CTY 2025 - Brain areas and neurotransmitters

Prefrontal cortex location

Front of the frontal lobe

prefrontal cortex function

Decision making, planning, reasoning and working memory. Social behavior, impulse inhibition and personality expression.

Motor cortex area

In the frontal lobe in the precentral gyrus

motor cortex function

Voluntary motor control of skeletal muscles

Somatosensory cortex location

Front of the parietal lobe, directly behind the motor cortex

Somatosensory cortex function

processes sensations of touch, pressure, temprature, and pain. helps with proprioception

Wernicke's area location

Left temporal lobe in the superior temporal gyrus

Wernicke's area function

Language comprehension (spoken and written)

Broca's area location

Left frontal lobe, posterior part of the fronal gyrus

Broca's area function

speech production and articulation

Occipital lobe location

back of brain

occipital lobe function

visual processing

visual cortex location

occipital lobe

visual cortex function

initial processing of visual information and recognition of basic visual features

Thalamus location

in diencephalon, middle of brain

Thalamus function

Sensory relay station, directs incoming sensory signals (except smell)

Hypothalamus location

Under thalamus

hypothalamus function

regulates bodily functions such as hunger, thirst and temprature

Amygdala location

temporal lobe

Amygdala funciton

Emotional processing

Hippocampus location

temportal lobe, limbic system

Hippocampus Function

forms new memories and helps with spacial navigation

Basal Ganglia location

deep within the cerebral hemispheres

Basal ganglia function

movement regulation, reward processing, learning routines and habit formation

Cerebellum location

back of brain, beneath occipital lobe

cerebellum function

coordination, balance, and fine motor skills

Corpus callosum location

think band of neural fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres

Corpus callosum function

communicates between left and right hemispheres of the brain

Reticular formation location

Network of neurons running through brainstem

Reticular formation function

Regulates arousal, alertness, sleep-wake cycle, relates to consciousness and attention

Medulla Oblongata Location

base of brainstem, right above spinal cord

Medulla Oblongata function

Controls vital autonomic functions (breathing, heart rate, blood pressure)

Pons location

Above medulla, in brainstem

Pons function

sleep regulation, respiration and facial expressions. Relays information between cerebrum and cerebellum

Cingulate cortex location

Medial aspect of brain, part of limbic system

Cingulate cortex function

Emotion formation, processing, and learning

Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) location

midbrain

Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) function

produces dopamine

Pineal gland location

Deep within brain, near center

Pineal gland function

produces melatonin, which helps control sleep-wake cycle

Primary auditory cortex location

temporal lobe in sylvian fissure

primary auditory cortex function

Processes auditory information

superior colliculus location

midbrain

superior colliculus function

visual processing and visual reflexes

inferior colliculus location

midbrain, near superior colliculus

inferior colliculus function

auditory processing and auditory reflex

Fusiform face area (FFA) location

temporal lobe, fusiform gyrus

Fusiform face area (FFA) function

facial recognition

Angular Gyrus location

parietal lobe, near temporal and occipital lobe

Angular gyrus function

language, number processing, spacial cognition, reading, and writing

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Learning, memory, muscle action

Dopamine

Reward, motivation, movement

Serotonin

Mood, appetite, sleep

Norepinephrine (NE)

Alertness, attention, arousal

Epinephrine

Flight or fight responses

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

Main inhibitory neurotransmitter

Glutamate

Main excitatory neurotransmitter, learning, memory

Endorphins

Pain relief, euphoria

Substance P

Pain perception

Oxytocin

Social bonding, trust

Vasopressin

Water balance, social behavior

Histamine

Sleep-wake regulation, inflammation

Anandamide

Appetite, memory, pain (endocannabinoid)

Nitric Oxide (NO)

Increased blood flow, lower blood pressure, neural communication

Glycine

Inhibitory neurotransmitter in the spinal cord

Aspartate

Excitatory neurotransmitter

Cholecystokinin (CCK)

Digestion, satiety (satisfaction), anxiety

Neuropeptide Y

Hunger, anxiety

CRF

Stress response

Dynorphins

Pain modulation, emotional control