Involved in complex, perceptual, behavioral and cognitive processes
Cerebral Cortex
Has bumps and depressions known as Convolutions
Divided into two hemispheres right and left connected through corpus callosum
Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Frontal lobe
Temporal lobe
Parietal lobe
Occipital lobe
Frontal lobe
Involved in reasoning, thinking, perception, memory, emotions, and higher mental processes
Further divisions of the Frontal lobe
Prefrontal Cortex
Motor Cortex
Prefrontal Cortex
Integrates numerous cognitive and behavioral processes
Motor Cortex
Sends out motor commands to muscles
Association area
Combines input from diverse brain regions
Projection area
Receives sensory information or sends motor impulses to muscles
Broca's area
Important for speech production, located in the left hemisphere
Parietal lobe
Contains the somatosensory cortex, involved in somatosensory information processing (touch, temperature, pressure, pain)
Occipital lobe
Contains the visual cortex, involved in learning and motor control
Temporal lobe
Contains the auditory cortex, including Wernicke's area which is involved in language reception and comprehension. Also serves in memory processing, emotional control and language.
Limbic system
An interconnected structure involved in emotions and memory
Septum
Primary pleasure centre, inhibits aggression
Amygdala
Plays a vital role in defensive and aggressive behavior
Hippocampus
Involved in learning and memory processing
Anterograde Amnesia
Unable to establish new long term memories, but childhood and distant memories are intact
Retrograde Amnesia
Able to establish new memories but forget all past events
Basal Ganglia
Coordinates muscle movement, damage leads to Parkinson's disease
Thalamus
Relay station for all sensations, distributes them to their location
Hypothalamus
Serves homeostatic functioning, controls emotions, sexual behavior, temperature, thirst, hunger
Lateral Hypothalamus
Hunger centre, initiates hunger, detects body need for food
Ventromedial Hypothalamus
Satisfaction centre, stops us from continuously eating or drinking
Anterior Hypothalamus
Controls sexual activities
Midbrain
Controls and coordinates involuntary reflexive responses
Superior Colliculus
Receives visual sensory information
Inferior Colliculus
Receives auditory sensory information
Hindbrain
Lowest part of the brain
Medulla Oblongata
Regulates breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure
Pons
Contains sensory and motor tracks between cortex and medulla
Cerebellum
Helps maintain posture and balance, coordinates body movements
Reticular Formation
Regulates alertness, arousal and attention
Which side of the brain is affected is important because the functions of the two cerebral hemispheres are not identical
Some functions are performed exclusively by one hemisphere, while others require coordination of both hemispheres
Damage to only one hemisphere may cause complete loss of functions performed by that hemisphere, while damage to both hemispheres is required to completely lose functions that require coordination
Damage to the back part of the frontal lobe
Causes weakness or paralysis on the opposite side of the body
Damage to the middle part of the frontal lobe
Causes apathy, inattentiveness, slow thinking and responses
Damage to the middle back part of the left frontal lobe (Broca's area)
Causes difficulty expressing words (Broca's aphasia)
Damage to the front part of the frontal lobe
Can cause working memory issues, reduced speech fluency, apathy, inattentiveness, lack of inhibition, and inappropriate behavior