Ap Psych Parts of the Brain and Their Functions

Brainstem

oldest part and central core of the brain, base of brain connected to the spinal cord

• controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body

• controls basic body functions such as breathing, swallowing, heart rate, blood pressure, consciousness, and whether one is awake or sleepy

Pons

The larger swelling above the medulla that connects the top of the brain to the bottom, the bridge between cerebral hemispheres and both medulla & cerebellum

• role in several autonomic functions such as stimulating breathing and controlling sleep cycle

Pituitary

Master endocrine gland

Medulla Oblongata

Located at the top of the spinal cord (transition zone), controls life sustaining functions

• controls heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure

• where most fibers cross, resulting in contralateral (opposite side)

Parietal Lobe

Sections of the brain located at the top and back of each cerebral hemisphere containing the centers for processing sensory signals such as touch, pressure, temperature, and pain

Somatosensory Cortex

Part of your brain that receives and processes sensory information from the entire body 

Reticular Formation

Network of nerves that carry messages between parts of the brain stem (Integrating the nervous system)

• helps regulate the intensity of pain and controls some parts of the body

• helps people focus on useful sensory input while filtering out unnecessary stimuli

Sensory Cortex

area at front of parietal lobe, registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer of the brain, the tissue is folded in on itself, the folding and wrinkling allows for more surface area of cortex to fit into the skull

• Distinctly human traits including higher thought, language, and human consciousness as well as the ability to think, reason and imagine all originate in the cerebral cortex

Motor Cortex

This area of the brain receives information from various lobes of the brain and utilizes this information to carry out body movements

Limbic System

Network of structures located beneath the cerebral cortex, coordinates emotions such as fear and aggression, basic drives such as hunger and sex, formation of episodic memories

Occipital Lobe

Section of the brain located at the rear and bottom of each cerebral hemisphere containing the visual centers of the brain

• Information from left half of visual field of both eyes processed in right occipital lobe, right processed in left occipital lobe

Amygdala

Primarily involved in processing emotion and survival responses

• Becomes active during potentially threatening situations (coordinates fight-or-flight response)

• Influence aggression and fear

Cerebellum “Little Brain”

Helps control posture, balance, and the coordination of voluntary movements. This allows different muscle groups in the body to act together and produce coordinated fluid movement

Broca’s Area

Located in the lower portion of the left frontal lobe, controls motor functions involved with speech production and language comprehension

Frontal Lobe

Areas of the cortex located in the front and top of the brain, associated with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressive language

• executive function 

Thalamus

Processes and transmits movement and sensory information. Considered the sensory “relay station” of the brain, passing information on to the cerebral cortex

• Receives information from all the senses (routes it to the higher brain regions that deal with seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching)

Spinal Cord

pathway of neural fibers to and from brain, controls reflexes

Hypothalamus

Connects with many other regions of the brain and is responsible for controlling hunger, thirst, emotions, body temperature regulation, and circadian rhythms 

• also controls the pituitary gland by secreting hormone

Hippocampus

plays a critical role in the formation, organization, and storage of new memories as well as connecting certain sensations and emotions to these memories

Temporal Lobe

Areas of the cortex located just behind the temples containing the neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech

Wernicke’s Area

located in the temporal lobe on the left side of the brain and is responsible for the comprehension of speech

• Plans for meaningful speech created in Wernicke’s Area (Broca’s Area determines movements needed for vocalization)

Corpus Callosum

connects brain’s hemispheres; removal can stop seizures