REGIONS OF THE BRAIN
THE CEREBRUMFUNCTIONS: Controls intelligence
& conscious thought, reasoning, judgment
Interprets senses Controls complex
muscle patterns Memory
storage/retrieval
THE CEREBRUMStructures: Paired hemispheres
Gyri = outer elevated ridges
Sulci = shallow depressions between
THE CEREBRUMStructures cont.: Longitudinal fissure =
separates R & L hemispheres Corpus callosum = thick band
of nerve fibers connecting R & L & allows communication
THE CEREBRUM: Right vs Left
LEFT: Speech /language Reading/writing Analytical tasks – math! Logic/reason
RIGHT: Musical/Artistic Emotional expression Visual – pictures Pattern recognition
LOBES OF THE CEREBRUM
1. Frontal☆ Primary motor area☆ Frontal association area =
judgment & reason☆ Taste area
2. Parietal☆ Primary sensory area – touch, temp, pressure & pain
3. Temporal
☆ Auditory & Olfactory area4. Occipital
☆ VisualCentral sulcus
Lateral sulcus
THE CEREBRUM: An Overview
Let Us Look Inside the Cerebrum…
THE DIENCEPHALON
THE DIENCEPHALON
Thalamus☆ All sensory info (except
smell) is relayed through & then sent to appropriate areas of brain for response
THE DIENCEPHALONHypothalamus☆ Primary link between NS & endocrine – pituitary
releases hormones
☆ Regulates moods, thirst, appetite, waking vs sleep
☆ Regulates body temp & water balance
☆ Reg. & coordinates autonomic – digestion & urination
THE BRAIN STEM1. Midbrain:
☆ Maintains alertness
2. Pons: ☆ Regulates respiration rate
All information to and from our body passes through the brain stem on the way to or from the brain. Like the frontal and temporal lobes, the brain stem is located in an area near bony protrusions making it vulnerable to damage during trauma.
3. Medulla Oblongata:☆ Connects brain to spinal cord ☆ Regulates breathing rhythm, ♡ rate, blood flow
☆ Reflexes: vomiting, sneezing, hiccupping & swallowing
THE CEREBELLUM☆ Coordinates
subconscious skeletal muscle – maintains balance & postureEx: moving an object
2nd Largest Region
☆ Damage – trauma, stroke or drugs (alcohol) = ataxia
THE LIMBIC SYSTEM☆ A functional system
not anatomical – parts of cerebrum, hypothalamus & brain stem
☆ Emotion centers, memory, links conscious thoughts to unconscious functions
WRAPPING UP THE BRAIN
ANOTHER LOOK INSIDE