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Pyschunit3b
Question | Answer |
---|---|
brainstem | the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions |
medulla | the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing |
reticular formation | a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal |
thalamus | the brain's sensory switchboard located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas of the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla |
cerebellum | the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance |
limbic system | doughnut-shaped neural system (including hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives |
amygdala | two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion |
hypothalamus | a neural structure below the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating, drinking, body temperature) helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward |
cerebral cortex | the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center |
glial cells | cells in the nervous system that support, nourish and protect neurons |
frontal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments |
parietal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position |
occipital lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head; includes areas that receive information from the visual fields |
temporal lobes | portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear |
motor cortex | an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements |
association areas | areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking. |
aphasia | impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca's area (impairing speaking) or to the Wernicke's area( impairing understanding) |
broca's area | controls language expression-- an area, usually in the left frontal lobe, that directs the muscle movements involved in speech |
plasticity | the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage of by building new pathways based on experience |
neurogenesis | the formation of new neurons |
corpus callosum | large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them |
split brain | condition resulting from sugary that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them |