Chapter 1: Brain Basics

Question 1

What is the brain referred to?

Answer 1

The ‘Nerve Center” of the body

Question 2

Why can your brain multitask?

Answer 2

It is split into many distinct regions specialized for specific tasks and abilities.

Question 3

What’s the largest part of the human brain?

Answer 3

The Cerebrum

Question 4

How is the cerebrum divided?

Answer 4

Into two large, seperate hemispheres with one on the left and one on the right

Question 5

How are the sides of the cerebrum connected?

Answer 5

Bundles of nerve fibers that carry information from one side of the brain to the other.

Question 6

What is the largest group of things that connects the sides of the cerebrum called?

Answer 6

The largest of these bundles forms a bridge between the cerebral hemispheres and is called the corpus callosum

Question 7

What is the surface of the cerebrum and what is it called?

Answer 7

The surface of the cerebrum is a deeply folded layer of nerve tissue called the cerebral cortex

Question 8

What does the surface of the cerebral cortex have that creates space for more neurons? What does that do?

Answer 8

Deep folds that increase the area of the cerebral cortex; Increase the brain’s processing power

Question 9

What are the 4 lobes?

Answer 9

The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes

Question 10

Where are the frontal lobes?

Answer 10

In the front of the brain, immediately above the eyes

Question 11

What are all the things the frontal lobe is responsible for?

Answer 11

Voluntary movements, speech, memory, emotion, planning, problem-solving, decision making, attention, and many aspects of personality

Question 12

Where are the parietal lobes located?

Answer 12

They are located at the top of the brain immediately behind the frontal lobes

Question 13

What are all the things the parietal lobe is responsible for?

Answer 13

Integrate sensory signals from the skin, process taste, and process some types of visual information

Question 14

Where are the occipital lobes located?

Answer 14

The back of the brain

Question 15

What are all the things the occibital lobe is responsible for?

Answer 15

Process visual information, recognizing colors and shapes and integrating them into complex visual understanding

Question 16

Where are the temporal lobes located?

Answer 16

On the sides of the brain, at and below the levels of the eye

Question 17

What are all the things the temporal lobe is responsible for?

Answer 17

Some visual processing, interpret auditory information, and is associated with language, memory, and emotion

Question 18

What consists of curved structures beneath the cerebral cortex? Where is it? What does it encode?

Answer 18

The hippocampus, region of the temporal lobes; encodes new memories

Question 19

What’s another deep structure within the temporal lobes? What does it do?

Answer 19

The amygdala; integrates memory and emotion

Question 20

What are the hippocampus and amygdala a part of? What is it?

Answer 20

The limbic system: a group of structures deep within the brain that help regulate our emotion and motivation

Question 21

What are other parts of the limbic system?

Answer 21

Thalamus and Hypothalamus

Question 22

What does the thalamus do?

Answer 22

Integrates sensory information and relays it to other parts of the brain

Question 23

What does the hypothalamus do?

Answer 23

Sends hormonal signals to the rest of the body through the pituitary gland

Question 24

What do these structures plus the cerebral cortex make up?

Answer 24

The forebrain

Question 25

Where is the midbrain located?

Answer 25

Beneath the thalamus

Question 26

What are the functions of the midbrain?

Answer 26

Includes distinct groups of neurons that coordinate eye movements like blinking and focusing, trigger reflexes to sounds, inhibit unwanted body movements, coordinate sensory input and motor output to manage fine motor control

Question 27

What is a collection of structures that helps regulate complex body movements called?

Answer 27

Basal Ganglia

Question 28

What does the hindbrain play roles in?

Answer 28

Glucose regulation, sleep, and includes several regions that help control movement

Question 29

Where is the cerebellum?

Answer 29

Underneath the occipital lobe at the very back of the brain

Question 30

What distinct characteristics does the cerebellum have?

Answer 30

Second largest part of the brain in volume and houses over half the brains neurons

Question 31

How is the cerebellum similar to the cerebrum?

Answer 31

Deeply folded and divided into two hemispheres

Question 32

What functions does the cerebellum have?

Answer 32

coordinates voluntary movements, helps the brain learn new motor skills, has roles in spatial and temporal perception

Question 33

What conditions might a person with cerebellar damage have?

Answer 33

A jerky, arrhythmic gait( or might be unable to accurately touch his finger to his nose

Question 34

What's below the cerebellum? What does it do?

Answer 34

The pons; Influences breathing and posture

Question 35

What is another part of the hindbrain? What does it do?

Answer 35

Medulla; Carries nerve pathways connecting the brain to the spinal cord, contains neural networks that help control basic functions like swallowing, heart rate, and breathing

Question 36

What did our complex human brain evolve from?

Answer 36

A simple tube

Question 37

What did early vertebrate have brains a lot like? What did it look like?

Answer 37

The modern lancelet: Amphioxus; little more than a wide spot in the hollow nerve cord running down its back

Question 38

What did the human brain start as in early development?

Answer 38

A simple tube

Question 39

What did the brain end of the nerve cord develop in early vertebrates? What did the become?

Answer 39

Three bulges were formed as neurons were added which became the forebrain, the midbrain, and the hindbrain

Question 40

What region expanded in the forebrain of early vertebrates? What did it do?

Answer 40

The region able to detect chemicals expanded to form olfactory bulbs

Question 41

What allowed light sensing regions to expand and begin processing more complex visual signals?

Answer 41

Image producing eyes

Question 42

What appeared as the hindbrain? What did it expand?

Answer 42

The cerebellum; the regions that control escape movements and orient the body in space

Question 43

How did the cerebral hemisphere form?

Answer 43

New types of neurons the processed a variety of information caused the forebrain to balloon out

Question 44

What tissue expanded even further to pack new neurons into layers and folds for more processing power? Where?

Answer 44

Cortical tissue in the cerebrum and cerebellum

Question 45

How does information move from one region of your brain to another?

Answer 45

Chains of neurons that can transmit signals over long distances.