BRAIN

Here are detailed study notes organized by region and topic based on your class slides to help you prepare for your quiz.

Located at the base of the brain, connecting to the spinal cord. Controls autonomic functions; damage here can cause coma or death.

Medulla: Controls heartbeat and breathing.
Pons: "Bridge" connecting the medulla to the cerebellum; involved in sleep and dreams.
Reticular Formation: Controls state of alertness, attention, and arousal.
Reticular Activating System (RAS): Located inside the brainstem/reticular formation; part of the brain's reward center and relies on Dopamine.
Cerebellum ("Little Brain"): Two wrinkled halves on each side of the brainstem. Coordinates voluntary/natural movement (with the pons), balance, and muscle memory.

The brain's emotional center.

Hippocampus: Crucial for learning, memory processing, and converting short-term memories to long-term memories.
- Key Detail: Memories are not stored here; they are routed through the hippocampus to appropriate storage areas.
Amygdala: Responsible for experiencing fear and aggression. Triggers fight-or-flight responses by sending signals to areas like the hypothalamus.
Thalamus: "Sensory switchboard" (like air traffic control or mail sorting). Receives all sensory information except smell and directs it to the cerebral cortex.
Hypothalamus: Maintains internal body regulation (homeostasis) and acts as the bridge between the nervous and endocrine systems. Regulates sympathetic/parasympathetic NS, hunger, thirst, body temperature, and the sexual response cycle.
Pituitary Gland: Known as the "master gland" (controlled by the hypothalamus). Releases hormones regulating growth, development, hunger, and other endocrine glands.

The brain operates contralaterally (left controls right, right controls left).

Left Hemisphere PDF	Right Hemisphere PDF
Controls Right side of body	Controls Left side of body
Speech production (Broca’s Area)	Facial recognition
Language comprehension (Wernicke’s Area)	Spatial reasoning (2D/3D)
Logic & analytical reasoning ("interpreter")	Expressing & processing emotions, Art/Music

Bundle of neural fibers connecting the left and right hemispheres, allowing them to communicate.
Split-Brain Research (Michael Gazzaniga): Cut to treat severe epilepsy.
- HEART Study Example: If "HE" flashes on the left visual field and "ART" on the right visual field:
  - Saying the word: Patient says "ART" (processed in the left hemisphere, which controls speech).
  - Writing with left hand: Patient writes "HE" (processed in the right hemisphere, which controls the left hand).

The outer protective layer of the cerebrum. Contains 4 lobes separated by folds/folds:

Frontal Lobes: Located behind the forehead.
- Functions: Higher-order thinking, linguistic processing/speech, decision-making, planning, and problem-solving (executive functioning in the prefrontal cortex).
Parietal Lobes: Located at the top rear (crown).
- Functions: Spatial/body awareness and processing touch, pain, and temperature.
Occipital Lobes: Located at the rear of the brain.
- Functions: Visual information processing; contains the primary visual cortex.
Temporal Lobes: Located on the sides above the ears.
- Functions: Auditory and linguistic processing.
- Right side enables facial recognition; Left side handles language comprehension.

Motor Cortex: Located at the rear of the frontal lobes. Controls purposeful, voluntary skeletal movements.
Somatosensory Cortex: Located at the front of the parietal lobes. Processes touch sensitivity.
The Homunculus: A visual representation showing that body parts requiring finer control or higher sensitivity (e.g., fingertips, lips, tongue) take up larger dedicated areas on both cortices.
Association Areas: Areas of the cortex not directly tied to primary motor or sensory functions. They interpret, integrate, and act on sensory information.

Broca's Area (Left Frontal Lobe): Speech production and articulation.
Wernicke's Area (Left Temporal Lobe): Language comprehension and meaning.
Angular Gyrus (Left Parietal Lobe): Translates written words into speech sound (enables reading aloud).

Broca's Aphasia (Non-fluent): Difficulty producing speech, though language comprehension and intelligence remain intact.
Wernicke's Aphasia (Fluent): Difficulty comprehending language; speech sounds fluent and natural but lacks meaningful content ("word salad").

The brain's ability to reorganize its structure, functions, or connections throughout life in response to experience or injury.

Structural Plasticity: Physical changes in the brain's structure due to learning, experiences, or memories.
Functional Plasticity: undamaged areas of the brain adapt and take over functions lost from a damaged area (e.g., stroke recovery).
Neurogenesis: The process of growing new neurons.This phenomenon continues throughout life, challenging the long-held belief that new neurons only form during development.