Brain Terms

Question 1

Frontal Lobe

Answer 1

Planning and voluntary motor control. Front portion of cerebrum above the eyes/forehead.

Question 2

Precentral Gyrus

Answer 2

Primary motor cortex. Ridge just in front of the central sulcus.

Question 3

Broca’s Area

Answer 3

Speech production in dominant (usually left) hemisphere. Posterior inferior frontal gyrus just above the lateral fissure.

Question 4

Parietal Lobe

Answer 4

Processes sensory input and spatial awareness. Superior posterior cerebrum behind the central sulcus.

Question 5

Postcentral Gyrus

Answer 5

Primary somatosensory cortex. Ridge just behind the central sulcus.

Question 6

Temporal Lobe

Answer 6

Hearing and memory (and language). Side of brain beneath the lateral fissure near the temples.

Question 7

Insula

Answer 7

Taste, emotion, and internal body awareness. Deep inside the lateral fissure when frontal and temporal lobes are gently retracted.

Question 8

Interhemispheric Fissure

Answer 8

Separates left and right hemispheres. Deep midline groove between the two cerebral hemispheres.

Question 9

Transverse Fissure

Answer 9

Separates cerebrum from cerebellum. Horizontal space above the cerebellum and below occipital lobes.

Question 10

Lateral Fissure

Answer 10

Separates temporal from frontal/parietal lobes. Major deep groove running laterally from the base of the brain upward.

Question 11

Central Sulcus

Answer 11

Divides motor and sensory cortex. Prominent groove running roughly from the midline superiorly down toward the lateral fissure.

Question 12

Pons

Answer 12

Relay center; helps breathing. Rounded bulge on anterior brainstem just above the medulla.

Question 13

Cerebellum

Answer 13

Balance and coordination. Posterior “mini-brain” with tightly folded surface inferior to occipital lobes.

Question 14

Medulla Oblongata

Answer 14

Controls breathing and heart rate. Tapered part of brainstem below pons and above spinal cord.

Question 15

Olfactory Bulbs

Answer 15

Smell input. Small paired oval structures on the underside of the frontal lobe near the midline.

Question 16

Olfactory Tracts

Answer 16

Carry smell information. Thin white bands extending posteriorly from the olfactory bulbs.

Question 17

Infundibular Stalk

Answer 17

Connects hypothalamus to pituitary gland. Thin stalk hanging from undersurface of hypothalamus toward the sella turcica (often cut).

Question 18

Pituitary Gland

Answer 18

Main hormone-regulating gland. Small pea-shaped structure in the sella turcica, just posterior/inferior to the optic chiasm.

Question 19

Mammillary Bodies

Answer 19

Memory relay nuclei. Two small round bumps on the ventral surface of the brain, posterior to the infundibulum.

Question 20

CN II Optic Nerve

Answer 20

Vision input from the eyes. Short thick white nerve segment anterior to the optic chiasm.

Question 21

Optic Chiasm

Answer 21

Where visual fibers partially cross. White X-shaped structure at the ventral midline of the brain.

Question 22

Optic Tracts

Answer 22

Carry visual signals to the brain. Posterior extensions of the optic chiasm running toward the thalamus.

Question 23

Midbrain

Answer 23

Part of brainstem for reflexes and eye movements. Segment of brainstem between pons and diencephalon; includes cerebral peduncles and tectum.

Question 24

Cerebral Peduncles

Answer 24

Major descending motor pathways. Two thick anterior columns on the ventral surface of the midbrain.

Question 25

CN III Oculomotor

Answer 25

Eye movement and pupil constriction. Emerges from the midbrain between the cerebral peduncles.

Question 26

CN IV Trochlear

Answer 26

Moves eye down and inward. Very thin nerve emerging dorsally from the midbrain just below the inferior colliculi.

Question 27

CN V Trigeminal

Answer 27

Facial sensation and chewing. Large nerve emerging from the lateral aspect of the pons.

Question 28

CN VI Abducens

Answer 28

Moves eye laterally. Small nerve emerging near the midline at the pontomedullary junction.

Question 29

CN VII Facial

Answer 29

Facial expression and taste (front of tongue). At the cerebellopontine angle, just lateral to CN VI and medial/anterior to CN VIII.

Question 30

CN VIII Vestibulocochlear

Answer 30

Hearing and balance. At the cerebellopontine angle, lateral/posterior relative to CN VII.

Question 31

Pyramids

Answer 31

Major voluntary motor tracts. Two longitudinal ridges on the anterior surface of the medulla.

Question 32

Pyramidal Decussation

Answer 32

Motor fibers crossing to opposite side. Lower medulla region where the pyramids narrow and fibers cross midline.

Question 33

Anterior Median Fissure

Answer 33

Midline anterior groove landmark. Deep vertical groove on the anterior medulla and spinal cord.

Question 34

Olives

Answer 34

Motor learning relay nuclei. Oval swellings on the lateral medulla, just lateral to the pyramids.

Question 35

CN X Vagus

Answer 35

Parasympathetic control of thoracic and abdominal organs. Multiple rootlets emerging from the lateral medulla, posterior to the olive.

Question 36

CN XII Hypoglossal

Answer 36

Controls tongue movement. Small rootlets emerging between the pyramid and the olive on the medulla.

Question 37

Thalamus

Answer 37

Major sensory relay to cortex. Large oval gray masses forming the lateral walls of the third ventricle on a mid-sagittal or coronal cut.

Question 38

Hypothalamus

Answer 38

Homeostasis and hormone control. Region below the thalamus near the optic chiasm and infundibulum.

Question 39

3rd Ventricle

Answer 39

CSF space in the diencephalon. Narrow midline slit-like cavity between the two thalami in section.

Question 40

Interventricular Foramen

Answer 40

Connects lateral ventricles to 3rd ventricle. Small channel between each lateral ventricle and the third ventricle (seen mainly in section or models).

Question 41

Choroid Plexus

Answer 41

Makes cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Frilly, reddish vascular tissue within the ventricles.

Question 42

Corpora Quadrigemina

Answer 42

Visual and auditory reflex centers. Four rounded bumps (two superior, two inferior colliculi) on the dorsal midbrain.

Question 43

Mesencephalic Aqueduct

Answer 43

Connects 3rd and 4th ventricles. Thin canal passing through the midbrain, visible on midsagittal brain section.

Question 44

Cerebellar Arbor Vitae

Answer 44

White matter branching pattern in cerebellum. Tree-like white pattern seen on midsagittal cut of cerebellum.

Question 45

4th Ventricle

Answer 45

CSF space between brainstem and cerebellum. Diamond-shaped cavity posterior to pons and medulla and anterior to cerebellum.