The Brain

Major Structure and Functions:

 

The Brain:  An organ of soft nervous tissue contained in the skull of vertebrates, functioning as the coordinating center of sensation and intellectual and nervous activity.

Amygdala:  Limbic system structure involved in emotion and aggression

Cerebellum:  Coordinates fine muscle movement, balance

Cerebrum:  Involved in sensing, thinking, learning, emotion, consciousness,
and voluntary movement

Corpus Callosum:  Bridge of fibers passinginformation between the two cerebral hemispheres

Hippocampus:  Limbic system structure involved in learning and memory

Medulla:  Regulates vital functions such as breathing and circulation

Pons:  Involved in sleep and arousal

Pituitary Gland:  “Master” gland that regulates other endocrine glands

Hypothalamus:  Regulates basic biological needs: hunger, thirst, temperature control

Reticular Formation:   Group of fibers that carries stimulation related to sleep and arousal
through brain stem

Spinal cord:  Transmits information between brain and rest of body; handles simple reflexes

Thalamus:  Relay center for incoming sensory information

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References:
Bernstein, D.A. & Nash, P.W. (2008). Essentials of psychology (4th ed.) Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Feldman, R. (2013). Essentials of understanding psychology (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
McGraw-Hill.McGraw Hill Higher Education (2013), The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.