Unit 2 Parts of the Brain

This is all of the different parts of the brain and what they do.

medulla

base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing

pons

part of the brainstem that helps control sleep and movement

thalamus

the brain’s “switchboard” that directs sensory messages to their areas in the cortex, and then sends the replies back to other places they need to go

reticular formation

very important for making you wake up

cerebellum

the little brain at the back of the brainstem that coordinates movement and balance and enables nonverbal memory and learning

amygdala

part of the limbic system that controls aggression and fear

hypothalamus

controls some maintenance things (eating, drinking, body temp) and also controls he endocrine system through the pituitary gland

hippocampus

processes explicit memories of facts and events for long-term storage

cerebrum

the rest of the Brain that’s not the brainstem or limbic system

cerebral cortex

the outside layer of the brain that includes all of the different specialized cortexes

frontal lobes

the front part of the brain that controls planning and also includes the motor cortex (at the back.) It is also linked with personality and emotion (prefrontal cortex), and the left frontal lobe also processes happiness

motor cortex

controls voluntary movements (including speaking with broca’s area)

parietal lobes

monitors touch and body position, and also includes the somatosensory cortex (at the front)

somatosensory cortex

registers physical touch and movement sensations

occipital lobes

processes vision, at the back/bottom

temporal lobes

receives auditory info (from the opposite ear) and also interprets speaking (w/ wernicke’s area)

broca’s area

part in the motor cortex that controls speaking (making the words and sounds)

wernicke’s area

part in the temporal lobe that interprets speaking and the meaning of words

association areas

all of the other areas of the cerebral cortex that are not part of a specified area and just sort of help with everything

prefrontal cortex

the part at the front of the frontal lobes that specifically manage plans and reactions (and personality)

corpus callosum

the large band of neurons that connect the to brain hemispheres and sends messages between them