Brain Structures

Brain Stem

controls breathing and heartbeat.

Medulla

controls heart rate and breathing.

Reticular Activating System

controls alertness and attention.

Brain’s Reward Center

releases dopamine during pleasure.

Cerebellum

controls balance and coordination.

Cerebral Cortex

outer brain layer that handles thinking and decision-making.

Hemispheres

left (logic, language) and right (creativity, emotion).

Limbic System

emotional and memory center.

Thalamus

sensory “switchboard.”

Hypothalamus

regulates hunger, thirst, body temp, and hormones.

Pituitary Gland

“master gland” that controls growth and other glands.

Hippocampus

helps form new memories.

Amygdala

processes fear and emotion.

Corpus Callosum

connects the two hemispheres.

Frontal Lobe

planning, personality, and movement.

Parietal Lobe

processes touch and body position.

Occipital Lobe

processes vision.

Temporal Lobe

processes sound and language.

Somatosensory Cortex

receives touch information.

Motor Cortex

controls voluntary movement.

Broca’s Area

helps form speech.

Wernicke’s Area

helps understand language.

Split Brain Patient

person whose hemispheres are disconnected.

Split Brain Research

studies how each hemisphere works alone.

Aphasia

trouble speaking or understanding language.

Brain Plasticity

brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize.

Brain Scans (EEG, fMRI)

tools to study brain activity and structure.

Lesioning

destroying brain tissue to study its function.