Brain Structures & Functions

Cerebral cortex

Processes sensory info, movement, and has association areas.

Cerebral cortex lobes

Divided into 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.

Frontal lobe

Contains motor cortex, crucial for voluntary movement.

Primary motor cortex

Makes up majority of motor cortex and is responsible for movement in head and body.

Prefrontal cortex

Involved in higher-level cognitive functions such as decision making, planning, impulse control, and the ability to act in pursuit of long-term goals.

Broca's area

Located in left cerebral hemisphere and is involved in language production.

Parietal lobe

Involved in language, spatial orientation, and attention.

Primary somatosensory cortex

Processes sensations from the body like touch, pain, temperature, and proprioception.

Temporal lobe

Involved in higher-order processing of visual info, learning and memory, and hearing.

Primary auditory cortex

Plays a critical role in our ability to perceive sound.

Wernicke's area

Involved in language comprehension, located between temporal and parietal lobes.

Hippocampus

Located in the temporal lobe, known for its role in memory and turning short-term memory into long-term memory.

Occipital lobe

Involved in visual processing.

Primary visual cortex

Main area for visual processing.

Cerebellum

Known for its role in movement, motor coordination, control, balance, posture, and fine-tuning of voluntary movements.

Brainstem

Connects the brain to the spinal cord and is divided into the midbrain, pons, and medulla.

Medulla

Regulates vital functions such as cardiovascular and respiratory activity.

Pons

Contains important pathways that carry info to and from the cerebellum.

Midbrain

Contains the two largest dopamine-producing areas in the brain: the substantia nigra and the ventral tegmental area (VTA).

Substantia nigra

Dopamine neurons play important roles in movement; large numbers die in Parkinson's disease.

Ventral tegmental area (VTA)

Dopamine neurons extend to various parts of the brain, important for rewarding experiences.

Basal ganglia

Involved in movement, habit formation, and reward processing.

Thalamus

Relay station for most info that gets to the cortex.

Pineal gland

Secretes melatonin, regulates circadian rhythms.

Hypothalamus

Involved in maintaining homeostasis across various bodily systems.

Pituitary gland

Produces hormones such as growth hormone, TSH, FSH, and luteinizing hormone.

Amygdala

Known for its role in emotion; processes fear and responds to threats.

Corpus callosum

The largest bundle of axons in the brain, connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres.

Ventricles

Hollow cavities in the brain that contain specialized membranes that produce CSF

CSF

Surrounds and cushions the brain, suspends it to reduce strain (e.g., from gravity), removes waste, and helps regulate the neurons' extracellular environment.