BrainModule 11 and 12

Three Major DivisionsHindbrain

Base of brain Coordinates basic body functions

Midbrain Located above hindbrain Very small in humans Coordinates simple movements with sensory information

Forebrain Most sophisticated Allows for complex thoughts and behaviors unique to

humans

HindbrainBrainstem

Base of brain at top of spinal cord

FunctionsAuto survival functions

Sends and receives information

Severe Damage to brainstem results in death

HindbrainCerebellum

Behind the brainstem underneath brain

Means “little brain” – looks like a mini brain attached to the brainstem

FunctionsBalance and coordination

Fine motor movements

Procedural memory

HindbrainPons

Above the medulla on the brainstem and below the thalamus

FunctionSleep and arousalDreamsFacial expressions

HindbrainMedulla (med-you-la)

Below the pons on the brainstem

FunctionsHeartbeat, breathing, digestion

Reflexes Sneezing, coughing, vomiting, swallowing

MidbrainReticular Activating System Network of nerves

running vertically through the brainstem to the thalamus

FunctionsArousal to stimuliSleepAttentivenessFilters and relays

info to the thalamus Damage to this area

causes one to go into a coma

MidbrainBasal Ganglia

Midbrain and forebrain

FunctionsSmooth voluntary body movements

Cell damage from to much dopamine – disrupts movement – Parkinson’s disease

ForebrainThalamus

2 connected egg structures located at top of the brainstem

FunctionsSensory info EXCEPT for smell

Ex. Send sound signals to the temporal lobes

ForebrainLimbic System

Bagel-shaped group of structures between the brainstem and the cerebral cortex

FunctionsLearning MemoryEmotionBasic drives

3 PartsHAHHippocampusAmygdalaHypothalamus

Limbic SystemH – Hippocampus

Processes conscious memories

A – AmygdalaConnected to emotion

H – HypothalamusOversees drinking, eating, and body tempRewards center