Subcortical structures

• Thalamus

  • Receives info from senses and passes it on for higher level processing.
  • Acts as a gate/filter of info.
  • Has a role in sleep and wakefulness.
• Hypothalamus

  • Sits below thalamus.
  • Controls motivational behaviours e.g. hunger, thirst, sex.
  • Has a role in stress response through control of fight or flight.
  • Maintains balance of bodily functions e.g. temperature and hormones.
• Limbic system

  • Contains hypothalamus, amygdala, thalamus, and basil ganglia.
• Cerebellum

  • This word means 'little brain'.
  • Co-ordinates posture, balance and movement.
  • Does this by receiving and integrating info from the spinal cord.
• Corpus callosum

  • A dense collection of nerve cells that phsyically connects the two brain hemispheres and allows communication between them.
• Amygdala

  • Plays a key role in how animals assess and respond to environmental threats.
  • Regulates emotions such as fear and aggression.
• Hippocampus

  Important in the organisation and storage of new memories.