PSYC 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Reticular Formation, Brainstem, Long Term Ecological Research Network
31 Oct 2017
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Document Summary
The brain stem: medulla, pons, midbrain (reticular formation) Medulla: base of the brainstem, life-sustaining functions, allows you to breath without thinking about it. Pons: helps coordinate unconscious movements, sleep: modulate activity. Midbrain: association with movement, tracking of visual stimuli and re exes triggered by sound. Reticular formation: a collection of numerous small neural networks spread throughout the brain stem, most known for role in sleep and consciousness (arousal control, helps lter incoming sensory information (discriminate relevant vs. irrelevant stimuli. Located at the back of the brain stem. Fundamental to the coordination of voluntary movement and balance. Relay centre for sensory and motor information to di erent parts of the cerebral cortex. Also sends information from the cortex to the medulla and cerebellum. Located on both sides of the thalamus. Collection of structures: hippocampus, amygdala, hypothalamus. Functions: processes information about our internal states. E. g. , heart rate, blood pressure: plays a key role in emotional experiences and memory formation.
