Brain Anatomy Lab Flashcards

Practice vocabulary flashcards covering brain structures, functional areas, and cranial nerves as presented in the Brain Anatomy Lab transcript.

Neuron

A nerve cell consisting of a cell body, nucleus, dendrites, axon, and synaptic terminals.

Cerebrum

The largest part of the brain consisting of $2$ hemispheres.

Cerebral Cortex

The outer part of the cerebrum, which is made up of gray matter.

Cerebellum

Also known as the “Little Brain.”

Gyri

The ridges or hills located on the cerebral cortex.

Sulci

The grooves or valleys located on the cerebral cortex.

Primary Motor Cortex

The functional area that initiates and controls voluntary movement.

Premotor Cortex

Responsible for planning and preparing voluntary movements by integrating sensory information.

Broca’s Area

Located only in the left hemisphere; responsible for speech production and speech articulation.

Working Memory

A short-term storage required for more complex cognitive tasks.

Primary somatosensory cortex

Processes and interprets sensory information from the body, including touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception.

Somatosensory association cortex

Processes information from the primary sensory cortex and helps recognize objects by touch and understand spatial relationships.

Visual association cortex

Interprets and analyzes color, size, and motion, and compares them with past memories.

Visual agnosia

A condition that can occur if the visual association cortex is impacted by a stroke, a lesion, or dementia.

Auditory association cortex

Responsible for interpreting and understanding sounds.

Wernicke’s area

A functional brain area responsible for language comprehension.

Gustatory Cortex

Located in the insula; responsible for processing taste.

Septum pellucidum

The membrane that separates the anterior horns of the lateral ventricle.

Corpus callosum

A bundle of nerve fibers (axons/white matter) that connect the $2$ hemispheres.

Choroid plexus

Regulates the composition and volume of the cerebrospinal fluid in the ventricles.

Thalamus

A “Relay station” for sensorimotor functions and the stabilization of long-term memory.

Fornix

A white matter tract that connects the hippocampus to other brain structures such as for memory retrieval.

Pineal gland

Produces Melatonin and is involved in sleep regulation.

Olfactory Nerve ($I$)

The cranial nerve associated with the olfactory bulb and tract.

Trigeminal Nerve ($V$)

The cranial nerve responsible for touch, pain, and temperature.

Facial Nerve ($VII$)

The cranial nerve responsible for facial expressions, taste, and tear/saliva production.

Vestibulochochlear Nerve ($VIII$)

The cranial nerve responsible for hearing and balance.

Vagus Nerve ($X$)

The cranial nerve that services the heart, lungs, and upper digestive tract.

Glossopharyngeal Nerve ($IX$)

The cranial nerve responsible for taste, swallowing, and blood pressure monitoring.

Ventricles

Structures that produce and circulate cerebrospinal fluid ($CSF$), providing buoyancy, nutrients, and waste removal.