brain structures

corpus callsoum a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain; super highway limbic system neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives amygdala a limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression hippocampus a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage cingulate cortex primary cortical component of the limbic system, involved in emotional and cognitive processing basal ganglia structures in the forebrain that help to control movement globus pallidus component of the basal ganglia that connects to the thalamus which relays information to the motor areas and the prefrontal cortex nucleus accumbens a basal ganglia structure that participates in reward and addiction olfactory bulb a brain structure located above the nasal cavity beneath the frontal lobes; smell information thalamus the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla hypothalamus a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion midbrain region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight forebrain the largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum endbrain telencephalon (cerebrum) substantia nigra area of the midbrain that is involved in motor control and contains a large concentration of dopamine-producing neurons ventral tegmental area (VTA) midbrain structure where dopamine is produced

associated with mood, reward, and addiction periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) a region surrounding the cerebral aqueduct in the core of the midbrain, with descending pathways that can inhibit the transmission of pain-causing signals tectum a part of the midbrain that orients an organism in the environment tegmentum ventral part of the midbrain; includes the periaqueductal gray matter, reticular formation, red nucleus, and substantia nigra; involved in movement and arousal hindbrain medulla, pons, cerebellum pons brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain cerebellum the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance medulla the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing frontal lobe The lobe at the front of the brain associated with movement, speech, and impulsive behavior; higher cognitive function temporal lobe area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex near the temples that is the primary receiving area for auditory information parietal lobe portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position occipital lobe region of the cerebral cortex towards the rear back that processes visual information primary motor cortex the section of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement primary sensory cortex regions of the cerebral cortex that initially process information from the senses somatosensory cortex primary sensory cortex in the parietal lobe that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations auditory cortex the area of the temporal lobe responsible for processing sound information visual cortex visual processing areas of cortex in the occipital (and temporal) lobes association cortex regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate simpler functions to perform more complex functions; in all lobes; 90% of cerebral cortex cerebrum largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory

corpus callsoum

a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain; super highway

limbic system

neural system (including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus) located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

amygdala

a limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression

hippocampus

a neural center located in the limbic system; helps process explicit memories for storage

cingulate cortex

primary cortical component of the limbic system, involved in emotional and cognitive processing

basal ganglia

structures in the forebrain that help to control movement

globus pallidus

component of the basal ganglia that connects to the thalamus which relays information to the motor areas and the prefrontal cortex

nucleus accumbens

a basal ganglia structure that participates in reward and addiction

olfactory bulb

a brain structure located above the nasal cavity beneath the frontal lobes; smell information

thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; directs eating, drinking, body temperature; helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion

midbrain

region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight

forebrain

the largest and most complicated region of the brain, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum

endbrain

telencephalon (cerebrum)

substantia nigra

area of the midbrain that is involved in motor control and contains a large concentration of dopamine-producing neurons

ventral tegmental area (VTA)

midbrain structure where dopamine is produced: associated with mood, reward, and addiction

periaqueductal gray matter (PAG)

a region surrounding the cerebral aqueduct in the core of the midbrain, with descending pathways that can inhibit the transmission of pain-causing signals

tectum

a part of the midbrain that orients an organism in the environment

tegmentum

ventral part of the midbrain; includes the periaqueductal gray matter, reticular formation, red nucleus, and substantia nigra; involved in movement and arousal

hindbrain

medulla, pons, cerebellum

pons

brain structure that relays information from the cerebellum to the rest of the brain

cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

frontal lobe

The lobe at the front of the brain associated with movement, speech, and impulsive behavior; higher cognitive function

temporal lobe

area on each hemisphere of the cerebral cortex near the temples that is the primary receiving area for auditory information

parietal lobe

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

occipital lobe

region of the cerebral cortex towards the rear back that processes visual information

primary motor cortex

the section of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement

primary sensory cortex

regions of the cerebral cortex that initially process information from the senses

somatosensory cortex

primary sensory cortex in the parietal lobe that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

auditory cortex

the area of the temporal lobe responsible for processing sound information

visual cortex

visual processing areas of cortex in the occipital (and temporal) lobes

association cortex

regions of the cerebral cortex that integrate simpler functions to perform more complex functions; in all lobes; 90% of cerebral cortex

cerebrum

largest part of the brain; responsible for voluntary muscular activity, vision, speech, taste, hearing, thought, and memory.

brain stem

connection to spinal cord; filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain