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Download THE BRAIN The brain can be divided into three main regions
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THE BRAIN The brain can be divided into three main regions: hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain. HINDBRAIN 1. Medulla: has charge of largely unconscious, but vital functions, including circulating blood, breathing, maintaining muscle tone, and regulating reflexes such as sneezing, coughing, and salivating. 2. Pons: Contains several clusters of cell bodies involved with sleep and arousal. 3. Cerebellum: critical to the coordination of movement and to the sense of equilibrium. One of the structures first depressed by alcohol. MIDBRAIN 1. The midbrain contains an area that is concerned with integrating sensory processes, such as vision and hearing. An important system of dopamine-releasing neurons that projects into various higher brain centers originates in the midbrain. This dopamine system is involved in the performance of voluntary movements. (Parkinsonism due to the decline in dopamine synthesis that occurs in this region). FOREBRAIN 1. Thalamus: Structure through which all sensory information (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex. Made up of clusters of cell bodies. Plays an active role in integrating information from various senses. 2. Hypothalamus: Involved in the regulation of basic biological needs. Lies beneath the thalamus. Controls the autonomic nervous system. Serves as a vital link between the brain and the endocrine system. Regulates basic biological drives related to survival: fighting, fleeing, feeding and mating. Also regulates thirst and temperature. 3. Limbic system: Loosely connected network of structures located roughly along the border between the cerebral cortex and the deeper subcortical areas. Includes parts of the thalamus and hypothalamus, the hippocampus, the amygdala. Appears to be rich in emotion-tinged pleasure centers. Hippocampus: Plays a role in memory processes. Amygdala: Plays a central role in the learning of fear responses. 4. Cerebral cortex: Largest and most complex part of the human brain. Includes the brain areas that are responsible for the most complex mental activities, including learning, remembering, thinking, and consciousness. LOBES OF THE BRAIN Each cerebral hemisphere is divided into four lobes. Each is dedicated to specific purposes. Frontal lobe: contains areas that control the movement of muscles. The portion of the frontal lobe to the front of the motor cortex, called the prefrontal cortex, is disproportionately large in humans. Contributes to higher-order functions, such as memory for temporal sequences, working memory, and reasoning about relations between objects and events. It may house some sort of executive control system thought to monitor, organize, and direct thought processes. Parietal lobe: includes the area that registers the sense of touch. Involved in integrating visual input and in monitoring the body’s position in space. Temporal lobe: contains the primary auditory cortex. Occipital lobe: includes the area where most visual signals are sent and visual processing is begun.