Brain Structures and Functions

Brain Regions for AP Psychology

1. Lobe Regions:

• Frontal Lobe:

  • Involved in:
    • Reasoning
    • Planning
    • Parts of speech
    • Controlling voluntary movements
  • Houses:
    • Motor cortex
    • Broca's area (responsible for producing speech)

• Parietal Lobe:

  • Processes:
    • Touch
    • Pressure
    • Temperature
    • Pain
  • Includes:
    • Somatosensory cortex

• Temporal Lobe:

  • Handles:
    • Auditory information
    • Language comprehension
    • Memory
  • Contains:
    • Auditory cortex
    • Wernicke's area (responsible for understanding language)

• Occipital Lobe:

  • Processes:
    • Visual information

2. Limbic System:

• Amygdala:

  • Plays a key role in processing emotions
    • Particularly fear and aggression

• Hippocampus:

  • Crucial for forming new memories

• Hypothalamus:

  • Regulates:
    • Body temperature
    • Hunger
    • Thirst
    • Other basic functions

3. Brainstem:

• Medulla Oblongata:

  • Controls:
    • Breathing
    • Heart rate

• Pons:

  • Helps regulate:
    • Sleep
    • Arousal

• Reticular Formation:

  • A network of neurons that maintain:
    • Consciousness
    • Alertness

4. Other Key Structures:

• Thalamus:

  • A relay station for sensory information on its way to the cortex.

• Cerebellum:

  • Coordinates:
    • Movement
    • Balance

• Cerebral Cortex:

  • The outer layer of the cerebrum
  • Responsible for:
    • Higher-level cognitive functions

• Broca's Area:

  • Responsible for producing speech.

• Wernicke's Area:

  • Responsible for understanding language.