Pyschology Unit 2: Biopyschology Quiz 1 (The Brain)

Location and Function of the Brain

Cerebellum

• Responsible for coordination and balance

• "Means “little brain”

Thalamus

• In forebrain, like a “switchboard”

• Everything BUT smell, senses

Hypothalamus

• Responsible for body temperature, hunger, thirst, arousal (libido), and the Endocrine System

• “Pea” sized in brain

Hippocampus

• Involved in memory processing

• Essential for forming new memories

Medulla (Oblongata)

• Responsble for heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure

• Regulates essential survival processes

Pons

• Connects hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain together

• Serves as a bridge connecting the cerebellum to other brain regions, allowing smoother communication

• Responsible for respiration, movement, and facial expressions

Recticular Activating System (RAS)

• Helps mediate transitions from relaxed wakefulness to periods of high attention

• Responsible for regulating arousal and SLEEP

Amygdala

• Vital for our basic emotions (involved w/ anger)

• Helps process emotional reactions

Cerebral Cortex (Cerebrum)

• Top layer of our brain (contains wrinkles called fissures)

• The fissures increase surface area of our brain

• Divided into 2 hemispheres

• Responsible for high-level mental process and thought

Pituitary Gland

• An important link between the nervous system and the endocrine system

• Releases many hormones which affect growth, s*xual development, metabolism, and the system of repoduction

• “Master Gland”

Corpus Callosum

• Attaches the 2 hemispheres of Cerebral Cortex

• Allows both hemispheres to communicate w/ one another (such as language processing or coordinated movement)