Brain Structure

http://www.g2conline.org/2022

Lobes of the BrainPieces of the Cerebral Cortex

Major Lobes of the Brain8 lobes total (4 on each side)

Frontal and Parietal LobesFrontal Lobes:

Behind foreheadInvolved in making plans, judgment, emotional control, abstract thought.

Parietal Lobes:

Crown of your head

Includes your sensory cortex

Used for general processingespecially mathematical & spatial reasoning

Temporal LobesBehind ears, auditory functions

Processes the meaning of written & spoken language Sound doesn’t need to be real, auditory hallucinations

activate the temporal lobe

Right side enables us to recognize facesProsopagnosia: ability to identify features of a face, but

unable to recognize the person (3:30)

Occipital LobesBack of brain, above cerebellum

Visual functions• Impulses from our eyes are sent to the visual

cortex to be interpreted

• If damaged, may lose ability to recognize objects visually

Broca’s area and Wernicke’s area

Both located in left hemisphere

Both involved with language

Located in temporal lobe

Affects our ability to understand both written and/or spoken language (what others say)

Located back of frontal lobe

Controls muscles involved in producing speech

If damaged, may be unable to talk (but you can still SING!) Common in stroke patients Foreign Accent Syndrome

(4:00)

Motor CortexBack of the frontal lobeContralateral controlMore intricate body movements get

a larger section of the motor cortex

If damaged Lack of coordinationParalysis

Sensory Cortex (somatosensory cortex)

Parietal lobe, directly behind motor cortex

Receives incoming touch, pressure, temp, pain sensations from the rest of our bodyIf damaged, lose touch sensitivity

The more sensitive a body part, the more space it has on the sensory cortex

One reason why we kiss with our lips and not our toes!

Phantom sensations:If a body part is amputated, sensory fibers terminateand the adjacent areas invades that space in the cortex.

For example, if your hand is amputated, and your faceis stimulated, you will continue to feel a sensation in your amputated hand.

Top of cortex controls bottom of body

Bottom of cortex (near your ears), controls the top of the body

Limbic SystemWraps around the thalamus

Hypothalamus

Pituitary Gland

Amygdala Hippocampus

Hippocampus & AmygdalaWhere new

memories are processed (not permanently stored!)

Damage will cause no use of short-term memory

Clive Wearing (3:00)

Processes emotions

Hypothalamus(next to the thalamus)

• Uses pituitary gland to help control the endocrine system

• When it detects an imbalance, it triggers directions for a response

• Body Temp…sweat• Thirst…drink water• Hunger…eat (or stop eating)• Fight-or-Flight…RUN!!• Sexual arousal…

Cerebral CortexWrinkled surface of brain

Ultimate control of processing

Learning causes neuron connections within the cerebral cortex to grow stronger

Where long-term memories are stored

Thalamus

Sits on top of brainstem

Receives information from all senses, EXCEPT SMELL!

Routes information to specific regions of brain (seeing, hearing, tasting, touching)

Thalamus

Brain Stem

Midbrain

Pons

Medulla

Spinal Cord

Cerebellum“Little Brain,” sits at

the back of the brain, size of a baseball

Automatically coordinates complex movements (balance, walking, dancing, or drinking from a cup)

Processes memories for skills

The BrainstemEven the most simple creatures have this

It is an extension of your spinal cord

Controls involuntary functions sleep, swallowing, bladder controlheart beat & breathing

Filters incoming messagesIt’s why you don’t act out your dreams!

Brain PlasticityThe idea that the brain, when damaged, will

attempt to find news ways to reroute messages.

Children’s brains are more plastic than adults.

Synesthesia