The Brain Flashcards
Covers lectures from January 28th and 30th (30 cards)
phrenology
the practice of assessing personality trains and mental abilities by measuring bumps on the human skull
Paul Broca
physician and anatomist that discovered the part of the brain linked to speech production
Broca’s Area
a small portion of the left frontal region of the brain, crucial for the production of language
brain stem
an extension of the spinal chord; it houses structure that control functions associated with survival, such as breathing, swallowing, vomiting, urination and orgasm
cerebellum
large, convoluted protuberance at the back of the brain stem essential for coordinated movement and balance
reticular formation
a network of neurons in the brain stem that projects up into the cerebral cortex and affects general alertness
forebrain
the two cerebral hemispheres that contains the cerebral cortex
subcortical regions
a region that contains the hypothalamus, the thalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala and the basal ganglia
limbic system
the border between the evolutionarily older parts of the brain important for controlling appetitive behaviors such as eating, drinking and emotion
hypothalamus
the brain structure that is involved in the regulation of bodily functions, including body temperature, blood pressure and blood glucose levels and influences basic motivated behaviors
thalamus
the “gateway to the cortex” that receives incoming sensory information before that information reaches the cortex (EXCEPT FOR SMELL!!)
hippocampus
the brain structure that is association with the formation of memories
amygdala
brain structre that serves a vitral role in our learning to assocate things with emotional responses and in processing emotional information
basal ganglia
a system of subcortical structures that are important for the production of planned movement
cerebral cortex
the outer layer of brain tissues, which forms the convoluted surfaces of the brain
occipital lobes
regions of the cerebral cortex, at the back of the brain, important for vision
nucleus accumbens
a structure in the basal ganglia important for experience reward and motivating behavior
cerebral cortex
the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres that gives the brain its distinctive wrinkled appearance. the site all thoughts, details perceptions and complex behaviors
corpus callosum
a massive bridge of millions of axons that connect the hemispheres and allow information flow between the two
parietal lobe
regions of the cerebral cortex- in the front of the occipital lobes and behind the frontal lobes - important for the sense of touch and for conceptualizing the spatial layout of an environment
temporal lobes
regions of the cerebral cortex - below the parietal lobes and in front of the occipital lobes - important for processing auditory information for memory and for object and face perception
frontal lobes
regions of the cerebral cortex - at the front of the brain - important for movement and high-level psychological processes association with the prefrontal cortex
prefrontal cortex
the frontmost portion of the frontal lobes, especially prominent in humans; important for attention, working memory, decisions making, appropriate social behavior and personality
primary motor cortex
the rearmost portion of the frontal lobes that includes neurons that project directly to the spinal cord
