MCAT High Yield

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  1. Parts of the forebrain
    Cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, thalamus, and hypothalamus
  2. Cerebral cortex
    • The outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres
    • (Frontal, Parietal, Occipital, Temporal)
  3. Frontal Lobe
    Executive function, impulse control, long-term planning(Prefrontal cortex), Motor function(primary motor cortex), Speech Production(Broca's area)
  4. Parietal Lobe
    Sensations of touch, pressure, temperature  and pain(somatosensory cortex); Spatial processing, orientation, and manipulation
  5. Occipital lobe
    Visual processing
  6. Temporal lobe
    Sound processing(auditory cortex), Speech perception(Wernicke's area), memory and emotion(limbic system)
  7. Basal Ganglia
    • coordinate muscle movements as they receive info from the cortex and relay this information to the brain and the spinal cord
    • **Smoothen movements and help maintain postural stability***
  8. Limbic system
    Comprises a group of interconnected structures looping around the central portion of the brain and is primarily associated with emotion and memory
  9. Septal nuclei
    Involved with feelings of pleasure, pleasure-seeking behavior and addiction
  10. Amygdala
    Controls fear and aggression
  11. Hippocampus
    Consolidates memories and communicates with other parts of the limbic system through an extension called the fornix
  12. Thalamus
    • Sensory relay station for incoming sensory info.
    • (includes all senses except smell)
  13. Hypothalamus
    • Key player in emotional experience during high-arousal states, aggressive behavior, and sexual behavior
    • (Also controls many endocrine functions as well as autonomic nervous system)**many homeostatic functions and receptors regulate metabolism, temperature and water balance
  14. Hindbrain
    -Located where the brain meets the spinal cord and includes the medulla oblongata, the pons, the cerebellum and the reticular formation
  15. Medulla Oblongata
    • -regulates vital funtions
    • -Breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion
  16. Pons
    -contains sensory and motor pathways between the cortex and the medulla
  17. Cerebellum
    • -at the top of the hindbrain
    • -helps maintain posture, balance, and coordination
    • (damage to this area causes clumsiness, slurred speech and loss of balance)
  18. Reticular formation
    -Controls general arousal processes and alertness
  19. Lateral hypothalamus
    • -hunger center
    • -contains special receptors thought to detect when the body needs more food or fluid
  20. Ventromedial hypothalamus
    • -Satiety center 
    • -Provides signals to stop eating
  21. Anterior hypothalamus
    regulates sexual behavior, sleep, and body temperature

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MCAT High Yield
2015-04-03 15:20:59
bio HIgh
MCAT High yield
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