AP Psychology Brain Structures and Systems

Brainstem location

Innermost region; base is the medulla.

Brainstem function

Controls heart rate and breathing.

Reticular formation

Filters information and controls arousal.

Hindbrain

Directs essential survival functions.

Cerebellum

Nonverbal skill learning and voluntary movement.

Limbic System and Midbrain

Connects forebrain and hindbrain; controls movement.

Amygdala

Enables aggression and fear.

Hypothalamus

Governs body maintenance.

Hippocampus

Processes conscious, explicit memories.

Thalamus

Routes sensory information.

Cerebrum

Enables speaking and thinking.

Frontal lobe

Voluntary movement, planning, and decision making.

Motor cortex

Sends signals to skeletal muscles.

Parietal lobe

Processes touch and body sensation.

Somatosensory cortex

Processes touch, pressure, and temperature.

Temporal lobe

Hearing, language, and emotion processing.

Auditory cortex

Processes sound.

Occipital lobe

Vision processing.

Broca's area

Speech production.

Broca's aphasia

Understands speech but struggles to pronounce.

Wernicke's area

Language comprehension.

Wernicke's aphasia

Speaks easily without meaning.

Angular gyrus

Reading, writing, and linking symbols with language.

Grey matter composition

Neuron cell bodies, dendrites, and synapses.

Grey matter function

Process information.

White matter composition

Myelinated axons.

White matter function

Transmits information across brain regions.

Neural pruning

Eliminates weak neural connections.

Neuroplasticity

Brain's ability to change and adapt connections.

CNS components

Brain and spinal cord.

CNS function

Processes info and coordinates responses.

PNS function

Connects CNS to the rest of the body.

Somatic nervous system

Controls voluntary skeletal movement and sensory info.

Autonomic nervous system

Controls involuntary functions like heartbeat.

Sympathetic nervous system

Increases heart rate and dilates pupils.

Parasympathetic nervous system

Calms energy and decreases heart rate.

Reflex arc

Automatic response to a stimulus.

Sensory neurons

Carry signals toward the CNS.

Motor neurons

Carry signals away from the CNS.

Dopamine

Involved in reward, motivation, and movement. Associated with Parkinson's and addiction.

Serotonin

Regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. Associated with depression.

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Enables muscle movement and memory. Associated with Alzheimer's.

GABA

Inhibitory neurotransmitter that reduces neural activity.

Glutamate

Excitatory neurotransmitter involved in learning and memory.

Norepinephrine

Controls alertness and attention. Associated with stress response.

Endorphins

Regulate pain and provide natural pain relief.

Dendrites

Receive signals from other neurons.

Soma (cell body)

Maintains the neuron and integrates signals.

Axon

Carries electrical impulses away from the cell body.

Myelin sheath

Insulates the axon and speeds transmission.

Nodes of Ranvier

Gaps in the myelin sheath.

Axon terminals

Release neurotransmitters.