Key Functions of Brain Structures and Lobes

Medulla

Controls vital functions like heartbeat and breathing

Pons

Helps coordinate movement and control sleep

Reticular Formation

Controls arousal and alertness

Thalamus

Sensory relay station; directs messages to sensory areas in the cortex (except smell)

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movement and balance; involved in implicit memory

Amygdala

Involved in emotion, especially fear and aggression

Hippocampus

Processes new memories

Hypothalamus

Regulates drives (hunger, thirst, body temperature, sex); controls the pituitary gland

Frontal Lobe

Responsible for planning, judgment, problem-solving, and voluntary movement

Parietal Lobe

Processes touch and body position

Occipital Lobe

Processes visual information

Temporal Lobe

Processes auditory information

Broca's Area

Controls speech production (usually in the left frontal lobe)

Wernicke's Area

Controls language comprehension (usually in the left temporal lobe)

Corpus Callosum

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain and allows them to communicate