Tricks to Remember the Parts of the Brain
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Brainstem – Composed of parts of the hindbrain & the midbrain
o “Stem” = lowest part of a plant, hence lowest part of the brain
Cerebellum - Initiation & control of rapid movement of the limbs; posture & balance
o Ringing a "bell" is a rapid movement
o Affects “bell”ance (balance)
Medulla - Controls breathing, heart rate, digestion, & other vital reflexes
o The two "ll"s stand for living/life functions
Reticular Formation – Controls sleep & arousal; attention
o Rested vs. Fatigue
Midbrain – Processes auditory & visual sensory information
o Midi is a type of audio format (for those of you who are computer literate)
o Contains the substantia nigra, which is responsible for motor control
o The substantia nigra also produces a substantial amount of dopamine
Thalamus - Relay station that connects various parts of the brain. Regulates awareness, attention,
motivation, & emotion.
o T"hal"amus. Like Hal in the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey - who coordinated the mission
Limbic System – influences emotions, motives, and hormones
o Separates lower brain regions from cortex
Hypothalamus - Regulates behavior related to survival (e.g., sexual behavior, hunger, thirst, sleep,
water/salt balance, body temperature, hormones)
o Means "below the thalamus"
Hippocampus – Learning & memory formation
Amygdala – Involved in emotional responses such as fear, anger, & disgust; learning & memory formation
o Means almond in latin (if this helps, they look like little almonds on the ends of the hippocampus)
Limbic system mnemonic: “I knew it was lunchtime because my hypothalamus told me I was hungry,
thirsty, and cold. My hippocampus helped me remember a new restaurant that opened on campus, but
when I got there I had to wait in line and my amygdala reacted with anger.”
Cerebral Cortex - The outer layer of the brain
o Cortex means bark. So cortex is like the bark of the brain; cortex is the "casing" of the brain
o This is the area where your more "human" behaviors come from
Occipital Lobe - Processing of visual stimuli
o "Oh Look!" – for seeing
o Located in back of head (like having eyes in the back of your head)
Temporal Lobe – Processing of auditory information (hearing)
o Located just behind the ear (by your temples)
o When you’re listening to music, you’ll notice the song’s “tempo,” which means how fast/slow it
goes
Parietal Lobe – Involved in processing bodily information
o Involved in pain & posture (“P” words)
Frontal Lobe – Important in thinking and planning behavior, coordinating complex movements, &
constructing new memories; emotional control
o Located behind the Forehead
o Used for Forethought
o Keeps you from ForeGetting (involved in many intellectual tasks)
Broca’s Area – Speech production; located in frontal lobe (left side only)
o Involved in speech “bro”duction
o Language and Left hemisphere (“L” words)
Wernicke’s Area – Speech comprehension; located in temporal lobe (left side only)
o Wernicke starts with a “W” – a “double U” – “U” for understanding
o Language & Left hemisphere (“L” words)
Corpus Callosum - Connects the hemispheres of the brain (it's a bundle of axons)
o CC = "Cortex connector"