The Brain Flashcards
(34 cards)
What is the function of the cerebrum?
Responsible for all voluntary behaviour, memory, personality, learning and reasoning.
What is the function of the cerebellum?
Controls muscle coordination and non-voluntary movement (e.g. balance, posture).
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Control centre for autonomic nervous system.
Responsible for hormone production, regulation of water potential of body fluids and control of behavioural patterns.
Links nervous system and endocrine systems.
What is the function of the medulla oblongata?
Regulates autonomic activities such as ventilation, heart rate and peristalsis.
What are the meninges?
The membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord.
What is inflammation of the meninges known as?
Meningitis
Name the fluid that fills the four ventricles of the brain. What is its function?
Cerebrospinal fluid.
Supplies oxygen and nutrients to the neurones.
Describe the three main regions of the brain.
Hindbrain - medulla oblongata and cerebrum.
Midbrain - nerve fibres that connect forebrain and midbrain.
Forebrain - hypothalamus, thalamus and cerebrum.
What is the thalamus?
Small structure located above the brainstem.
Sends and receives information to and from the cerebral cortex.
What is the role of the hippocampus?
It’s involved in learning, memory, reasoning and personality.
What do the thalamus, hypothalamus and hippocampus constitute?
The limbic system.
Name two main divisions of the autonomic nervous system.
Sympathetic & Parasympathetic.
Act antagonistically to regulate response of effectors, e.g heart rate.
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Branch of the motor nervous system.
Carries nerve impulses to muscles and glands.
Controls involuntary activities.
Describe the sympathetic nervous system.
Usually stimulates effectors (coordinates fight or flight response).
Neurotransmitter noradrenaline.
Ganglia are located near CNS.
Describe the parasympathetic nervous system.
Usually inhibits effectors (coordinates rest and digest response).
Neurotransmitter acetylcholine.
Ganglia located far from CNS.
Describe the structure of the cerebrum.
Largest region of the brain, consisting of two hemispheres.
Hemispheres connected by a bundle of nerve fibres, the corpus callosum.
Thin outer covering, the cerebral cortex.
Describe the structure and function of the cerebral cortex.
Highly folded layer of nerve cell bodies (grey matter).
Responsible for most conscious thoughts and actions.
Compare grey and white matter.
Grey matter - darker tissue of the CNS which lies centrally and consists of relay and motor neurone cell bodies.
White matter - lighter tissue of the CNS which surrounds grey matter and consists of myelinated axons.
Name the four cerebral lobes and state their function.
Frontal lobe - involved in planning, decision making, problem solving, emotions, speech and movement.
Parietal lobe - processes sensory information and is concerned with orientation, movement, sensation and aspects of memory and recognition.
Occipital lobe - visual processing centre.
Temporal lobe - language, learning and memory.
State the three divisions of the cerebral cortex.
Sensory, motor and association areas.
What are sensory areas?
Areas of the brain that receive and process sensory information from receptors in the body.
What are motor areas?
Areas of the brain involved in the control of voluntary movements.
They send nerve impulses to effectors on the opposite side of the body via motor neurones.
What are association areas?
Regions that receive information from sensory areas and relate this information to previous experiences.
They initiate responses, sending impulses to the appropriate motor areas.
Describe the relationship between the nerve supply of a body part and the size of the corresponding area of the cerebrum.
Positive relationship.
