Brain and Behaviour - Bell ringer prep

Frontal lobe

Handles impulse control, judgment, language, memory, motor function, problem solving, socialization and spontaneity

Parietal lobe

Handles integrating sensory information from various senses, and manipulation of objects.

Occipital lobe

Contains the primary visual cortex

Temporal lobe

Handles speech/language functions (mainly in the left hemisphere), audition, object recognition, facial recognition

Commissures

Enables communication between left and right hemispheres

Corpus callosum

The main bridge for communication between hemispheres

Anterior commissure

The part where the olfactory tract crosses

Ventricles

The interconnected fluid filled cavities that produce cerebrospinal fluid which then acts to cushion and protect the brain and spinal cord

Caudate nucleus

Is responsible for voluntary movement

Putamen

Structures that receive input from sensory and motor areas and projects to the globus pallidus and is important for some types of reinforcement and motor learning

Globus pallidus

The main inhibitory output from the basal ganglia to the thalamus and is important for postural control.

Hypothalamus

Controls the pituitary gland and is responsible for maintaining homeostasis of factors such as blood pressure, body temperature, electrolyte balance, and body weight

Amygdala

Handles the production of emotions and potentially storage of fearful memories

e.g. Fear, anger

Thalamus

Handles sensory inputs (except smell) and motor inputs

Superior colliculus

A part of the visual and auditory system that helps to orient the head to something that is seen or heard

Inferior colliculus

A part of the auditory system that integrates sound localization information

Tectum

The ‘roof’ of the midbrain consisting of both the superior and inferior colliculus

Hippocampus

Handles the storage and processing of memories

Pineal gland

A  small endocrine gland that contains photoreceptors stimulated by darkness to produce melatonin, a process which is inhibited by light

Melatonin

Plays an important role in the maintenance of circadian rhythms.

Olfactory bulb

An important component of the olfactory system that’s analogous to the primary cortex of other senses and extracts different components of orders.

Mammillary bodies

Seemingly appears to play a role in memory formation as damage here produces anterograde amnesia

Optic chiasm

The location where part of each optic nerve crosses to the other side of the brai

Medulla

Controls autonomic functions such as heartbeat and respiration

Pons

An important structure for consciousness and sleep/wake cycles.

Cerebellum

Is important for motor coordination