Basic Structural and Functional Brain Anatomy & Localisation of Function

What does the nervous system control overall?

communication and regulation of body functions

which brain regions control basic physiology?

brainstem, thalamus, hypothalamus

examples of basic physiology controlled by the brain

breathing, digestion, temperature, blood pressure

what is the reticular formation

brainstem network controlling arousal and sleep

main function of the thalamus

relays sensory and motor signals

what is the suprachiasmatic nucleus

hypothalamic area controlling circadian rhythms

what does the ventromedial nucleus control?

conversion of blood glucose into body fat

what is the corpus callosum?

white matter tract connecting the hemispheres

what is intercallosal transfer

signals passing between hemisphere via corpus callosum

what are ventricles

fluid-filled spaces inside the brain

why do ventricles exist

result of brain folding during development

how do ventricles appear on scans

large dark spaces

what is grey matter

outer brain tissue made mainly of neuron cell bodies

what structures are in grey matter

cell bodies and dendrites

what is white matter

tissue made mainly of myelinated axons

main function of white matter

carries messages between brain regions

what is myelin

fatty sheath that speeds nerve impulses

what are nodes of ranvier

gaps in myelin that aid signal conduction

what is a gyrus

raised ridge on cortex surface

what is a sulcus

groove or fold in cortex

what is a fissure

major deep sulcus

what is an axial slice

horizontal brain slice

what is a coronal slice

front to back brain slice

what is a sagittal slice

left to right brain slice

what is cytoarchitecture

differences in cellular structure across cortex regions

what are Brodmann areas

cortical regions based on cell structure

what did phrenology attempt to do

localise mental traits to skull regions

what is equipotentiality

cognitive functions are diffusely distributed

which functions are clearly localised

Basic sensory and motor functions

function of primary motor cortex

controls voluntary body movement

function of somatosensory cortex

processes touch and body sensations

function of primary visual cortex

processes basic vision

function of olfactory cortex

processes smell

function of gustatory cortex

processes taste

what are primary cortical areas

first areas receiving sensory input

what are secondary sensory areas

areas for more advanced sensory processing

what are association areas

integrate different types of information

what is the fusiform gyrus linked to

complex visual recognition

what is the fusiform face area (FFA)?

region specialised for face recognition

what is prosopagnosia

inability to recognise faces

causes of prosopagnosia

damage to fusiform face area

what is hierarchical motor control

higher areas plan movements, lower areas execute them

role of premotor cortex

plans movements

role of supplementary motor area

coordinates complex movement sequences

which body parts get most motor cortex space

hands, lips, face

role of basal ganglia

movement coordination and initiation

role of cerebellum movement

timing and fine coordination

function of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

working memory and flexible thinking

other roles of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

problem solving and task switching

other roles of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

problem solving and task switching

what is Broca’s areas associated with

language production

what is broca’s aphasia

understand speech but struggle to produce words

why is Broca’s area debated

active in many non-language tasks too