The Brain!

Brain Anatomy

Brain's Mental Functions

Thoughts

Emotions

Behaviours

Creativity

Analysis

Narration

Cerebrum

Brain Stem

The Cerebral Cortex

Human traits

Higher thought

Language

Human conciousness

Ability to think

Reason and imagine

4 Lobes of Brain

Bump on surface

Gyrus

Each Groove

Sulcus

Frontal Lobe

Occipital Lobe

Parietal Lobe

Temporal Lobe

Front of brain

Reasoning

Motor Skills

Higher level cognition

Expressive language

Damages can lead to changes in...

Sexual habits

Socialization

Attention

Increased risk-taking

Middle section of brain

Processing tactile sensory information

Pressure

Touch

Pain

Somatosensory cortex is located

Essential to the processing of the body's senses

Bottom section of brain

Location of the primary auditory cortex

interpret sounds

Language we hear

Hippicampus

formation of memories

Damage can lead to problems with ....

memory

Speech perception

Language skills

Back portion of brain

Interpreting visual stimuli and information

Primary visual vortex

receives and interprets information fro the retinas of eyes.

Damages

Visual problems

identify colours

recognizing objects

recognizing words

Corpus Callosum

Not a lobe, connects two halves of brain together

allows communication of.. b/w both sides of the brain

motor

sensory

cognitive information

Midbrain

Pons

Medulla

smallest region of brain

controls

visual and auditory systems

eye movement

Portions of midbrain called

red nucleus

substantia nigra

contains large # of dopamine-producing neurons

degeneration of neurons is associated with Parkinson's disease

connects cerebral cortex to the medulla, to the cerebellum, and serves a # of important functions...

autonomic functions

stimulating breathing

controlling sleep cycles

Located directly above spinal cord

controls vital autonomic functions

heart rate

breathing

blood pressure

Cerebellum "Little Brain"

Lie on top of the pons behind the brain stem

composed of small lobes

receives information from

the balance system of the inner ear

sensory nerves

auditory and visual systems

involved in coordination of movements & motor learning

10 % of brain's total size

accounts for more than 50 % of total # of neurons located in brain

serves to modify signals and make motor movements accurate and useful

Helps control...

posture

balance

coordination of voluntary movements

plays essential role in motor control and speech

touch, vision, hearing, speech, reasoning, emotions, learning & fine control movements

Hypothalamus

grouping of nuclei that lie along the base of the brain near the pituitary gland

responsible for controlling...

hunger, thirst, emotions, body temp regulation, circadian rhythms

also pituitary gland by secreting hormones

Thalamus

Located above brain stem

Processes and transmits movement and sensory information

'relay station'

take sensory information and pass it on the cerebral cortex

cerebral cortex also sends information to the thalamus

Limbic System

there is no totally agreed upon list of the structures that make up the limbic system

four main regions

The amygdala

The hippocampus

Regions of the limbic cortex

The septal area

These structures form connections between the limbic system and the hypothalamus, thalamus and cerebral cortex

central in the control of emotional responses.

Basal Ganglia

large group of nuclei that partially surround the thalamus

important in the control of movement

red nucleus and substantia nigra of the midbrain have connections with the basal ganglia