Unit 1.4: The Brain

Question 1

Hindbrain

Answer 1

Lowest part of the brain; includes the spinal cord, brain stem, cerebellum; responsible for autonomic functions and coordination.

Question 2

Spinal Cord

Answer 2

Connects the brain to the body; an “information highway” for neural signals.

Question 3

Brain Stem

Answer 3

Located above the spinal cord; includes the medulla, pons, and midbrain; controls vital autonomic functions.

Question 4

Medulla Oblongata

Answer 4

Controls cardiovascular and respiratory systems; located above spinal cord, below pons.

Question 5

Pons

Answer 5

Bridge between different brain regions; helps with movement coordination, sleep, and dreaming.

Question 6

Reticular Activating System

Answer 6

Part of the reticular formation; regulates arousal, alertness, and sleep-wake cycles.

Question 7

Cerebellum

Answer 7

“Little brain” behind pons; coordinates voluntary movement, posture, balance, and motor skills.

Question 8

Midbrain

Answer 8

Middle brain region; processes visual/auditory info and coordinates sensory-motor pathways.

Question 9

Forebrain

Answer 9

Largest/topmost brain region; handles complex thought, emotions, and sensory processing.

Question 10

Cerebrum

Answer 10

Largest part of the forebrain; responsible for thought and action; divided into hemispheres and lobes.

Question 11

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 11

Thin outer gray matter layer of the cerebrum; involved in complex thinking and processing.

Question 12

Corpus Callosum

Answer 12

Band of nerve fibers connecting the two hemispheres; allows communication between them.

Question 13

Frontal Lobe

Answer 13

Behind the forehead; involved in decision-making, planning, and voluntary movement.

Question 14

Prefrontal Cortex

Answer 14

Part of the frontal lobe; handles judgment, foresight, speech, and complex thought.

Question 15

Motor Cortex

Answer 15

Controls voluntary movements; located at back of frontal lobe.

Question 16

Broca’s Area

Answer 16

In the left frontal lobe; responsible for language production; damage causes Broca’s aphasia.

Question 17

Parietal Lobe

Answer 17

Upper back area of the brain; processes touch, temperature, spatial awareness.

Question 18

Somatosensory Cortex

Answer 18

Behind motor cortex; processes touch, pressure, temperature, and body position.

Question 19

Temporal Lobe

Answer 19

Located above the ears; processes sound, language, face recognition, and memory.

Question 20

Hippocampus

Answer 20

Located in temporal lobe; crucial for learning and forming memories.

Question 21

Amygdala

Answer 21

At the ends of the hippocampus; regulates fear, aggression, and emotional responses.

Question 22

Auditory Cortex

Answer 22

Processes sound; located in the superior temporal gyrus.

Question 23

Wernicke’s Area

Answer 23

In the left temporal lobe; creates meaningful speech; damage causes Wernicke’s aphasia.

Question 24

Occipital Lobe

Answer 24

Back of the brain; processes visual information.

Question 25

Primary Visual Cortex

Answer 25

Located in occipital lobe; receives and processes input from eyes.

Question 26

Thalamus

Answer 26

Sensory relay station; sends sensory data (except smell) to the cerebral cortex.

Question 27

Limbic System

Answer 27

Emotional center of the brain; includes amygdala, hippocampus, thalamus, hypothalamus.

Question 28

Hypothalamus

Answer 28

Regulates hunger, thirst, temperature, sex drive; maintains homeostasis.

Question 29

Pituitary Gland

Answer 29

“Master gland”; releases hormones that influence other endocrine glands.

Question 30

Brain Lateralization

Answer 30

Specialization of brain hemispheres for different tasks (e.g., language vs. spatial skills).

Question 31

Contralateral Organization

Answer 31

Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body.

Question 32

Motor Homunculus

Answer 32

Visual representation of how much brain area is dedicated to each body part for movement.

Question 33

Sensory Homunculus

Answer 33

Representation of body areas in the sensory cortex based on sensory input.

Question 34

Phineas Gage

Answer 34

Railroad worker with frontal lobe damage; showed personality change, illustrating brain region functions.

Question 35

Split-Brain Procedure

Answer 35

Cutting the corpus callosum to treat epilepsy; used to study hemisphere specialization.

Question 36

Lesion Studies

Answer 36

Damaging specific brain areas to study function.

Question 37

Autopsy

Answer 37

Examination of a body after death to determine cause and study disease.

Question 38

Neuroplasticity

Answer 38

Brain’s ability to reorganize and form new neural connections.

Question 39

EEG (Electroencephalogram)

Answer 39

Records electrical activity in the brain; useful for sleep/seizure research.

Question 40

fMRI (Functional MRI)

Answer 40

Shows brain activity by measuring blood flow; more detailed than PET scans.