Chapter 6- interaction between cognitive processes of the Brain and its Structure

Question 1

Midbrain

Answer 1

Connects the hindbrain with the forebrain and controls arousal levels, attention and consciousness; essentially comprises the reticular activating system (RAS)

Question 2

Forebrain

Answer 2

Part of the brain responsible for higher order thinking processes, includes cerebral hemispheres

• problem-solving
• planning
• memory
• language
• emotions
• body movement
• upper level structures

Question 3

Spinal cord

Answer 3

The bundle of nerve fibres connecting the brain with the peripheral nervous system.

• relays info between brain and body
• some simple reflexes

Question 4

Hypothalamus

Answer 4

Structure in the forebrain that plays a major role in controlling emotion and motivated behaviours.

• Regulates emotions and ‘instinctive’ drives
• eating, sexual activities

Question 5

Brain stem

Answer 5

• connects brain to the spinal cord

- Regulates reflex survival responses

Question 6

Pons

Answer 6

• Responsible for sleep and arousal

- controls movement, breathing, sleeping, dreams and waking

Question 7

Cerebellum

Answer 7

• perception and cognition, balance and fine muscle control

Question 8

Medula

Answer 8

• Heartbeat, breathing and other vital bodily functions

Question 9

Cerebral cortex

Answer 9

• outer layer of brain

- higher mental processes and complex behaviours

Question 10

Corpus callosum

Answer 10

• thick band of 200 million nerve fibres
• connects left and right hemispheres of cerebral cortex
• enables communication, so information to pass through hemispheres

Question 11

Limbic system

Answer 11

• hippocampus

- amygdala

Question 12

Hippocampus

Answer 12

• in medial temporal lobe
• finger sized curved structure
• long-term memory and spatial orientation
• transfer memories to other parts of the brain for storage

Question 13

Amygdala

Answer 13

• in medial temporal lobe
• almond shaped structure
• responsible for aggression and fear
• emotional memory
• implicit learning
• initiating and processing emotional responses and forming emotional memories

Question 14

Hindbrain

Answer 14

The primitive parts of the brain, comprising the cerebellum, pons and medulla, adjoining to the spinal cord.
- important for movement and balance

Question 15

Central Nervous System

Answer 15

• brain and spinal cord
• brain is able to communicate to rest of the body with the spinal cord
• conveys messages between brain and peripheral NS

Question 16

Peripheral NS

Answer 16

• communication from body’s organs, glands and muscles to the CNS
• including info from outside world (sensory neurons) and from inside world (pains)
• communication from CNS to body’s organs, glands and muscles via motor neurons
• two sub divisions Somatic NS and Aotonomic NS

Question 17

Motor neurons (nerves)

Answer 17

• neurons that communicate messages from CNS to particular muscles that organism intents to move
• also known as efferent neurons
• in Somatic NS

Question 18

Sensory Neurons (nerves)

Answer 18

• a neuron that carries info from body and outside world into CNS
• in Somatic NS

Question 19

Somatic NS

Answer 19

• responsible for voluntary movement of Skeletal muscles.
• motor neurons communicate from CNS to muscles intended to move
• interaction with environment

Question 20

Autonomic NS

Answer 20

• responsible for communication of info between CNS and body’s non skeletal muscles
• and interaction with internal organs and glands
• operates without voluntary control or conscious awareness

Question 21

Fight, flight or freeze response

Answer 21

• sympathetic NS emergency system
• active when organism perceives danger or in time of stress
• readies body for action eg running away, fighting the threat or remaining

Question 22

Homeostasis

Answer 22

• Normal bodily functions
• relatively calm
• parasympathetic NS maintains body’s metabolic balance durning times of low arousal and no threat

Question 23

Parasympathetic NS

Answer 23

• branch of Autonomic NS
• responsible for maintaining day to day functioning
• responsible for most automatic functions of the body
• digestion, heart rate, breathing etc
• homeostasis

Question 24

Sympathetic NS

Answer 24

• branch of autonomic NS

- activates flight, fight or freeze response

Question 25

Sympathetic NS actions

Answer 25

Edit

Question 26

Temporal lobe

Answer 26

- mainly responsible for processing auditory info (sensations received from ears) - Primary auditory cortex in upper part of temporal lobe - performs complex auditory analysis for understanding sound - if electronically stimulated will report hearing sounds even if not there - directly connected to the hippocampus - vital for encoding info into long term memory

Question 27

Frontal lobe

Answer 27

- largest - initiating movement - language - planning - judgement - problem solving - aspects of personality and emotions - left frontal lobe (Broca's area) responsible for production of speech - much of frontal lobe is association area - this part is responsible for cognitive processes eg. Attention, planning, problem solving, aspects of personality - includes the primary motor cortex in both hemispheres

Question 28

Parietal lobe

Answer 28

- enables a person to perceive their own body and where things are located in their environment - location of the primary somatosensory cortex - right hemisphere enables person to perceive three-dimensional shapes and designs - left hemisphere has a role in reading, writing and performing mental arithmetic

Question 29

Occipital lobe

Answer 29

- entirely concerned with vision - info from the left of each retina is processed in the left occipital lobe, also true for right -

Question 30

Longitudinal fissure

Answer 30

Deep grove running from front to rear of cortex

Question 31

Primary visual cortex

Answer 31

- in occipital lobes | - processes info from the eye

Question 32

Primary auditory contex

Answer 32

- in upper part of temporal lobes | - receives sound from ears

Question 33

Primary somatosensory cortex

Answer 33

- in front of each parietal lobe - processes sensations - touch, pressure, pain from body , temp

Question 34

Primary motor cortex

Answer 34

- rear of each frontal lobe - next to the central fissure - apart of the frontal lobe responsible for movement of skeletal muscles of the body - left primary motor correct responsible for the right hand side movement.

Question 35

Wernicke's area

Answer 35

- in left temporal lobe - responsible for language reception - and interpretation and creation of grammatically correct speech

Question 36

Broca's area

Answer 36

- speech production center of the brain | - in left front lobe

Question 37

Hemispheric specialisation

Answer 37

- Functions are contralateralised, some lateralised | - hemisphere able to communicate and work together

Question 38

Association areas

Answer 38

Involved in the integration of the information between motor and sensory areas and higher-order mental processes

Question 39

Gyri

Answer 39

The bulges on the brain containing enormous no. of neurons and blood vessels