Parts of the Brain & Brain Functions (AP Psych)

Frontal Lobe

Responsible for problem-solving, reasoning, and motor skills.

Parietal Lobe

Contains the area where bodily sensations occur, such as touch and pain.

Temporal Lobe

Contains areas important to hearing and understanding speech.

Occipital Lobe

Contains areas important to vision.

Medulla Oblongata

Controls vital reflexes. Regulation of breathing, heart rate and blood pressure.

Cerebellum

Control of finely coordinated movements. Coordination center, voluntary movement and balance.

Cerebrum

Higher level breain functions; thoughts, emotions, memory, reasoning, language, and processing of sensory information.

Brain Stem

Connection to spinal cord. Filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain.

Cerebellum

Cerebrum

Frontal Lobe

Medulla Oblongata

Occipital Lobe

Parietal Lobe

Brain Stem

temporal Lobe

Spinal Cord

Sends signals between brain and rest of body

Brain Stem

Oldest part of the brain, responsible for survival functions (e.g. breathing, heart beat, etc.); includes medulla and pons; aka "the lizard brain"

Pons

Responsible for coordination and movement (relays messages between cerebrum and cerebellum); involved in sleep, dreams, and attention.

Thalamus

Relays information from the senses and transmits the information to the cerebral cortex.

Limbic System

Hippocampus, Amygdala, Pituitary Gland, Hypothalamus; involved in emotion

Hippocampus

Helps to form memories ("hippo never forgets")

Amygdala

Fight or flight, emotional center, anger or fear

Hypothalamus

Controls body temperature (the body's thermostat), circadian rhythms, and thirst and hunger.

Pituitary gland

The "master" endocrine gland, responsible for growth.

Corpus Callosum

Thick band that connects left and right hemispheres of the brain.

Cerebrum

Information processing, outer layer of brain.

Lobes of the cerebrum

Occipital, Temporal, Parietal, Frontal

Occipital Lobe

Visual Perception

Temporal Lobe

Hearing

Parietal Lobe

Mainly made up of "association areas" for perception and sensation (includes sensory cortex)

Frontal Lobe

Responsible for planning, personality, judgement, voluntary movement (motor cortex)

Ventricles

Contains cerebrospinal fluid, which cushions the brain in spinal fluid (and also circulates nutrients, removes waste)