W3 notes pt 2 Flashcards
cerebellum
The cerebellum is essential for maintaining balance and motor coordination
First to be affected by alcohol
Contains more nerve cells than the rest of the brain combined and richly connected with the rest of the CNS
midbrain
The midbrain sits above the pons and contains a number of structures involved in sensory, reflexes, movement and pain
reticular formation
The reticular formation, which runs from the upper medulla into the midbrain, manages levels of arousal
thalamus
The thalamus is often called the gateway to the cortex, because input from most of our sensory systems travels first to the thalamus, which then forwards the information to the cerebral cortex
what do lesions on the thalamus cause
memory loss
basal ganglia
The basal ganglia consist of several large structures involved with voluntary movement that curve around to hug the thalamus
Contribute to several psychological disorders
Main overall function is to allow movement and inhibit competing movements
E.g. the nucleus accumbens is a small structure and plays an important role in the brain’s reward
The activity of it is related to a person’s sense of social inclusion
hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is involved with motivation and homeostasis, or the regulation of body functions
Described as contributing to the “4F” behaviours: feeding, fleeing, fighting and fornication (sex)
The hypothalamus carries out its motivational and homeostatic tasks by directing the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system and its hormones
hippocampus
The hippocampus is essential for the formation of long-term memories
Memories are not stored permanently in the hippocampus, but it’s likely that the hippocampus is involved in the storage and retrieval of memories located elsewhere in the brain
Damage to the hippocampus results in profound impairments in the ability to form new memories, but most memories that occurred before the damage remain intact
cingulate cortex
The cingulate cortex forms a fold of tissue on the inner surface of each cerebral hemisphere
Plays significant roles in decision making, emotion, anticipation of reward and empathy
amygdala
The amygdala receives sensory info (vision, hearing and smell) and produces emotional and motivational output that’s sent to the cerebral cortex
Best known for its role in identifying, remembering and responding to fear and aggression
The more intense the expression of fear, the more activation is observed in the amygdala
corpus callosum
a wide band of nerve fibres connecting the left and right cerebral hemispheres
cerebral cortex
The thin layer of cells covering the outer surface of the cerebral hemispheres is the cerebral cortex
The degree of cortical convolution positively correlates with the …
general intellectual capacities of a species
how is each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex named
Each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex may be divided into 4 lobes, named after the bones of the skull that cover them
Toward the front of the brain, we find the frontal lobe, and directly behind the frontal lobe lies the parietal lobe
At the back of the brain is the occipital lobe
Curving around the side of each hemisphere, is the temporal lobe
sensory cortex
Sensory cortex processes incoming info from the sensory systems
primary motor cortex
The primary motor cortex provides the highest level of voluntary control over movement
association cortex
Areas of the cortex that do not have specific sensory or motor functions are known as association cortex
prefrontal cortex
The prefrontal cortex is involved with the planning of behaviour, attention and judgement
executive functions
Executive functions refer to the range of cognitive processes that enable self-regulation and the cognitive control of behaviour, including attentional control, inhibition planning and self-monitoring
orbitofrontal cortex
The orbitofrontal cortex, a part of the prefrontal cortex located just behind the bony orbits protecting the eyes, plays an important role in our emotional lives
Last part of the brain to mature
Damage to this area demonstrates dramatic deficits in their social behaviour and experience of emotion
-Have difficulty controlling impulses and anticipating negative outcomes of poor decisions
occipital lobe
at the back of the brain
primary visual cortex
Primary visual cortex begins process of interpreting input from the eyes by responding to basic info
A pathway connecting the occipital lobe with the temporal lobe allows you to….
recognize objects you see
A 2nd pathway connects the occipital lobe with the parietal lobe and allows you to …
process the movement of objects
temporal lobe
The temporal lobe allows us to process incoming sounds and process higher visual system tasks, including the recognition of objects and the faces of familiar people
parietal lobe
Helps us localize touch, pain skin temp, and body position
Tells us how quickly something is moving toward us
Damage to the parietal lobe can produce odd symptoms of neglect syndrome
lateralization
A special type of localization of function in the cerebral cortex is known as lateralization, or the localization of a function in either the right or the left cerebral hemisphere
Movement and sensation on the right side of the body are processed by the left hemisphere and movement and sensation on the left side of the body by the right hemisphere
function of lateralization
The function of lateralization
Might provide organisms with the ability to multitask
Within populations, may help with social cohesion
PNS and endocrine system
PNS can be separated into 2 divisions: the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
somatic nervous system
Includes the peripheral portions of the sensory and voluntary movement systems
Transmits commands for voluntary movement from the CNS to the muscles and brings sensory input back to the CNS for further processing
autonomic nervous system
Responsible for the actions of many glands and organs
Control of tissues other than the skeletal muscle
sympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for situations requiring the expenditure of energy
parasympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system directs the storage of energy
enteric nervous system
Enteric nervous system consists of nerve cells embedded in the lining of the gastrointestinal system
Communicates with the endocrine system to ensure the release of chemicals essential to digestion
endocrine system
Endocrine system is made up of glands that release chemical messengers known as hormones into the blood
Responds to input from the nervous system and from the hypothalamus
pineal gland
The pineal gland and its release of the chemical melatonin, is important in the maintenance of our sleep-wake cycles
pituitary gland
The pituitary gland, located just above the roof of your mouth, is often called the body’s master gland, because many of the hormones it releases activate other glands
