Brainstem Overview Quiz

Study Notes

Connects the brain to the spinal cord, crucial for survival.
Medulla Oblongata: Lowest part, controls vital functions like breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure.
Pons: Located above the medulla; relays messages between brain regions, involves arousal, motor control, breathing, and sleep.
Midbrain: Uppermost part, involved in vision, hearing, motor control, sleep, and arousal.

Known as the "little brain," located at the back of the skull beneath the cerebrum.
Primarily coordinates and regulates movement, balance, and posture.
Involved in learning, especially skill acquisition.

Positioned between the brainstem and cerebrum, contains essential structures.
Thalamus: Acts as a relay station for sensory information.
Hypothalamus: Regulates physiological processes such as hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sleep-wake cycles.

A set of interconnected structures in the middle of the brain, involved in emotion, motivation, behavior, and memory.
Key Functions: Processes emotional experiences linked to memory; emotionally charged memories tend to be more vivid and long-lasting.
Research focuses on enhancing memory formation and addressing emotional symptoms in memory-related disorders, like PTSD.

Amygdala: Processes emotions, particularly fear and negative feelings; almond-shaped structure in the temporal lobe.
Hippocampus: Critical for forming new memories and consolidating short-term into long-term memories; involved in spatial learning and emotional regulation.
Thalamus: Central relay station receiving sensory input and directing it appropriately for processing.
Hypothalamus: Regulation of hunger, thirst, body temperature, sleep-wake cycle, and emotional responses.
Cingulate Gyrus: Involved in emotion, pain processing, and executive control functions.
Olfactory Bulb: Processes smell, enabling identification and discrimination of odors.
Mammillary Body: Involved in spatial memory and navigation.