brain functions

AP psychology functions of the brain

What makes up the central nervous system (CNS) ? What is its purpose?

brain and spinal cord that coordinates and processes information throughout the body.

What makes up the peripheral nervous system (PNS) ? What is its purpose?

The somatic and autonomic nervous systems are composed of all nerves outside the CNS that connect the CNS to the rest of the body.

explain the somatic nervous system and subcategories

The somatic nervous system is a branch of the peripheral nervous system responsible for voluntary control of body movements through skeletal muscles. It is further divided into sensory and motor subcategories, with sensory neurons transmitting information from the body to the CNS and motor neurons conveying commands from the CNS to the muscles.

explain the autonomic nervous system and subcategories

The autonomic nervous system is a division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates involuntary bodily functions, including heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate. It is further divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems, which prepare the body for "fight or flight" responses and promote "rest and digest" activities, respectively.

what does the myelin sheath do?

The myelin sheath is a fatty layer that surrounds and insulates nerve fibers, facilitating faster transmission of electrical impulses along the axon. It plays a crucial role in enhancing the speed and efficiency of neural communication.

medulla

controls breathing, heart rate, and autonomic nervous system functions, (crucial for survival).

reticular formation

controls alertness and arousal, the brain’s reward center, and filters stimuli to help with attention and sensation; damage causes coma.

cerebellum

responsible for coordinating movement, balance, and posture. It also plays a role in motor learning and cognitive functions.

thalamus

receives incoming messages from all senses except smell and relays them to appropriate areas of the brain for processing.

motor cortex

controls voluntary movement

somatosensory cortex

receives/processes sensory information from across the body such as touch, temp, pain

frontal lobe

responsible for higher cognitive functions like thinking, memory, behavior, and movement

temporal lobe

hearing, learning, feeling

occipital lobe

sight

parietal lobe

Language and touch

Broca’s area

Speech production and articulation

Wernicke’s area

Speech comprehension and written and spoken language

Amygdala

Involved in emotion (fear and agression)

Hippocampus

helps process conscious and explicit memories of events and facts for storage

hypothalamus

governs body maintenance

manages homeostatic internal state

helps control endocrine system

linked to emotions/rewards

pituitary gland

directs the endocrine system and is responsible for releasing hormones that regulate various bodily functions.