Brain structures

Medulla

• responsible for basic body functions like heartbeat and respiration

• regulates reflexes like coughing vomiting sneezing etc

• damage to medulla as a result of stroke or trauma often fatal

Pons

• Involved in sleep, dreaming, breathing, swallowing, eye movements and facial expressions

• contains locus coeruleus (contains neurons w long axons that can extend through CNS and influence most of it, use neurotransmitter norepinephrine, important for arousal and attention)

Cerebellum

• important for Motor coordination and some types of learning involving memory (and storing it - muscle Memory)

Reticular formation

• complex network of nuclei located in both mid and hind brain

• regulates sleep wake cycle (wakefulness, arousal levels)

• targeted by many general anaesthetics

substantia nigra

• Neurons here produce dopamine and communicate with forebrain regions

• Important for fluidity and rhythm and inhibition of movement

Thalamus

• relay station for incoming sensory information

• large collection of nuclei anterior to the substantia nigra

• contains LGM and MGN

LGN

Lateral Geniculate Nucleus - relays visual information to visual area of cortex

Thalamus

MGN

Medial Geniculate Nucleus

relays auditory information to auditory area of the cortex

Thalamus

Hypothalamus

• collection of nuclei below thalamus that regulates basic drives (eating, drinking, sex, sleep, maternal behaviour)

• critical control of endocrine system

Pituitary gland

• connected to hypothalamus, works alongside it to control hormones

• Controls glands in releasing of hormones

Amygdala

• collection of nuclei deep in the brain involved in recognizing, processing and responding to emotions, specifically fear (fight or flight)

Hippocampus

• important for types of Learning and memory (especially episodic memory)

• Important in learning about spatial environment

• Studied as a region of neuroplasticity

Basal Ganglia

• group of nuclei including the caudate nucleus, global pallidus, substantia nigra, nucleus accumbems

• Believed to play a role in cognitive flexibility and coordinating voluntary movement control (playing piano and zoning out and still playing well

• Nucleus accumbens specifically important for motivation and reward learning (uses dopamine as a neurotransmitter)

Broca’s area

Important for recognition of language rules (syntax for example) and speech production

Wernickes area

Important for Language comprehension and communicates with Broca’s area