Brain parts

Brain stem

base of the skull

Pons

involved in sleeping, waking, and dreaming

medulla

responsible for bodily functions that do not have to be consciously willed, such as breathing and heart rate

Reticular activating system

has connections with higher areas, screens incoming information and arouses the higher centers when something happens that demands their attention

Cerebellum

“lesser brain,“ contributes to a sense of balance and coordinates the muscles so that movement is smooth and precise

Thalamus

deep in the brain’s interior, directs sensory messages to higher centers

Olfactory bulb

private switching station

Hypothalamus

involved in drives associated with the survival of both the individual and the species, regulates body temperature and controls the autonomic nervous system, biological clock

Limbic system

structures form a border between the higher and lower parts of the brain, heavily involved in emotions

amygdala

responsible for evaluating sensory information, quickly determining its emotional importance, and contributing to the initial decision to approach or withdraw from a person or situation

hippocampus

compares sensory info with what the brain has learned to expect about the world

consolidation

stabilization of memories

cerebrum

the higher forms of thinking take place

cerebral hemispheres

two separate halves the cerebrum is divided into

corpus callosum

large band of fibers

lateralization

two hemispheres have somewhat different tasks and talents

cerebral cortex

thin layers of densely-packed cells that covers the cerebrum

occipital lobes

lower back part of the brain

visual cortex

where visual signals are processed

parietal lobes

top of the brain

somatosensory cortex

receives info about pressure, pain, touch, and temperature from all over the body

temporal lobes

involved in memory, perception, and emotion

auditory cortex

processes sound

Wernicke’s area

left of the temporal lobe, involved in language comprehension

Frontal lobes

contain motor cortex

motor cortex

issues orders to the 600 muscles of the body that produce voluntary movement

Broca’s area

handles speech production

Association cortex

silent areas, involved in higher mental processes

prefrontal cortex

personality

hemispheric dominance

one side of the brain controls the other