Brain Stem

Connection to spinal cord. Filters information flow between peripheral nervous system and the rest of the brain.

Medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

reticular activating system

Located in the upper brain stem; responsible for maintenance of consciousness, specifically one's level of arousal.

Reward Center

An area of the hypothalamus that, when stimulated, provides pleasure to the organism

Cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance

Cerebral Cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

Limbic System

neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives

Thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

Hypothalamus

A neural structure lying below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Pituitary Gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

Hippocampus

A neural center located in the limbic system that helps process explicit memories for storage.

Amygdala

A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and aggression.

Corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

Occipital lobes

regions of the cerebral cortex - at the back of the brain - important for vision

temporal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear

parietal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

frontal lobes

the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

linguistic processing

Using knowledge of meanings of words, grammar, rules of language to put together an utterance. • Generate verbal symbols • Symbols organized according to the rules of language

prefrontal cortex

part of frontal lobe responsible for thinking, planning, and language

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

split brain research

-study of patients with severed corpus callosum
-involves sending messages to only one side of the brain
-demonstrates right and left brain specialization

Broca's area

Controls language expression - an area of the frontal lobe, usually in the left hemisphere, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech.

Wernicke's area

controls language reception - a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

EEG

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

fMRI

A technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.