LOCALIZATION AND LATERALIZATION OF THE BRAIN’S FUNCTION Retcular Formation : fitter iacomin stimuli & relays (nfo to other areas of the brain, also Nelps contre| arousal Although multiple representations of information can be located within different areas of your brain, specific regions of your brain seem most critical in handling particular functions. This localization of structure and function has been identified for numerous regions (see Figure 5.1). Association areas are regions of the cerebral cortex that do not have specific sensory or motor functions, but are involved in higher mental functions, such as thinking, planning, remembering, and communicating. In general, crossing over of nerves sending informa- tion from one side of your body to the other side of your brain results in contralaterality, control of one side of your body by the other side of your brain. Structure of brain Function Medulla oblongata Where most fibers cross, resulting in contralateral (opposite side) control; Regulates heart rhythm, blood flow, breathing rate, digestion, vomiting Pons Includes portion of reticular activating system (a.k.a. reticular formation) critical for arousal; Bridge between cerebral hemispheres and both medulla and cerebellumCorpus callosum Hippocampus Pons Medulla Reticular formation Figure 5.1. Major structures of the brain in medial view. Cerebellum Coordinates motor function integrating motion and positional information from the inner ear and muscles; Helps maintain balance Thalamus Relay “station” for sensory pathways carrying visual, auditory, taste, somatosensory informa- tion to/from appropriate areas of cerebral cortex; Some nuclei (neural clusters) involved in emotion Hypothalamus Controls autonomic functions such as body tem- perature and heart rate via control of sympathetic and parasympathetic centers in the medulla; Sets appetitive drives (such as thirst, hunger, sexual desire) and behaviors; Sets emotional states, such as rage, with the limbic system; Integrates with endocrine system by secretion of hormones that regulate hormones from pituitary; Helps determine biological rhythms, such as the menstrual cycle Amygdala Influences aggression and fear Important in formation of sensory memory 2the other m Structure of brain ti r Hippocampus _Enables formation of new long-term memories Ir pNs Callosum: — Cerebral cortex Receives and processes sensory information and Pes: te the 2 directs movement; pniec . Center for higher order processes such as thinking, hemispheres, tranomits planning, judgment data from one to Just as a map or globe can be divided into hemispheres and conti- nents, your cerebral cortex can be divided into eight lobes, four in the left cerebral hemisphere and four in the right cerebral hemisphere (see Figure 5.2). Region of brai Function Occipital lobes Information from left half of visual field of both eyes is processed in right occipital lobe, from right visual field in left occipital lobe Parietal lobes: Somatosensory cortex (for touch sensations) is the front strip; Contralateral representation of all body parts Frontal lobes Motor cortex strip just in front of somatosensory cortex initiates movements and integrates activities of skeletal muscles; Contralateral—right/left hemisphere controls other side of body; Broca’s area in left frontal lobe controls produc- tion of speech; Somatosensory cortex Front Back of of head head 3Interpret and control emotional behaviors, make decisions, carry out plans Temporal lobes Center for hearings Wernicke’s area in left temporal lobe plays role in understanding language and making meaningful sentences; Right temporal lobe important for understanding music/tonality; Sound from both ears processed mostly contra- laterally; Smell processed near front of temporal lobes, Although specific regions of the brain are associated with specific func- tions, if one region is damaged, the brain can reorganize to take over its function, which is called plasticity.