Lecture 12

Question 1

Describe the different areas of the brain

Answer 1

Forebrain (cerebrum and diencephalon [hypothalamus, thalamus, pituitary gland]) brainstem (midbrain, medulla oblongata, pons) and cerebellum and corpus callosum

Question 2

Describe the functions of the brain stem areas

Answer 2

medulla oblongata: regulates involuntary actions (vomiting, swallowing, breathing), has the pyramids where crossover of corticospinal tracts occurs

pons: relay station, some breathing control
midbrain: networks for hearing, eye movement

Question 3

Describe the 12 cranial nerves and their function

Answer 3

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Olfactory (sensory from nose)
Optic (sensory from visual system)
Oculomotor (controls eye movements, lens shape)
Trochlear (eye movements)
Trigeminal (sensory from face, mouth, control chewing)
Abducens (eye movements)
Facial (sensory from taste, control facial expressions, salivary/tear glands)
Vestibulocochlear (hearing and equilibrium)
Glossopharyngeal (sensory from oral cavity, control swallowing)
Vagus (sensory and efferents to internal organs, muscles, glands)
Spinal Accessory (muscles in the oral cavity, some in the neck/shoulders)
Hypoglossal (tongue muscles)

Question 4

What is the term for bumps and grooves in the brain

Answer 4

bumps = gyrus
grooves = sulcus

Question 5

What do the basal ganglia do?

Answer 5

control of movement, eye movement, cognitive function

Question 6

list the lobes and association areas

Answer 6

taste = gustatory cortex
smell = olfactory cortex
vision = occipital lobe (visual cortex, visual association area)
movement = frontal lobe (prefrontal cortex, primary motor cortex, motor association area)
sensory = parietal lobe (primary somatic sensory cortex, sensory association area)
hearing = temporal lobe (auditory cortex, auditory association area)

Question 7

What is the purpose and breakdown of the limbic system

Answer 7

cingulate gyrus = emotion
hippocampus = learning, memory
amygdala = memory, emotion

Question 8

What do the different parts of the diencephalon do?

Answer 8

thalamus = integrate, relay information
hypothalamus = homeostatic effects
pituitary gland = anterior: secrete hormones, posterior: secrete neurohormones made in the hypothalamus
pineal gland = secrete melatonin

Question 9

What are the 8 functions of the hypothalamus

Answer 9

activate sympathetic nervous system
regulate temperature
control osmolarity
control reproductive function
control food uptake
influence behaviour/emotion
influence cardiovascular activity
secrete trophic hormones

Question 10

What is the function of the cerebellum

Answer 10

comparator: adapt body/eye movements, motor learning, control of movement/posture
outputs to cortex and spinal cord

Question 11

How can our behaviour be modulated?

Answer 11

by the reticular formation: array of neurons in the brainstem projecting into the brain
4 different systems
1) Noradrenergic = arousal, circadian rhythm, attention, anxiety
2) Serotonergic = emotion, circadian rhythm, locomotion, pain
3) Dopaminergic = reward, motor control
4) Cholinergic = circadian rhythm, arousal, sensory information

Question 12

What are the different types of memory?

Answer 12

Associative (associate stimulus with response) or non-associative (change in response to repeated exposure to a stimulus)

Short term (working) vs long term (implicit or declarative)
Implicit memory is innate, recall unconscious, demonstrated physically, learned through repetition
Declarative requires conscious recall, expressed verbally,

Question 13

How does language work in our brain

Answer 13

Wernicke’s area: recognition of speech (receptive aphasia)

Broca’s area: decision to respond and verbalize (expressive aphasia)