Question

MCAT Biology Tutorial: Structure of the Brain

Answer 1

\({\bf{Three~Basic~Structures:}}\) the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brainstem

\({\bf{The~Cerebrum:}}\)
cerebrum: divided into left and right hemispheres; covered in the cerebral cortex
> cerebral cortex: gray matter surrounding the cerebrum; involved with conscious processes like reasoning, movement, and sensory processing
> cerebrospinal fluid: fills the ventricles of the cerebrum

> forebrain: diancephelon + cerebrum + amygdala, hippocampus, basal nuclei
> diancephelon: thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus
- thalamus: control center for cerebral cortex
- hypothalamus: regulates homeostatis, ANS, endocrine system, secretes hormones to the anterior pituitary gland
- epithalamus: secretes melatonin

Answer 2

\({\bf{The~Lobes:}}\)
- frontal: language, reasoning, movement (motor cortex)
- parietal: sensory information (somatosensory cortex)
- temporal: sound (auditory cortex), also where the hippocampus (memory) is formed
- occipital: vision (visual cortex)

\({\bf{The~Brainstem:}}\) midbrain, pons, medulla; connected by voluntary motor tracts
> midbrain: alertness, auditory + visual reflex centers
> pons: fibers connecting the brain + spinal cord
> medulla oblongata: interprets signals to/from hypothalamus

\({\bf{The~Cerebellum:}}\) takes sensory input from the muscles/joints/eyes, etc. and maintains equilibrium, also involved in subconscious/muscle memory

Answer 3

Anyway, that's the end of my tutorial, I hope it was a helpful resource. Source material is the 2nd Edition Barron's Prep book for the new MCAT