Brain Functions

Precentral Gyrus Function

controls skeletal muscles on opposite side of body

postcentral gyrus function

receives sensation from skin from the opposite side of the body

wernicke’s area function

sensory speech, understanding speech and crosses over to reading

primary visual cortex

recieves visual input and comprehension of it

primary auditory cortex funciton

receives sounds and processes them

primary olfactory cortex function

smell

Broca’s area function

motor speech area, carries over to writing (producing speech)

insula function and development

develops early, taste, awareness of self and perception of pain

what is the white matter of the brain composed of

mainly myelinated axons (bundled into groups called TRACTS)

how is the brain interconnected

through association tracts

role of commissural tract

interconnect left and right hemisphere

corpus callosum

largest of the commissural tracts

association tracts

interconnect different regions in the same hemisphere

projection tracts

link the hemispheres with the brain stem and spinal cord

what is diencephalon made up of

the walls of the thalamus, epithalamus and hypothalamus (consists of several thalamic nuclei)

what does the diencephalon help form?

the walls of the third ventricle

thalamus function

filters and relays somatic sensory information to the cerebral cortex (except OLFACTION)

hypothalamus functions

controller of the autonomic nervous system (cardiac muscle, smooth muscle and glands), controller of the endocrine system, regulates food and water intake, controls body temp, has connections with limbic system to control emotions, directs the pineal gland for when to secrete melatonin

epithalamus function

houses the pineal gland, which secretes melatonin for circadian rythym

peduncles

pillars in the front of the midbrain

superior collici

located on posterior midbrain, help to visual track things

inferior colliculi

located on posterior midbrain, help orient our sense to sound

corpora quagemina

the collective name for superior and inferior colliculi

substaintia niagra

part of the midbrain that contains neurons for melanin granules and neurotransmitter dopamine

dopamine role

plays important roles in executive functions, motor control and motivation

dopaminergic neurons in midbrain

effect brain processes that control movement and emotions

how we get parkinsons

The degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra disrupts the normal flow of information to brain regions that control movement (the motor and premotor cortex). This disruption leads to the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease

pons functions and location

middle part of the brainstem, contains a pontine respiratory center and has strong connections to the cerebellum for relaying copies of motor commands from cerebrum

medulla oblongata location and function

the inferior part of the brainstem, contains cardiac center that controls heartrate and force of contraction, contains a respiratory center that is under the influence of the pontine respiratory center

folia

the name for the right and left hemisphere in cerebellum

cerebellum main function

to refine skeletal muscle movements so movements are smooth and coordinated

how does cerebellum get motor information?

gets a “rough draft” from cerebrum (relayed by the pons), which then fine-tunes movements

how do we know where we are in space

the cerebellum receives proprioceptive input from the skeletal muscles