The brain

Question 1

What is the “cortex”?

Answer 1

The cortex is the outermost part of the brain consisting of densely packed neurons.

Question 2

What are the cerebral hemispheres?

Answer 2

Basically the left and right sides of the brain.

Question 3

What/Where are all the lobes?

Answer 3

1. Frontal lobe
   located in the front and top of the brain
   Responsible for higher mental processes, decision making and production of fluent speech.
2. parietal lobe
   Located at the top and back for each cerebral hemisphere
   contains the centers for touch, taste and temperature sensations.
3. occipital lobe
   Located at the back and base of each cerebral hemisphere.
   Contains the vision centers of the brain.
4. temporal lobe
   Located just behind the temples
   containing neurons responsible for the sense of hearing and meaningful speech.

Question 4

Corpus callosum

Answer 4

is a thick band of neurons that connects the right and left cerebral hemispheres

Question 5

sensorimotor cortex

Answer 5

area of neurons running down the front of the parietal lobes.

responsible for processing information from the skin and internal body receptors for touch, temperature, body position, and possible taste.

Question 6

Motor cortex

Answer 6

section of the frontal lobe located at the back.

Responsible for sending motor commands to the muscles of the somatic nervous system.

Question 7

Broca’s area

Answer 7

an association area located in the left frontal lobe

responsible for producing fluent, understandable speech.

Question 8

Wernicke’s area

Answer 8

an association area located in the left temporal lobe,

responsible for the understanding of language.

Question 9

cerebellum

Answer 9

part of the lower brain behind the pons

controls and coordinates involuntary, rapid, fine motor movement.

Question 10

medulla

Answer 10

The first large “swelling” at the top of the spinal cord, forming the lowest part of the brain,

which is responsible for life-sustaining functions such as breathing, swallowing, and heart rate.

Question 11

pons

Answer 11

the larger “swelling” above the medulla

connects the top of the brain to the bottom and that influences sleep, dreaming, left-right body coordination, and arousal.

Question 12

reticular formation

Answer 12

an area of neurons running through the middle of the medulla and the pons and slightly beyond that

controls arousal, alertness, and sleep

Question 13

limbic system

Answer 13

a group of several brain structures located under the cortex
involved in learning, emotion, memory and motivation

includes:
Thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala, cingulate cortex.

Question 14

Thalamus

Answer 14

part of the limbic system located in the center of the brain

this structure processes and relays sensory information to the proper areas of the cortex.

Question 15

Hypothalamus

Answer 15

small structure located below the thalamus and directly above the pituitary gland

responsible for motivational behaviour such as sleep, hunger, thirst and sex

Question 16

Hippocampus

Answer 16

curved structure located within each temporal lobe

responsible for the formation of long-term memories and the storage of memory for the location of objects

Question 17

amygdala

Answer 17

structure located near the hippocampus

responsible for fear responses and memory of fear