ch13

flashcards

Cerebrum

The largest brain region, responsible for higher brain functions, including thought, action, and sensory processing.

Frontal Lobe

Part of the cerebrum involved in motor control, concentration, verbal communication, decision making, planning, and personality.

Temporal Lobe

Region of the brain that functions in hearing and smell.

Parietal Lobe

Brain lobe that processes general sensory functions, like evaluating shape and texture.

Occipital Lobe

Part of the brain responsible for vision and visual memories.

Insula

Cerebral region involved in memory and taste.

Primary Motor Cortex

Part of the frontal lobe that controls skeletal muscle activity on the opposite side of the body.

Primary Somatosensory Cortex

Cortex located in the postcentral gyrus that receives somatic sensory information.

Motor Homunculus

A representation of the body in the primary motor cortex, indicating motor control distribution.

Wernicke's Area

Region involved in language comprehension, typically found in the left hemisphere.

Hippocampus

A component of the limbic system important for the formation of long-term memories.

Amygdaloid Body

Part of the limbic system involved in emotion and emotional memory, particularly fear.

Thalamus

The brain's main relay station for sensory information to the appropriate cerebral cortex.

Hypothalamus

Brain region controlling the autonomic nervous system and regulating homeostasis functions like temperature and hunger.

Cerebellum

Brain region that coordinates muscle movement and maintains posture and balance.

Pineal Gland

An endocrine gland in the epithalamus that secretes melatonin to regulate circadian rhythms.

Sensory Memory

Type of memory that holds sensory information for a very brief period.

Short-Term Memory

Memory with limited capacity and duration, lasting from seconds to hours.

Long-Term Memory

Memory that is encoded from short-term memory and can potentially last indefinitely.

Cerebral Lateralization

The specialization of function in each hemisphere of the brain.

Prefrontal Cortex

Region associated with complex thought, judgment, personality, planning, and decision making.

Sulcus

A groove on the surface of the brain that separates gyri.

Gyrus

A ridge on the brain's surface.

Olfactory Bulb

Structure that processes odors, connected to emotional responses through the limbic system.