Brain Structures
What part of the brain manages vital functions like breathing and heart rate?
Medulla
What plays a major role in forming new memories?
Hippocampus
What cortex is located above the ears and helps you receive information?
Auditory cortex
Occipital Lobes - Function? Where is it?
Occipital Lobes: At the rear of your head, they specialize in visual processing—everything you see is handled here.
What regulates basic drives like hunger, thirst, and body temperature?
Hypothalamus
What processes emotions, especially fear and aggression?
Amygdala
What does the motor cortex do?
It controls muscle movement
What test helps scientists study brain waves?
EEG
What does the Cerebellum do?
helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance
Why are people able to rewire their brain to adapt after injury or damage?
Because of the brain's plasticity, when one part of the brain is injured other parts can take over
What part of the brain is damaged if you have difficulty speaking but you usually have an understanding? (Speech is labored and slow)
Broca’s area
What does each hemisphere of the brain control?
The right hemisphere often handles spatial tasks, while the left handles verbal tasks.
Where are the parietal lobes located and what is it responsible for?
located near the back of your head and is responsible for processing sensory information
What is Split-brain research?
Studies patients who have had their corpus callosum severed to treat severe epilepsy
What does damage to the Wernicke's area do?
Disrupts understanding of other’s speech and production, reading ability is gone but writing ability might be weakened. (Unable to tell others what they want or think)
What is Lesioning?
Lesioning Studies: natural or experimentally damaged tissue of the brain used to study portions of the brain.
Name all the neural structures in the Limbic system and their functions?
Amygdala-process emotions
hypothalamus-regulate basic drives like hunger ,thirst, and body temperature, hippocampus-forming new memories
Thalamus-brain’s “relay station”, sends sensory information to the right areas of the brain for processing
Pituitary gland-Brains master gland, releases hormones
Why is the pituitary gland essential?
Because it is the brain’s master gland, it releases hormones that regulate growth and other essential processes
Which cortex helps you feel textures and temperatures?
Somatosensory cortex
What is an FMRI? (Definition and Function)
FMRI (Functional magnetic resonance imaging): Combines MRI & PET scans. Tracks blood flow in the brain, showing which areas are active during specific tasks.