Unit 7.2 Flashcards
Label the location of the principal
structures of the brain
Brain stem
- Diencephalon
- Two hemispheres of the
cerebellum
- cerebellum
Label the location of the principal lobes of the cerebrum
- Frontal lobe
- Parietal lobe
- Occipital lobe
- Temporal lobe
- Limbic lobe
Cerebrum
Responsible for high-level brain functions such as thinking, language, emotion, and motivation.
Main functions are divided into 3 processes:
Sensory
Association
Motor
The cerebellum
Plays an important part in motor control.
It helps to co-ordinate smooth muscular contraction.
It regulates posture and balance, makes possible all skilled activities.
e.g. a gymnast doing a cartwheel along a beam.
The diencephalon
Composed of two structures: the thalamus and the hypothalamus
Thalamus senses:
pain, pressure, temperature, etc.
Hypothalamus controls:
Heart Rate
Appetite
Blood Pressure
Thirst
Body Temperature
ANS (Autonomic Nervous System)
The Brain Stem
The brain stem is located in front of the cerebellum and connects to the spinal cord.
It consists of three major parts:
Midbrain.
The midbrain helps control eye movement and processes visual and auditory information.
Pons.
This is the largest part of the brain stem. It’s located below the midbrain. It’s a group of nerves that help connect different parts of the brain.
Medulla oblongata.
It acts as the control center for the function of the heart and lungs. It helps regulate many important functions, including breathing, sneezing, and swallowing.
Frontal Lobes
Principle Functions:
Higher Level Thinking
Reasoning
Problem Solving
Planning
Emotions
e.g. planning where to place a free kick in football.
Temporal Lobes
Principle Functions:
Auditory (hearing) Sense.
Many aspects of short and long term memory.
e.g. Remembering how to ski each year!
Hearing the table tennis ball being hit.
Occipital Lobes
Principle Functions:
Visual Sensory (sight).
Helps us perceive what we are seeing.
e.g. reading the flight/speed/spin of a tennis ball.
Parietal Lobes
Principle Functions:
Touch and movement senses.
Also associated with body awareness and navigation.
e.g. ‘feeling’ the basketball as you dribble.
Limbic System
Principle Functions:
Emotion.
Behaviour.
Motivation.
Long-term Memory
e.g. Getting a red card in football?
Outline blood supply to the brain.
The first and main artery is the AORTA
The aorta bends and branches off, to send blood all over the body
The right and left common carotid artery branch off into 2 further arteries.
The right common carotid splits into the right internal and external carotid.
The left common carotid splits into the left internal and external carotid.
The internal carotid artery supplies blood to the brain.
The external carotid artery supplies blood to the face and neck.
Left and Right Vertebral Arteries
↳ supply blood to the spinal cord and posterior part of the brain
Blood Brain Barrier
The blood–brain barrier is a barrier that separates the circulating blood from the brain fluid.
Endothelial cells, line the capillaries and are more tightly connected together than at other places. This ensures that only small molecules like O2, glucose, CO2 and hormones can pass through.
Describe the principal source of energy for brain cells
The brain obtains energy using glucose and oxygen, which pass rapidly from the
blood to the brain cells
- Glucose and oxygen are used to make ATP inside the brain through aerobic
respiration
- Carbohydrate storage in the brain is limited, so the supply of glucose must be
continuous
- If blood entering the brain has low glucose or oxygen levels, dizziness and loss of
consciousness may occur
