Brain Structures Flashcards
(23 cards)
Hindbrain
Medulla, pons, cerebellum
Midbrain
Colliculi, tegmentum
Forebrain
Limbic system - hippocampus, amygdala
Cortex - frontal, temporal, central, parietal, occipital
What part connects the 2 hemispheres?
Corpus callosum
Ascending tracts in spinal cord
Axon bundles that go up to the brain
Descending tracts in spinal cord
Axon bundles that come down from the brain
Bidirectional tracts in spinal cord
Both ascending and descending
Medulla oblongata
Contains cranial nerves which bring in sensory information
Pons
Bridge of axons between hemispheres
Cerebellum
Control of movement and attention shift
Thalamus
- Delivers sensory information to the cortex
- Involved in attention regulation, combining information from different senses
Hypothalamus
- Regulates hormonal release from pituitary gland
- Involved in motivation, metabolism, hunger and sleep
Hippocampus
Involved in memory formation
Amygdala
Involved in emotion regulation, memory strength, decision making, attention
Cingulate gyrus
- Involved in motivation, learning, decision making
- Connects other parts of limbic system
The cortex
- Divided into hemispheres
- Each side of the brain is controlled by the contralateral side of the brain
Neuron organization (cortex)
- Vertically (dorso-ventrally) into layers
- Horizontally (fronto-parietally) into columns
Major subdivisions
- Frontal (in the front)
- Parietal (in the back)
- Occipital (very back)
- Temporal (at the sides)
Frontal lobe
Involved in cognitive tasks and working memory
Parietal lobe
Involved in proprioception, locating and identifying objects, binding of stimuli
Occipital lobe
Processing visual information
Temporal lobe
- Processing auditory information
- Important in emotion regulation and motivation
Prefrontal cortex
- Posterior portion - movement control
- Middle portion - working memory, cognitive control, emotion
- Anterior portion - decision making
