels through the brainstem & thalamus
• controls sleep wake cycle, attention, & arousal

Question 6

cerebellum (little brain)

Answer 6

• coordinates movement, discriminates sounds & textures
• enables learning & memory

Question 7

limbic system

Answer 7

• neural system associated with emotions & learning
• includes amyglada, hypothalamus, hippocampus

Question 8

amygdala

Answer 8

• neural cluster
• processes emotions, helps form emotional memories
• can trigger fight or flight response, can link fear / aggression to people or places

Question 9

hypothalamus

Answer 9

• controls hunger, thirst, & sleep
• maintains homeostasis by connecting nervous & endocrine system through pituitary gland

Question 10

hippocampus

Answer 10

• crucial part in organizing, sorting, & forming memories
• spacial navigation
• helps convert short term memories into long term

Question 11

fissures

Answer 11

• deep groves / clefts that divide the cerebral cortex into different regions or lobes

ex : longitudinal fissure, seperates left and right hemisphere
ex : lateral fissure, divides temporal from frontal and parietal lobes

Question 12

cerebral cortex (hemispheres)

Answer 12

• outer layer of interconnected neural cells
• responsible for though & problem solving
• divided into 4 main lobes

Question 13

frontal lobe

Answer 13

• involved in speaking
• muscle movements, making plans & judgment

Question 14

motor strip (cortex)

Answer 14

located in frontal lobe

• controls voluntary movement

Question 15

association areas

Answer 15

• areas of the cerebral cortex not involved in primary motor or sensory functions
• involved in learning, thinking, remembering, & speaking

Question 16

broca’s area (left hemisphere)

Answer 16

region in frontal lobe

• speech and language

Question 17

parietal lobe

Answer 17

• processes sensory info & spatial awareness

Question 18

somatosensory strip (cortex)

Answer 18

area infront of parietal lobes

• registers & processes touch & movement

Question 19

temporal lobe

Answer 19

• receives & processes auditory info (from opposite side of ear)

Question 20

auditory cortex

Answer 20

in temporal lobe

• processes sound

Question 21

wernicke’s area (left hemisphere)

Answer 21

in temporal lobe

• language comprehension, spoken & written language

Question 22

occipital lobe

Answer 22

processes visual info

Question 23

visual cortex

Answer 23

located in occipital lobe

• receives input from eyes and interprets color, shape, and movement
• allows us to recognize and understand what we see

Question 24

basal ganglia

Answer 24

group of structures deep within brain

• key role in voulantary movements, motor learning, habit formation & coordination