Chapters 5-6 & 20-22 Study Guide (Knowledge Review)

Cortex (Neocortex/New Cortex)

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.

Frontal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

Parietal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

Occipital Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields.

Temporal Lobes

The portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each recieving information primary from the opposite ear.

Motor Cortex

A cerebral Cortex area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements.

Somatosensory Cortex

A cerebral cortex at the front of the parietal lobes registers and processes body touch and movement sensations.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit (conscious) memories - of facts and events - for storage.

Amygdala

Two lima-bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Nucleus Accumbens

Located next to the MFB (medial forebrain bundle), is an area of your brain with many dopamine neurons involved in reward and pleasure.

Hypothalamus

A neural structure in the limbic system lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body, temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Thalamus

The brain’s sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

Cerebellum

The “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, movement output, and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

Pituitary Gland

The pituitary is considered to be the master gland in the body because it regulates all the glands in the endocrine system. In response to stress, the pituitary releases hormones that trigger various bodily reactions, such as an increased heart rate, sweating, and heightened alertness.

Medulla

The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.

Pons

Helps coordinate movement and control sleep. It is also involved in arousal.

Reticular Formation

A nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus; filters information and plays an important role in controlling arousal.

The brainstem

The oldest part of our brain. The brainstem contains the reticular formation, which is involved in sleep and arousal, the pons, which is also involved in sleep and arousal as well as coordinated movements, and the medulla, which is responsible for breathing and circulation. The brainstem connects to the spinal cord immediately beneath it.

EEG (electroencephalogram)

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain’s surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

PET (positron emission tomography

A technique for detecting brain activity that displays where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain preforms a given task.

fMRI (functional MRI)

A technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. fMRI scans show brain function as well as structure.

Cortical Blindness