Unit IV: Endocrine System/Brain Tests/ Parts of the brain

The endocrine system: a system of glands that secrete hormones. Similar to nervous system except hormones work a lot slower than transmitters.

Brain Tests:
Lesions: removal or destruction of the brain. Frontal Lobotomy.
Electroencephalogram: EEG, Detects brain waves through heir electrical output. (Sleep research)
Co outsized Axial Tomography: CAT Scan, 3D X-ray of the brain.
Good for tumor locating but not for function.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: MRI- more detailed picture of the brain using magnetic field to knock electrons off axis. Takes many pictures into moving like productions.
PET scan: positron emission tomography; measures of much of a chemical is released

Parts Of The Brain:
Pons- located above the medulla. Connects hindbrain with midbrain and forebrain. Involved in facial expressions.

Forebrain: make us humans, largest part of the brain, made up of thalamus, lambic system.

The Cerebral Cortex: made up of densely packed neurons called "gray matter". Glial Cells support brain cells. Wrinkles are called fissures.

Hemispheres: divided into two hemispheres. Contra lateral control: right controls left and vise versa. In general, left hemisphere is for logic and sequential tasks. Right hemisphere is for spatial and creative tasks.

Association Areas: any area not associated with receiving sensory information or coordinating muscle movements.

Brain Plasticity: the idea that the brain, when damaged,will attempt to find new ways to

The Corpus Callosum: bridge if nerve fibers that connects of divides the two hemispheres.

Cerebrum: largest part of the brain. Divided into left and right hemispheres and divided into lobes. Contains cerebral cortex. Controls voluntary movement, coordinates mental activity and it's the center for all conscious living


Frontal Lobes
- abstract though and emotional control
- contains Motor Cortex: send signals to our body controlling muscle movements
- Contains Brocas Area: responsible for controlling muscles that produce speech
- Damage to Brocas Area is called Brocas Aphasia
- unable to make movements to talk.

Parietal Lobes
- Contain Sensory Cortex: receives incoming touch sensations from rest of the body
- Most of the parietal lobes are made up of Association Areas

Association Areas
- Any area not associated with receiving sensory information or coordinating muscle movements

Occipital Lobes
- Deals with vision
- contains visual cortex: interpreters messages from our eyes into images we can understand

Temporal Lobe
- process sound sensed by our ears
- interpreted in auditory cortex
- not lateralized
- contains wernikes area: interprets written and spoken speech
- Wernikes Aphasia: unable to understand language: the syntax and grammar jumbled