Psychology 1000 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Neuroplasticity, Corpus Callosum, Prefrontal Cortex
3 Jun 2018
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The Brain: Structures and Behavioural Functions
• Hindbrain – comprised of brain stem and cerebellum
o Brain stem
▪ Medulla plays important role in vital body functions such as heart rate
and respiration
• Allows functions to occur automatically
• Two-way stem for sensory and motor tracts coming from spinal
cord and descending from brain
▪ Pons serves as bridge carrying nerve impulses between higher and lower
levels of nervous system
• Also helps control vital functions
o Cerebellum
▪ Looks like little brain attached to rear of brain stem
▪ Concerned primarily with muscular movement coordination (also plays
role in learning and memory)
▪ Timing and coordination of motor movements depend on cerebellum
(but are initiated in higher brain centres)
• Midbrain – comprised of clusters of sensory and motor neurons, as well as tracts that
connect higher and lower portions of nervous system
o Reticular formation
▪ Acts as a sentry, alerting higher centres of brain that messages are
coming, and either blocking or allowing them through
▪ Without reticular stimulation of higher brain regions, sensory messages
do not process despite the impulse reaching the destination
▪ Affects sleep, wakefulness, and attention
• Forebrain – comprised of two large cerebral hemispheres that wrap around the brain
stem
o Outer portion is covered by the cortex
o Thalamus
▪ Important sensory relay station
▪ Organizes inputs from sense organs and routes them to appropriate brain
area
o Basal Ganglia
▪ Critical for voluntary motor control
▪ Plays important role in the deliberate and voluntary control of movement
o Hypothalamus
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