PLTW unit 2 notes

Hindbrain


  • Cerebellum: The part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates. Its function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity.  (Pronounced sair-uh-BELL-um)

  • brain stem: The center trunk of the brain that continues downward to form the spinal cord, it is responsible for many vital functions of life, such as breathing, consciousness, blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep.


Forebrain

Cerebrum: The most anterior part of the brain, located in the front area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right. It is responsible for the integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary activity in the body.  (pronounced suh-REE-brum)


  • cerebral hemisphere (L/R): The two halves of the cerebrum part of the brain. (Pronounced suh-REE-bral hem-i-spheres)


  • corpus callosum: A broad band of nerves that connects the left and right hemispheres of the cerebrum. (Pronounced corp-us cal-lo-sum)

  • frontal lobes: The frontal lobes play a large role in your behavior and personality, such as planning, voluntary muscle movements, mood, emotions, social interactions, and attention, and are also involved in memory retrieval and storage.

  • Motor cortex: The part of the brain where nerve impulses initiate voluntary muscular activity.area of your brain that’s responsible for the voluntary control of your skeletal muscles, the muscles we can move and control.


  • Parietal lobes: Responsible for sensing touch, spatial processing (being able to tell where objects are in space), language, and memory.  (Pronounced par-EYE-it-al)The parietal lobes are responsible for sensing touch, spatial processing (being able to tell where objects are in space), language, and memory.

    • Sensory cortex: Within the parietal lobes is the sensory cortex, which is responsible for the conscious perception of touch, pressure, vibration, pain, temperature, and taste.


  • occipital lobes: Primarily responsible for visual perception and are involved in some forms of visual, short-term memory. (Pronounced OX-SIP-it-al)

    • visual cortex: The part of the cerebral cortex that receives and processes sensory nerve input from the eyes.

    • Optic nerve: A pair of nerves transmitting input signals to the brain from the retina at the back of the eye; carry signals from the eyes to the optic chiasm


  • Optic chiasm: The X-shaped structure formed at the point below the brain where the two optic nerves cross over each other; the location where the two optic nerves cross to the opposite sides of the brain. The signals are then transmitted to the visual cortex in the occipital lobes.


  • Temporal lobes: responsible for processing smell and sound, as well as the ability to recognize and understand words and language. They are also involved in visual memory.

    • Auditory cortex: The part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory input signals.

    • Olfactory bulbs: The structure in the front of the brain responsible for receiving and processing smells.

    • Olfactory tract: The nerve fibers that connect the olfactory bulbs to the temporal lobes.


  • Thalamus: Either of two masses of gray matter lying between the cerebral hemispheres, relaying sensory information and acting as a center for pain perception; The thalamus carries messages from the sensory organs, like the eyes, ears, nose, and fingers, to the cerebrum.

  • Hypothalamus: A region of the brain below the thalamus that coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity; The hypothalamus controls body temperature, thirst, appetite, sleep patterns, and other processes in our bodies that happen automatically. It also controls the pituitary gland

  • Pituitary gland: A tiny organ that serves as the primary gland for the body, producing several hormones and activating other glands to produce hormones.





Other


Conscious: Having knowledge of and being aware

Gray matter: a type of tissue in your brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) that plays a crucial role in allowing you to function normally from day to day. It consists of high concentrations of neuronal bodies, axon terminals (endings) and dendrites.


White Matter:White matter is made up of a large network of nerve fibers (axons) in your brain that allows the exchange of information and communication between different areas of your brain.

WM/vs/GM: The grey matter creates a hornlike structure throughout the inside of the spinal cord while the white matter makes up the surrounding sections of the spinal cord. The grey matter does extend to the spinal cord to make signaling more effective.