brain structures and regions

what are the parts of the brainstem

medulla, cerebellum, RAS, pons

medulla

swelling where spinal cord enters skull

controls heartbeat and breathing rate

cerebellum

rear of brainstem

enables nonverbal learning, memory, judges time, modulate emotions, discriminates sounds and textures, voluntary movement

reticular activating system

network of neurons that regulates arousal, sleep cycle, and attention

what is the limbic system responsible for?

behavior related to emotions, motivation, encoding of memories, and smell

what are the parts of the limbic system?

brains reward center, thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, hippocampus, amygalda

brain’s reward system

triggers the release of dopamine, relates to eating drinking and sex

thalamus

“brains sensory switchboard”

receives info from all senses except smell

hypothalamus

part of governing bodily maintenance, influences hunger, thirst, body temp, sexual behavior, monitors blood chemistry

pituitary gland

master endocrine gland

hippocampus

in charge of memory- helps with ability to recall memories, also linked to spacial awareness

amygdala

bean sized clusters

influences aggression and fear

what is the responsibility of the cerebral cortex?

involved with complex functions such as thought, memory, awareness, language, and consciousness

what are the parts of the cerebral cortex?

corpus callosum, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, frontal lobe

corpus callosum

connects the right and left hemispheres

relays info from one half of the brain to other

occipital lobe

visual

temporal lobe

auditory

parietal lobe

sensory

frontal lobe

decision making and judgement

what are the specialized areas of the brain located on the cerebral surface

prefrontal cortex, motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, broca’s area, wernicke’s area

prefrontal cortex

regulates thoughts, actions and emotions

motor cortex

located in frontal lobe

controls voluntary movement

somatosensory cortex

located in parietal lobe

detects sensory info

Broca’s area

controls speech muscles via the motor cortex

if damaged= trouble getting words out

Wernicke’s area

comprehension and enters auditory code

if damaged= trouble understanding words

functional plasticity

adapts for new functios, allows new neuron connects to form, removes malleable

structural plasticity

makes chance for more efficiency, organizes and strengthens wiht experience, unused pathways cleaned