Brain Functions and Hormonal Effects Overview

Amygdala

Involved in emotion processing, fear response, and memory formation.

Injury Effects of Amygdala

Reduced ability to recognize emotions (especially fear), emotional instability, and potential difficulties in forming emotional memories.

Broca's Area

Controls speech production and language processing (typically in the left hemisphere).

Injury Effects of Broca's Area

Broca's aphasia—difficulty forming words and speaking fluently, though comprehension remains intact.

Cerebellum

Coordination of movement, balance, posture, and motor learning.

Injury Effects of Cerebellum

Loss of coordination (ataxia), tremors, dizziness, and difficulty with fine motor tasks.

Corpus Callosum

Connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, facilitating communication between them.

Injury Effects of Corpus Callosum

Difficulty in transferring information between hemispheres, split-brain syndrome, and cognitive impairments.

Frontal Lobe

Controls decision-making, problem-solving, planning, impulse control, and voluntary movement.

Injury Effects of Frontal Lobe

Personality changes, impaired judgment, difficulty with problem-solving, and loss of motor control.

Hippocampus

Essential for memory formation and spatial navigation.

Injury Effects of Hippocampus

Memory loss (especially forming new memories), disorientation, and difficulty learning new information.

Hypothalamus

Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, sleep, and hormone production.

Injury Effects of Hypothalamus

Disruptions in appetite, sleep disorders, temperature regulation issues, and hormonal imbalances.

Medulla

Controls vital functions like heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.

Injury Effects of Medulla

Severe injury can be fatal; minor damage can lead to breathing issues, irregular heartbeat, or difficulty swallowing.

Midbrain

Regulates movement, auditory and visual processing, and reflexes.

Injury Effects of Midbrain

Movement disorders, vision or hearing impairments, and difficulties with coordination.

Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary muscle movements.

Injury Effects of Motor Cortex

Weakness or paralysis on the opposite side of the body.

Occipital Lobe

Processes visual information.

Injury Effects of Occipital Lobe

Vision loss, hallucinations, or difficulty recognizing objects.

Parietal Lobe

Processes sensory input, spatial awareness, and body coordination.

Injury Effects of Parietal Lobe

Difficulty with spatial reasoning, neglect of one side of the body, and impaired touch perception.

Pons

Relays information between the brainstem and the rest of the brain; controls sleep and facial movements.

Pons Injury Effects

Sleep disturbances, facial paralysis, and difficulties with coordination.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes sensory information like touch, pain, and temperature.

Somatosensory Cortex Injury Effects

Numbness, difficulty recognizing textures or shapes, and loss of sensory perception.

Temporal Lobe

Processes auditory information, memory, and language comprehension.

Temporal Lobe Injury Effects

Hearing impairments, memory loss, and difficulty understanding language.

Thalamus

Relays sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex.

Thalamus Injury Effects

Sensory processing issues, movement problems, and altered consciousness.

Wernicke's Area

Responsible for language comprehension.

Wernicke's Area Injury Effects

Wernicke's aphasia—difficulty understanding language, producing fluent but nonsensical speech.

Pituitary Gland

Located at the base of the brain, below the hypothalamus.

Thyroid Gland

Located in the front of the neck, below the Adam's apple.

Thymus Gland

Located in the upper chest, behind the sternum.

Adrenal Glands

Located on top of each kidney.

Pancreas

Located in the abdomen, behind the stomach.

Ovaries

Located in the lower abdomen, on either side of the uterus (females).

Testes

Located in the scrotum (males).

Adrenocorticotropic hormone

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the adrenal gland to increase cortisol production.

Antidiuretic hormone

Produced by the hypothalamus; targets the kidney to reabsorb water.

Calcitonin

Produced by the thyroid; targets bone to decrease calcium in the blood.

Epinephrine

Produced by the adrenal gland; targets the heart to increase heart rate; stress.

Estrogen

Produced by the ovary; targets the uterus/breasts to increase egg production and secondary sex characteristics.

Follicle stimulating hormone

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the ovaries/testes to increase production of eggs/sperm.

Glucagon

Produced by the pancreas; targets the liver to increase blood sugar.

Growth hormone

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets bones/muscles to increase growth.

Insulin

Produced by the pancreas; targets the liver to decrease blood sugar.

Luteinizing hormone

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the ovaries/testes to increase estrogen/testosterone levels.

Oxytocin

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the uterus to stimulate contractions in labor.

Parathyroid hormone

Produced by the parathyroid gland; targets bone/kidneys to increase blood calcium levels.

Progesterone

Produced by the ovary; targets the uterus/ovaries to prepare the uterus for fertilized egg.

Prolactin

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the mammary gland to increase milk production after birth.

Testosterone

Produced by the testes; targets the testes to increase sperm production and secondary sex characteristics.

Thyroid stimulating hormone

Produced by the anterior pituitary; targets the thyroid to increase thyroid activity.

Thyroxine

Produced by the thyroid; targets the liver/kidneys to increase metabolism rates.