Brain Structures and Functions: Neuroanatomy and Neurotransmitters

Spinal Cord

sensory connection b/w brain and body

Cerebrospinal fluid

a colorless fluid around the brain and spinal cord to help cushion it from injury.

Brain Stem

oldest part of brain- responsible for survival functions

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Pons

bridge between the cerebellum and cerebral cortex helps coordinate movement- REM sleep, and facial expressions.

Reticular Formation

controls arousal - wakes you up and allows you to pay attention.

Thalamus

sensory switchboard-directs sensations from body to proper area of brain- all but smell.

Cerebellum

controls balance and fine motor skills

Hippocampus

long term memory formation

Amygdala

emotional center- fear/anger - fight or flight

Hypothalamus

body's thermostat - regulates temperature, hunger, thirst, messages to pituitary gland

Pituitary Gland

master gland - responsible for growth -sends messages to other glands

Pineal Gland

regulates sleep/wake cycle -it produces sleep hormone - melatonin

Corpus Callosum

fibers that connect the right and left hemispheres

Glial Cells

nourish and protects neurons in brain and spine (glue cells)

Cerebral Cortex

outer layer of the brain - responsible for higher level understanding

Occipital Lobe

lobe responsible for vision

Parietal Lobe

lobe responsible for sensation

Somatosensory Cortex

on the parietal lobe receives/processes sensations from all parts of body

Temporal Lobe

lobe responsible for hearing, memory, language

Wernicke's Area

responsible for language comprehension and word choice.

Frontal Lobe

lobe responsible for judgment, planning, personality

Motor Cortex

at the back of the frontal lobe - receives/processes all voluntary movement

Broca's Area

responsible for speech production.

Association Areas

for higher level thinking - any area of cerebral cortex not used for something else

Skull/Cranium

bones that protect the brain from injury.

Neurotransmitters

chemical messengers - allow neurons to communicate.

Acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning and memory, deficiency associated with Alzheimer's

Dopamine

influences voluntary motor movement, related to our reward center, excess leads to schizophrenia, deficiency leads to Parkinson's

Serotonin

affects mood, sleep, and appetite, deficiency linked to depression

GABA

natural tranquilizer - helps us relax, deficiency leads to anxiety

Glutamate

involved in learning and memory, excess leads to migraines and seizures

Endorphins

natural pain relief, produced during exercise, mimicked by many addictive drugs

Norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal, used in fight or flight response, both a hormone and a neurotransmitter (produced by adrenal glands and brain)

substance P

transmits pain to the body