ap psych unit 2 brain parts

parietal lobes

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

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from visual fields

temporal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

amygdala

two lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to experiencing emotion

pituitary gland

the endocrine's system's most influential gland; regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, body temp, drinking), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward

hippocampus

neural center located in limbic system; helps process for storage explicit (conscious) memories of facts and events

thalamus

brain's sensory control center, located at top of brainstem; directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla; processes senses before sent to cerebral cortex for interpretation

corpus callosum

large band of neural fibers connecting 2 brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

cerebellum

"little brain" rear of brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory; motor functions and body position; implicit memory

pons

controls sleep and helps coordinate movement

medulla

base of brainstem; where spine enters brain; controls heartbeat and breathing

cerebral cortex

divided into 4 regions called lobes; intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres and outermost layer of brain; body's ultimate control and information processing center

sensory cortex

registers information from the skin senses/pressure and body movement

motor cortex

controls voluntary movements

association areas

areas of cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

reticular formation

nerve network that travels through the brainstem, into thalamus; controls arousal and filters incoming sensory stimuli

broca's area

language is produced in a fluent way

wernicke's area

makes sure language makes sense

adrenal gland

releases hormones that are present in the "fight or flight" response (epinephrine and nonepinephrine)

prefrontal cortex

the “higher” brain directs thought processes and acts as the brain's central executive

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

parts of the NS excluding the brain and spinal cord

autonomic NS

involuntary bodily functions and movement; part of peripheral NS

somatic NS

voluntary movement; relays information to central nervous system; part of peripheral NS

all-or-none

stimulus must trigger the action potential past its threshold (to an adequate amount), but does not increase the intensity of the response (flush the toilet)

Dendrites

 Receive incoming signal

Soma

 Cell body (includes nucleus)

Axon

AP travels down this

Myelin Sheath

 speeds up signal down axon

Terminals

release NTs – send signal onto next neuron (lowkey look like dendrites, but at the other end of the cell)