Brain Bee - Ch. 1 - Brain Basics

What is the largest part of the human brain?

cerebrum

How is the brain divided?

two hemispheres

What is the largest bundle of nerve fibers that bridge the two cerebral hemispheres called?

corpus callosum

What is the deeply folded layer of nerve tissue called?

cerebral cortex

How doe the folds of the brain impact surface area?

surface area increase

How is each hemisphere divided?

into lobes

Which lobes are located above the eyes?

frontal lobes

Name two functions of the frontal lobes?

voluntary movement, speech, memory, emotion, higher cognitive skills or aspects of personality

Which lobes are located at the top of the brain?

parietal lobes

Name two functions of the parietal lobes.

integrate sensory signals from the skin, process taste, processes some types of visual information

Which lobes are found in the back of the brain?

occipital lobes

Name the function of the occipital lobes?

process visual information

Which lobes lie on the sides of the brain at and below the level of the eyes?

temporal lobes

Name two functions of the temporal lobes.

some visual processing and interpret auditory information

The hippocampus is a region of which lobes?

temporal lobes

What is the function of the hippocampus?

encodes new memories

Name another structure found within the temporal lobes that integrates memory and emotion?

amygdala

The hippocampus and amygdala are part of what system?

limbic system

Name a part of the limbic system that integrates sensory information and relays it to other parts of the brain?

thalamus

Name a part of the limbic system that sends hormonal signals to a gland in the brain.

hypthalamus

Name the gland that the hypolamaus sends hormonal signals to.

pituitary gland

Name the parts of the forebrain.

cortex, cerebrum, hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus and pituitary

Which brain region sits below the thalamus?

midbrain

Which brain region coordinates eye movement and triggers reflexes to sounds?

midbrain

Which brain region would enable you to write with a pen or play a musical instrument?

midbrain

How does the midbrain allow for fine motor control?

inhibits unwanted body movements

What group of structures of the forebrain and midbrain help with fine motor control?

basal ganglia

Which brain region plays a role in glucose regulation, sleep and controlling movement?

hindbrain

Name the part of the brain that is tucked underneath the occipital lobe.

cerebellum

What brain structure is the second

largest part of the brain in volume?

Which structure contains over half of the brain's neurons?

cerebellum

How is the cerebellum divided?

two hemispheres

Name the brain structure that has a role in coordinating voluntary movements, spatial and temporal perception.

cerebellum

What structure is found below the cerebellum and influences breathing and posture?

pons

What structure is part of the hindbrain and helps to control basic functions such as swallowing, heart rate and breathing?

medulla

What structure is made of the midbrain, pons and medulla?

brainstem

The earliest vertebrates probably had brains like which modern animal?

lancelet (Amphioxus)

What can the brains of a lancelet process?

presence of light and chemicals drifting in the water

What did the "brain" of early vertebrates look like?

three distinct bulges

What did the three distinct bulges of early vertebrates develop into?

forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain

In early vertebrates, the region in the forebrain that could detect chemicals developed into what structure?

olfactory bulbs

With the evolution of image

producing eyes, which region expanded?

Name the structure that developed from the hindbrain and controlled escape movements and orienting the body in space.

cerebellum

In early mammals, cortical tissues in the cerebrum and the cerebellum expanded. What developed from this expansion?

layers and folds

Name the term that describes bundles of nerve fibers spanning a region?

nerve tracts

Name the nerve tract that connects your left and right cerebral hemispheres.

corpus callosum

Name the nerve tract that transmits signals between the left and right temporal lobes.

anterior commissure

What do you call a group of nerve tracts connecting a series of regions in the brain.

neural network

How fast do neural networks route signals through the brain?

fractions of a second

What region of the eye contains photoreceptors?

retina

Name the nerve for the eye.

optic nerve

Name the tract that carries visual signals.

optic tract

The optic tract carries visual signals from the retina to what brain structure?

thalamus

After visual information enters the thalamus, what part of the cerebrum does it go to next?

primary visual cortex

What is detected by the primary visual cortex?

edges (3D)

What transmits the visual information after the primary visual cortex?

two parallel processing streams

The visual processing stream that detects spacial location of objects went to which lobe?

parietal lobe

The visual processing stream that recognizes and identifies objects went to which lobe?

temporal lobe

The visual cortex can send signals back to what structure so that the information can be integrated?

thalamus

Name the loop that signals from the thalamus travel to the cerebral cortex and back.

thalamocortical loop

What is created due to the thalamocortical loop?

rhythmic, oscillating electrical patterns

What instrument can be used to detect rhythmic, oscillating electrical patterns created by the thalamocortical loop?

electroencephalograph

What does EEG stand for?

electroencephalograph

What are EEG signals commonly called?

brain waves

How many distinct types of brain waves are there?

4

What type of waves does the awake brain produce?

alpha and beta waves

Which type of waves originate in the parietal and occipital lobes?

alpha waves

What does the person do in order for alpha waves to be produced?

relaxed and eyes are closed

What frequency are alpha waves?

8

What does Hz stand for?

hertz

Hertz is a measure of what?

frequency

How many Hertz is equal to 1 cycle per second?

1 Hertz

Which waves are faster, alpha or beta?

beta

What frequency are beta waves?

14

Which regions of the brain produces beta waves?

frontal and parietal regions

Beta waves are produced when the brain is processing what type of input?

sensory input

If someone is concentrating on a task, what type of waves are produced?

beta waves

What type of waves are produced when asleep?

theta and delta waves

Which waves are slower, alpha or theta?

theta

What frequency are theta waves?

4

When are delta waves produced?

deep sleep

What frequency are delta waves?

3.5 Hz

Which two waves have higher amplitudes?

alpha and delta waves

If a brain wave is stronger, what part of the wave is different?

amplitude

When brain waves are measured on the scalp, what are they measured in?

microvolts

What is the range for alpha and delta waves when measured on the scalp?

20

What is the range for beta and theta waves when measured on the scalp?

5

What information travels upwards using spinal tracts?

information from sensory receptors of the skin and muscles

What information travels downwards using spinal tracts?

information to move muscles

Other tracts besides spinal tracts function in what?

integration of sensory and motor signals

Where is the feedback loop located that takes information from cortical areas that elicit movement and produces signals that feed back to the cortex to excite or inhibit specific movements?

basal ganglia

What do the loops that connect the brainstem and the cerebellum influence?

timing and strength of motor signals

Some network loops incorporated tracts from the cerebral cortex that can influence your body's movement. Name the two ways the loops can be influenced.

environmental and emotional

Networks that help you to analyze whether environmental signals are familiar or are part of a new situation are looped to what brain structure?

hippocampus

Which three structures are part of a loop that allows your memory to influence conscious behavior as well as unconscious physiological responses?

hippocampus, thalamus and hypothalamus

Which loops allow you to elicit an action well before thoughts?

reflex loops

Which parts of the CNS control reflex loops?

spinal cord or subcortical regions

What term describes interconnected neurons that turn entering signals into output patterns that can be sent to other parts of the brain?

neural circuits

Which part of the brain is packed with neural circuits?

cerebral cortex

How are neurons organized in the cortex?

distinct layers