The Brain

left hemisphere is responsible for

speech, comprehension, arithmetic, writing, language, vision and movement of right side

right hemisphere is responsible for

image processing, spatial thinking, movement and vision of left side, emotion, creativity, attention, memory, cognition

lateralization of brain function

tendency for hemispheres to be specialised and opposite - for exmaple right controls left

the 4 lobes

frontal, occipital, temporal, parietal

frontal lobe is responsible for

personality, decision making, motor control, information processing, cognition, memory, emotion

frontal lobe cortex

orbitofrontal

premotor

prefrontal

motor

Broca’s area

orbitofronal cortex

consequences of behaviour

premotor cortex

planning fine motor movements, fine motor skills, posture, decision making

Broca’s area

responsible for language production and coordination

Broca’s aphasia

unable to produce speech but can understand

condition where one is unable to produce speech but can understand it

Broca’s aphasia

prefrontal cortex

behaviour, decision making, personality

motor cortex

movement, coordination with motor neurons for execution of movement

occipital lobe

decodes visual information

path visual information follows

retina → thalamus → occipital lobe

occipital lobe contains the

primary visual cortex

primary visual cortex

processes visual information

parietal lobe

sensory perception and integration of information

damage to parietal lobe leads to

hemineglect

hemi-neglect

It is characterized by the inability to attend to one side of the body or space

somatosensory cortex

bodily sensations

parietal lobe contains

somatosensory cortex

temporal lobe is responsible for

memory, emotion, language comprehension

temporal lobe contains

primary auditory cortex, wernicke’s area, cingulate cortex

primary auditory cortex

interprets and analyses audio information

Wernicke’s area

speech production

wernicke’s aphasia

able to produce speech but cannot understand it

cingulate cortex

inner part of the brain

meningeal layers

layers of tissue lining the skull that protect the brain

brain stem

connects cerebrum and spinal cord

brain stem functions

conveys information and regulates life processes

brain stem parts

pons, medulla, midbrain

midbrain

vision, hearing, motor control, sleep, arousal (consciousness), temperature regulation

pons

part of brain stem that carries information (through nerve tracks) to the cerebellum, medula, and thalamus

medulla

autonomic functions (cardiac, respiratory, vomiting, vasomotor)

amygdala

fear, anger, recognition of threats

hippocampus

long term memory

thalamus

relaying of sensory information - switchboard

hypothalamus

maintaining homeostasis, autonomic nervous system

hindbrain contains

cerebellum, brain stem

cerebellum

procedural memories of fine motor skills and balance

subtantia nigra

intiating movement, producing dopamine

in what disease are the neurons in substantia nigra absent

Parkinson’s disease

symptoms of lack of neurons in substantia nigra

issues in initiating and maintaining intentional movement

reticular activating system

nuclei in brain stem that activate the cerebral cortex to maintain consciousness

neuron

Specialized cells that transmit electrical signals in the nervous system, consisting of a cell body, dendrites, and an axon

types of neurons

sensory, motor