the forebrain

Pons HINDBRAIN

conveying sensory info from the spinal cord to the forebrain ; regulation of states of wakefulness and sleep

Medulla HINDBRAIN

Conveying sensory info from the spincal cord to the forebrain; control of basic bodily processes like heart rate, breathing rate, and certain reflexes

Cerebal cortex FOREBRAIN

Higher mental functions like thinking, language, learning, memory, emotions, and control of voluntary movements. The brain's thinking, calculating, organizing, and creative center.

Corpus callosum FOREBRAIN

Bundle of nerve fibers that connect the two cerebral hemispheres

Thalamus FOREBRAIN

Relay station for sorting and intefrationg sensory input ; regulation of sleep-wake cycle

Limbic system FOREBRAIN

Emotional processing motivated behavior, and learning and memory functioning ; consists of amygdala, hippocampus, parts of the hypothalamus and thalamus, and nearby structures

Basal Ganglia FOREBRAIN

Regulation of movement and coordination.

Midbrain / Reticular Formation

Regulation of attentional processes and states of alertness and arousal

Cerebellum HINDBRAIN

Regulation of balance and coordination

Occipital lobes

Process of visual info, giving rise to sensations of vision

Parietal lobes

Process info relating to sensations of touch, pressure, temperature, pain, and body movement

Frontal lobes

Control motor responses and higher mental functions, like thinking, planning, problem solving, decision making, and accessing and acting on stores memories

Temporal lobes

Process of auditory info, giving rise to sensation of sound

Left hemisphere dominance

Verbal functions (for right-handers and most left-handers),including spoken and written use of language, as well as logical analysis, problem solving, and mathematical computation

Right hemisphere dominance

Nonverbal functions, including understanding spatial relationships (as presented, for example, in jigsaw puzzles or maps), recognizing faces and interpreting gestures, perceiving and expressing emotion, and appreciating music and art

Bronca's area

An egg-shaped part of the frontal lobe that plays a key role in the production of speech.

Wernicke's area

is located in the temporal lobe, enables us to understand written or spoken language

Lateralization

Different cognitive functions and abilities are processed preferentially in one hemisphere of the brain rather than the other.

The Gate Control Theory

A theory that suggests that the sensation of pain involves a gate-like mechanism in the spinal cord. The "gate" opens and closes to let pain messages get through to the brain or blocks them off. There are different pathways, faster and slower nerve fibers, that transmit different types of pain messages from an injury site to the brain. This is why dull, throbbing pain and sharp, sudden pain are experienced differently