AP Psych Brain regions, structure, and function

AP Psychology

Brain stem

connects brain to spiral chord

Pons

regulates sleep and alertness/wake

Medulla

regulates heart rate and respiration

Cerebellum

coordination and balance

Reticular formation

arousal, attention, alertness

Limbic system

mid brain

Amygdala

emotions, primarily fear and anger

Hippocampus

memory formation

Thalamus

processing and routing almost all incoming sensory and motor signals

Pituitary Gland

master gland, taking info from brain and telling the endocrine system

Hypothalamus

feeding fighting, fleeing and, fornication

Cerebral cortex

forebrain (outside regions/lobes of the brain)

Frontal lobe

personality and complex decision-making

Parietal lobe

reads all sensory information

Temporal lobe

processes auditory information

Occipital lobe

responsible for vision/eyesight

Corpus callosum

keeps brain together

Motor cortex

Voluntary movement

Somatosensory cortex

receiving and processing sensory information (part of parietal lobe)