Flashcards · Biology · The Nervous System
The Brain
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What are the three main regions of the brain you need to know?
The cerebral hemispheres, the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata.
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What do the cerebral hemispheres control?
Consciousness, intelligence, memory, language and voluntary movement.
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Why is the cerebral cortex folded?
To give a bigger surface area, so more neurones fit in the skull.
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What does the cerebellum control?
Balance and the coordination of movement.
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What does the medulla oblongata control?
Unconscious activities such as heart rate and breathing rate.
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Where is the cerebellum?
At the back of the brain, below the cerebral hemispheres.
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Which part of the brain joins to the spinal cord?
The medulla oblongata.
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Which part of the brain is used for learning a language?
The cerebral hemispheres.
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What happens to the heart rate when you start to exercise, and which region controls it?
It increases, and the medulla oblongata controls it.
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Why is damage to the medulla oblongata so dangerous?
It controls breathing and heart rate, and these may stop.
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A person has poor balance after a head injury. Which region may be damaged?
The cerebellum.
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A person has trouble speaking after a stroke. Which region may be damaged?
The cerebral hemispheres.
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What protects the brain?
The skull, the meninges and a layer of fluid.
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What did the case of Phineas Gage suggest?
That different parts of the brain have different functions.
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What is a stroke?
Damage to the brain caused by a blocked or burst blood vessel.
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Why is "the cerebellum is for thinking" a common mistake?
Thinking is controlled by the cerebral hemispheres. The cerebellum coordinates movement and balance.