Brain Parts and Their Functions Flashcards
(16 cards)
Hippocampus
Seahorse-shaped neural structure; explicits conscious memory
Amygdala
Two bean-sized neural clusters; emotions
Hypothalamus
Neural system below the thalamus; directs maintenance activities; helps guide the endocrine system via the pituitary gland; emotion and reward
The Limbic System
Neural system located below the cerebral hemispheres
Regulates emotions and drives
Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and the limbic system
Cerebral Cortex
Ultimate control and information-processing center of the body
Cerebral Hemispheres
Cerebral Hemispheres
Paired and covered with intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells
Cortex of each hemisphere is divided into four lobes separated by fissures
The Lobes
Frontal-speaking, movement, executive function
Parietal-touch and body position
Occipital-visual
Temporal-auditory from opposite ear
Motor Cortex
Rear of frontal lobes; controls voluntary movements
Somatosensory Cortex
Receives incoming messages from skin senses and movement of body parts
In front of parietal lobes, parallel to and behind motor cortex
Auditory Cortex
Receives information from ears; circuitous route from one ear to the auditory receiving area above the other ear; in temporal lobes
Corpus Callosum
Is severed in surgery in rare and severe cases of seizures; stops seizures but ends in eyes “not communicating”
Prefrontal Cortex
Enables judgment, planning, social interactions, and new memory processing; can alter personality and inhibitions when damaged; disconnects moral behavior from behavior (Frontal lobe houses prefrontal cortex)
Parietal Lobes
Enables math and spatial reasoning
Right temporal lobe underside:
Enables face recognition
The cocktail-party effect (sub category of Selective Attention)
Tuning in one message while filtering out others nearby
Selective Inattention
Inattentional blindness (Example: Gorilla in the basketball game)
Change blindness (Example: Giving directions to pedestrian(s))
