Brain Lobes and Their Functions

Brain Lobes

• The brain has four lobes: frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital.
• Each lobe is responsible for specific functions.
• Brain functions rely heavily on the collaboration of different brain areas.

Frontal Lobe

• Functions: Motor movement, higher-order thinking (cognitive skills), decision-making, organization, planning, problem-solving, personality (behavior and emotion control), language.
• Broca's area: Responsible for articulate speech production.
• Trauma: Can lead to personality changes.
• Dementia: Can occur if part of the frontal lobe dies.

Temporal Lobe

• Functions: Auditory information (hearing), language.
• Wernicke's area: Responsible for understanding language (written and verbal communication).

Parietal Lobe

• Functions: Sensations, touch, taste, smell, temperature (hot/cold).

Occipital Lobe

• Functions: Sight (visual processing of visual information), seeing colors, perceiving/recognizing people/objects.

Limbic System

• Located in the central parts of the brain.
• Vital for human life.
• Protected by the brain lobes.
• Structures include the hypothalamus, amygdala, and hippocampus.

Hypothalamus

• Controls hunger, thirst, and sleep.
• Releases hormones.
• Regulates the "fight or flight" response.

Amygdala

• Associated with emotions.
• Plays a significant role in anxiety and the "fight or flight" response.

Hippocampus

• Associated with memory.
• Damage can cause memory loss (e.g., in epilepsy).
• Grief can negatively impact memory, cognition, and concentration.

Thalamus

• Relays sensory and motor information.

Hindbrain

• Includes the brainstem and cerebellum.
• Brainstem connects the brain to the spinal cord, controlling vital functions like breathing and heartbeat.

Pons

• Connects the brain and upper brainstem.
• Coordinates signals and communication in the central nervous system.

Medulla

• Connects the lower brainstem to the spinal cord.
• Contains control centers for vital functions (heart rate, blood pressure, breathing).

Cerebellum

• Responsible for motor coordination (affected by alcohol).

Memory

• Encoding: Taking information and storing it.
• Storage: Keeping information for later use.
• Retrieval: Recalling memories.
• Memory formation: Encoding input, storing memory, recalling memory.

Memory Processes

• Sensory memory: Holds sensory information briefly (seconds).
• Short-term memory: Filters and selects information; encodes it for potential long-term storage. Has limitations (7 ± 2 items)
• Chunking: Grouping items to increase short-term memory capacity.
• Displacement: Older information is replaced by new information.