Functions for brain structures

Medulla

Decussation of fibers and regulation of autonomic functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration.

Pons

Controls breathing movements and regulates states of attentiveness and arousal.

Superior Colliculus

Processes and carries sensory information about vision.

Inferior Colliculus

Processes and carries sensory information about audition.

Thalamus

Relays sensory information to the higher brain structures.

Hypothalamus

Involved in hormone and autonomic control.

Pituitary gland

An important endocrine organ that secretes many hormones.

Meninges

Protective covering of the central nervous system.

Dura Mater

The outermost layer of the meninges, tough and inelastic.

Pia Mater

The innermost layer of the meninges, separated from the Arachnoid layer by CSF-filled subarachnoid space.

Arachnoid Mater

The middle layer of the meninges, just beneath the Dura Mater.

Cerebrospinal fluid

Bathes and cushions the CNS; nourishes and removes waste from the CNS.

Cerebellum

Involved in fine motor control and coordination.

Cerebrum

Associated with higher brain functions such as reasoning, planning, visual processing, and memory.

Grey matter

Regions containing neuronal cell bodies in the CNS.

White matter

Regions of the CNS containing mostly myelinated axons.

Myelin

A substance that speeds the propagation of nerve impulses down the axon, wrapped around CNS axons by oligodendroglia.

Olfactory bulbs

Involved in processing information about odor.

Brain ventricles

A series of cavities in the CNS that contain the cerebrospinal fluid.

Choroid plexus

Produces the cerebrospinal fluid, found in the lateral ventricles.

Septum pellucidum

A thin membrane that separates the paired lateral ventricles anteriorly.

Corpus callosum

A sheet of fibers that carries information between the right and left neocortices.

Cerebral aqueduct

Connects the third and fourth ventricles.

Pineal body

Involved in diurnal rhythms.

Caudate nucleus

Involved in the integration of sensory and motor information from all areas of the cortex.

Hippocampus

Critical for learning and memory.