Brain strucutre Flashcards
8 parts of the brain
- spinal cord
- medulla
- pons
- cerebellum
- midbrain
- thalamus
- basal ganglia
- cerebral cortex
3 parts of the brain stem
1.medulla
2.pons
3.cerebellum
what is the medulla
The lower half of the brainstem – right on top of the spinal cord. Controls very basic motor functions:
1.cardiac – central chemoreceptors sense oxygen levels in brain and alter heart rate & blood pressure.
2.respiration – chemoreceptors sense changes in blood chemistry and increase breathing rate.
3.reflexes - vomiting, coughing, sneezing, and swallowing
what is the pons
Contains nuclei that relay signals from the forebrain to the cerebellum. functions:
1.nuclei that deal primarily with sleep, respiration,
2.swallowing
3.bladder control
4.hearing
5.equilibrium, taste, eye movement, facial expressions, facial sensation, and posture.
what are the functions of the cerebellum
1.maintenance of balance and posture.
2.coordination of movements. 3.especially cross multiple joints.
4.motor learning
what are the functions of the mid brain
1.tectum controls rapid orientation of the head and neck:
superior colliculus – vision.
inferior colliculus – sound.
2.associated sleep and wake cycles, alertness, and temperature regulation
what are the function of the thalamus
1.acts as a switchboard.
2.takes information from the periphery and passes it to the cortex.
NB – hypothalamus:
1.hormones
2.metabolic control - e.g. * hunger * body temperature
what are the functions of the
basal ganglia
a series of interconnected nuclei. functions:
1.movement regulation
2.skill learning
3.habit formation
4.reward systems
5.selection of appropriate behaviors
6.self-initiation of behaviors
what are the functions of Cerebral Cortex
1.movement
2.attention
3.perception
4.awareness
5.thought
6.memory
7.language
8.consciousness.
