study questions for test
The Brainstem
Where is it?
What does it do?
Where: Where the spinal cord enters the skull
What it does: Controls automatic survival functions
Cerebullum
Where is it?
What does it do?
Where: Rear of the brain
What it does: - Coodinates volutary movements and balance.
- Damage=loss of coordinations skills
The Limbic System
Where is it and what 3 parts is it made of?
What does the limbic system do and what do those 3 parts do?
Where and the parts its made of: On both sides of the thalamus,and is made of the hypothalamus, the amygdala, and the hippocampus
What the limbic system does:
processes and regulates emotion and memory while also dealing with sexual stimulation and learning.
What these parts do:
Hypothalamus- controls hunger, thirst, body temperature, sleep. Also linked to emotions such as pleasure, sexual arousal, etc.
Hippocampus- processes memories for storage.
Amygdala- controls fear and anger. And is almond shaped.
The Cerebral Cortex
What is it?
How big is it?
What it is: The UPPER REGION of the brain that we usally picture. The thin layer of bumpy tissue which covers the lower brain structures like a blanket.
How big it is: The size of a pillow case
Whats the function of the corpus callosum?
The corpus callosum connects the left and right brain hemisphere.
Its sometimes cut to prevent seizures
What are the functions of the left brain hemisphere?
Your left brain hemisphere controls speech, comprehension, arithmetic, and writing.
What are the functions of the right brain hemisphere?
Your right brain hemisphere controls creativity, spatial ability, artistic, and musical skills.
What are functions of your frontal lobe?
planning, judgement, executive functioning, organizing, behavioural control.
What are the functions of your parietal lobe?
-information on senses are inegrated or processed here.
-Kinesthetic sense.
-If damaged you would be unable to feel sensations of touch.
What are the functions of your temporal lobe?
enables you to understand auditory information. It plays a role in encoding short term memories.
What are the functions of your occipital lobe?
visual processing (color, light, and movement)
Motor Cortex
-controls voluntary movements
-left hemisphere controls right side of the body and vice versa
Sensory Cortex
-part of the parietal lobe
-processes and makes sense out of information gathered by our five senses: vision, sound, smell, taste, and touch
Brain Plasticity
The ability of the brain to modify its connections or rewire itself.
Without this ability human brains would be unable to develop from infancy through to adulthood or recover from brain injuries.
Who was Phineas Gage?
Phineas Gage was a railroad construction foreman who survived a servere brain injury when an iron rod pierced through his skull, damaging his frontal lobes.
Medulla
Where is it?
What does it do?
Where: at the base of the brainstem
What it does: controls basic life functions (heartbeat, breathing, etc)
Damage can lead to death
Reticular Formation
Where is it?
What does it do?
Where: Nerves in the brainstem
What it does: controls wakefulness and arousal
Damage can cause a coma
Thalamus
Where is it?
What does it do?
Where: top of the brainstem (sensory switchboard)
What it does: directs messages to the cortex
What does the longitudinal fissure do?
divides cerebral cortex into right and leff hemisphere
fissures create the lobes of the brain