The Brain Stem (Reptilian brain)

-oldest part of the brain

-Important for basic vital life functions: breathing, digestion, heart control, blood
vessel control, alertness
-"Simplest" part of the brain because animals' entire brains, such as reptiles (who
appear early on the evolutionary scale) resemble our brain stem
Motor Cortex
voluntary motor
activity
Frontal Lobe
Premotor Motor Cortex
Storage of motor
patterns
Prefrontal
Area
Concentration
Elaboration of thought
Judgement
Personality
Emotional traits
Language production
Parietal Lobe
Processing sensory input
Sensory discrimination
Body orientation
Primary somatic area
Secondary somatic area
Occipital Lobe
Visual reception
area
Visual
interpretation
Cerebellum
Coordination and control of
voluntary movement
Temporal Lobe
Auditory reception area
Expressed behaviour
Receptive Speech
Memory/ information
retrieval
Language comprehension
The 4 Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Brain Stem
Breathing,
Digestion, Heart control,
Blood vessel control,
Alertness
Cerebral Cortex outer lining
of the cerebral hemisphere
Cerebrum: largest and most
highly developed part of the
human brain which stores
sensory information and
initiates voluntary motor
activities
Corpus Callosum nerve
tract that joins two cerebral
hemispheres
Brainstem: Consists of 3 Main Structures
1. Midbrain: reflex centers, responsible for visual reflexes (moving
eyes/ turn head) Auditory reflex (moving head to hear sound better)
2. Pons: Function of PonsNuclei in pons relay sensory impulses
from peripheral nerves to higher brain centers. Regulate the rate and
depth of breathing.
3. Medulla oblongata: all nerve fibers connected to the brain and
spine must pass through it. It's covered by white matter. Nuclei in it
control vital visceral activities like the cardiac center, vasomotor, and
respiratory centers.