Flashcards for:
The Human Brain

The hypothalamus is responsible for waking up, triggering adrenaline, and regulating various autonomic functions.

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain, divided into two hemispheres, and is responsible for integrating complex sensory and neural functions, as well as initiating and coordinating voluntary activity.

The cerebellum plays a key role in motor control, coordination, and spatial navigation.

The temporal lobe processes hearing and other senses, and is involved in language and reading.

The Frontal Lobe.

The folds (gyri and sulci) increase the surface area of the cortex, allowing for a greater number of neurons and thus higher cognitive functions.

Dopamine release in the brain's reward circuit causes feelings of pleasure or a 'high.' Repeated activation through drug use can lead to addiction as the brain seeks to replicate these feelings.

The occipital lobe is primarily responsible for visual processing, including recognition of shapes and colors.

The pineal gland regulates sleep and circadian rhythms.

There are 12 pairs of cranial nerves that carry sensory and motor information.

The amygdala processes emotions, while the hippocampus is involved in memory indexing, storage, and retrieval.

The pituitary gland controls growth, temperature, pregnancy, and childbirth.

The cortex, the outer layer of the cerebrum, is responsible for higher brain functions such as thought, voluntary movement, language, reasoning, and perception. It is 1/8 inch thick and contains millions of cells with fibers for message transmission.

The thalamus relays sensory and motor information, and is involved in consciousness, sleep, and alertness.

The brain stem includes the pons and the medulla oblongata. The pons helps control breathing and the medulla oblongata regulates heart function and body reflexes such as vomiting and coughing.