Brain Anatomy and Functions

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering brain structures, lobes, functions, the limbic system, and brain stem regions based on the lecture notes.

Cerebrum

Structure made of 2 hemispheres that enables perceiving, thinking, and speaking.

Frontal Lobe

The most frontal lobe; responsible for thinking, judgment, making plans, speaking, and muscle movements, with the motor cortex located at its rear.

Motor Cortex

Structure located at the rear of the frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement.

Occipital Lobe

The back lobe of the brain; receives information from visual fields.

Parietal Lobe

The middle lobe; receives sensory input for touch and body position, math, and spatial reasoning, with the somatosensory cortex at its front.

Somatosensory Cortex

Cortex located at the front of the parietal lobe.

Corpus Callosum

A large band of neural fibers that connects the 2 hemispheres and sends messages between them.

Cerebellum

The “little brain,” attached to the rear of the brainstem; coordinates voluntary movement (small motor skills), helps judge time, modulate emotions, discriminate sounds and textures, and enables nonverbal learning and skill memory.

Brain Stem

The oldest, innermost part of the brain; includes the medulla, reticular formation, and pons.

Medulla Oblongata

Structure sitting at the base of the brain stem; controls heartbeat, breathing, circulation, and swallowing.

Pons

Structure located above the medulla; regulates the sleep cycle, breathing, and motor control, and sends information to the cerebellum.

Pineal Gland

Gland located just anterior to the superior colliculus; associated with sleep cycles.

Thalamus

Sensory relay station sitting atop the brainstem; receives info from all senses except smell, routes it to higher brain regions for seeing, hearing, tasting, and touching, and sends replies to the medulla and cerebellum.

Hypothalamus

Regulates body maintenance and homeostasis via a negative feedback loop; monitors blood chemistry, triggers the pituitary to release hormones, is linked to emotion, and controls metabolism, water balance, temperature, and hunger.

4 F’s Mnemonic

Mnemonic associated with hypothalamus functions: Fighting, Feeding, Fleeing, and Fornication (mating).

Temporal Lobe

Lobe that receives auditory info from the opposite ear; responsible for understanding language and face recognition.

Cerebral Cortex

A thin ($2\text{ to }5\,\text{mm}$) surface layer covering the hemispheres; functions as the body’s ultimate control and processing center.

Midbrain

A region identified on the slide diagram as part of the brain stem region.

Superior Colliculus

Structure in the dorsal midbrain responsible for body orientation and eye movements.

Pituitary Gland

Gland that releases hormones when triggered by the hypothalamus; produces growth hormone during NREM 3 sleep.

Limbic System

Neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres and above the brainstem (Latin for “border”); regulates memory, fear, aggression, hunger, and thirst.

Amygdala

Almond-shaped structure associated with aggression and fear; plays a role in the perception of emotions and processing emotional memories.

Hippocampus

Structure that wraps around the back of the thalamus; processes new memories for permanent storage.