MCAT Psychology High Yield Content
Cerebral cortex - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain, known as the cerebrum; outer
covering of the cerebral hemispheres; contains 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, occipital,
and temporal
Frontal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; executive function, impulse control,
long-term planning (prefrontal cortex), motor function (primary motor cortex), and
speech production
Broca's area - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; important for speech production,
found in the frontal lobe
Parietal Lobe - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; sensation of touch, pressure,
temperature and pain (somatosensory cortex); spatial processing, orientation, and
manipulation
somatosensory cortex - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; found in the parietal lobe,
important for touch, pressure, temperature, and pain sensation
Wernicke's area - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; found in the temporal lobe;
important for speech perception
Basal ganglia - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; coordinates muscle movement from
cortex to the rest of the brain and spinal cord; smooth movements and maintain
posture stability
limbic system - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; primarily associated with emotion
and memory; includes the septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus
Septal nuclei - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; part of the limbic system; feelings of
pleasure, pleasure-seeking behavior, and addiction
Amygdala - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; part of the limbic system, controls fear
and aggression
, Hippocampus - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; part of the limbic system;
consolidates memories and communicates with other parts of the limbic system
through the fornix
Thalamus - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; sensory relay station for all incoming
senses EXCEPT smell; sorts, and transmits to proper areas of the cortex
Hypothalamus - CORRECT ANSWER-Forebrain; active during high-arousal,
aggressive behavior, and sexual behavior; controls endocrine functions and ANS;
maintains homeostasis
hypophyseal portal system - CORRECT ANSWER-connects hypothalamus to
anterior pituitary; maintains coordination of the endocrine system
Hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWER-"brain stem"; contains the cerebellum, medulla
oblongata, and reticular formation
Cerebellum - CORRECT ANSWER-part of the hindbrain; controls motor movement,
and balance
medulla oblongata - CORRECT ANSWER-part of the hindbrain; controls breathing,
reflex control, and maintains upright posture
reticular formation - CORRECT ANSWER-part of the hindbrain; controls normal
behavior of walking, sleeping, waking, and other reflexes; degenerative part of this
section is related to Parkinson's Disease
Midbrain - CORRECT ANSWER-contains the inferior and superior colliculli
inferior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWER-important midbrain nucleus that is involved in
the auditory pathway
superior colliculli - CORRECT ANSWER-important midbrain nucleus that is involved
in the visual pathway, receiving information from the eye
Function of midbrain - CORRECT ANSWER-reception of sensory and motor
information; generally necessary for survival
Forebrain - CORRECT ANSWER-contains the thalamus, hypothalamus, basal
ganglia, limbic system, and cerebral cortex
Function of hindbrain - CORRECT ANSWER-controls balance, motor coordination,
breathing, and general arousal (waking and sleeping); generally necessary for
survival
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