Parts Of The Brain Flashcards
Neuroplasticity
How the nervous system can change and adapt—most plastic at a young age.
Cerebral cortex
The surface of the brain, very uneven, characterized by a distinctive pattern of folds called gyri and grooves called sulci.
Corpus callosum
A thick band of neutral fibers that connect the 2 hemispheres—consists of about 200 million axons.
Forebrain
Contains the cerebral cortex and a number of other structures that lie beneath the context (subcortical structure)—thalamus, hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and the limbic system.
Frontal lobe
Located in the forward part of the brain, extending back to a fissure known as the central sulcus—involved in planning and coordinating movement.
Prefrontal cortex
Responsible for higher-level cognitive functioning.
Broca’s area
Essential for language production.
Primary motor cortex
In the frontal lobe—strip that runs along the side of the brain that is in charge of voluntary movements.
Parietal lobe
Located immediately behind the frontal lobe and is involved in processing information from the body’s senses.
Somatosensory cortex
Essential for processing sensory information from across the body such as touch, temperature, and pain.
Temporal lobe
Located on the side of the head, associated with hearing, memory, emotion, and even aspects of language.
Auditory cortex
The main area responsible for processing auditory information—location within the temporal lobe.
Wernicke’s area
Important for speech comprehension.
Occipital lobe
Located at the very back of the brain—contains the primary visual cortex which is responsible for interpreting incoming visual information.
Occipital cortex
Organized reinotopically, which mean there is a close relationship between the position of an object in a person’s visual field and the position of an object in a person’s visual field and the position of that object’s representation of the cortex.
