Limbic System
This brain part acts like a “secretary,” sending sensory information to the correct part of the brain.
Thalamus
This part of the brain stem controls vital life functions such as heartbeat and breathing.
Medulla
Damage to this lobe can cause personality changes or poor judgment.
Frontal Lobe
A football player has trouble balancing and walking after a concussion.
Cerebellum
A woman struggles to regulate her sleep cycle after brain injury.
Pons
This limbic system structure helps convert new information into long-term memories.
Hippocampus
This brain stem part helps regulate sleep and breathing.
Pons
Injury to this part can lead to inability to form new memories.
Hippocampus
A patient’s heart and breathing stop when this brain part is damaged.
Medulla
A man experiences chronic pain but no visible injury.
Midbrain
This brain structure maintains homeostasis and controls hunger, thirst, and temperature.
Hypothalamus
This structure transmits visual and auditory information and plays a role in pain perception.
Midbrain
A person who cannot feel touch or pain likely has damage to this lobe.
Parietal Lobe
A woman can’t identify an object by touch, though she can see it just fine.
Parietal Lobe
A person shows little emotion and a “flat” response to sad or happy news.
Amygdala
This part of the brain triggers the “fight or flight” response when you feel afraid.
Amygdala
This part of the brain stem keeps you alert and awake; damage can lead to coma.
Reticular Activating System (RAS)
A woman can speak clearly, but her sentences make no sense and use nonsense words.
Wernicke’s Area
A student’s personality changes dramatically after a head injury, becoming impulsive and rude.
Frontal Lobe
This is the lightest stage of sleep, where you might experience falling sensations or muscle twitches.
Stage 1 (NREM-1)
After a head injury, a man remembers his childhood but cannot form new memories. He also seems emotionally flat and fails to react to danger.
Question: Which two limbic system structures were most likely damaged, and how do their functions explain his symptoms?
Hippocampus and Amygdala — the hippocampus is crucial for forming new memories, and the amygdala processes emotions like fear.
Following an accident, a person’s brain can still send signals to breathe and digest food, but they cannot consciously move or communicate.
Question: Which general brain region remains functional, and what does this suggest about conscious vs. automatic processes?
Brain Stem — it maintains basic life functions independent of conscious control.
After surgery, a patient’s right hand and left hand seem to act independently — as if they can’t communicate
Corpus Callosum
A man reports vision loss and frequent visual “flashes.”
Occipital Lobe
This disorder involves walking or performing tasks while asleep.
Sleepwalking (Somnambulism)