BrainPower Unit Exercise

Brain Power Worksheet

This Exercise is to be turned in at Test #1

Follow instructions and answer the following questions using the BrainPower tutorial.

Note that when you are asked to click a brain area you must click VERY NEAR its guide number (and within the brain region to which that number applies). If you are not careful to do this, you will get bad information, especially when the brain region in the question is small or narrow.

Follow instructions carefully, but use common sense; the program can only give the information you want if you tell it to do so by using the right pre-selection buttons, and by clicking in the appropriate places. If you don't use the program right, you will either find this worksheet frustrating or have wrong answers.

Remember, you can not hurt the program, so play around with it for a while, and get used to buttons, brain images and guide numbers. When you feel you grasp how the program works, then follow the directions and answer the questions below:

For maximum points be very thorough and write the maximum amount of correct information.

1. Go to Image #4 (Saggital View). Click on the "Labels" pre-select button.
What are the names of structures identified as areas 1 - 10?

1. _____________ 6. _
2. _ 7. _
3. _ 8. _
4. _ 9. _
5. _ 10.

2. Go to Image #1 (The Brain and Skull Cavity). There are five layers of protection surrounding the brain.
What is layer # 3?
What does it do?
_
What is layer # 4?
What does it do?
___________
Where is CSF produced? _ What does it do?
___________________________________
Name one more form of protection for the brain: _

3. Go to Image #2 (Top View of the Cerebral Hemispheres). Click on "Structures."
Area 4 is the _
What does it do?

__________

4. What is area 2 and what does it do? _
________________

.

6. Click on "Gyri/Sulci."
What is the deep groove, or sulcus, in front of area 4 called?
_.

7. What is the deep groove, between the two hemispheres? (Area 6)
_.

8. Click on "Structures."
Read about areas 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8. Then, pre-select the Gyri/Sulci button and read about them again.
Answer these questions, going back over the brain areas again if necessary:

What is the purpose of having two seperate hemispheres of the brain?
That is, what advantage does a divided cerebrum provide?
_
_
___________________________________.

9. The right Post Central Gyrus is part of the right Parietal lobe. Where do the signals come from that it processes? _________________________________
_
_________________________________

10. Goto Image # 5 (The Cerebral Blood Supply). Read all the info you can get using the Structures and Connections buttons (clicking in the middle of the image will get you there).
Which one of these would happen to you if the Anterior Cerebral Artery (not shown) were to get completely blocked off by a blood clot, eliminating oxygen supplied to the front of the brain?
_A. You would go blind.
_B. You would only lose some coordination and memory.
_C. Not much.
_D. You would be both paralyzed and unable to speak normally.
_E. You would have no control over the rate of your heart.

11. Go to Image #3 (The Four Lobes; be sure to wait for the eyes to stop moving, and for the buttons to appear.

List and describe the many Connections listed for the Frontal Lobes. Be as thorough as possible.
_______________________________
_
_
_
_
_
_
_.

12. As you work your way through BrainPower you will also come across other examples of connections between the frontal lobes and other parts of the brain. For maximum points come back and describe them here: _
_
_
_
_
_
_

13. Connections of the Occipital lobes include what brain areas or pathways:
_
_
_
_________________.

14. What is the surface of area 5 called ? _.

15. Many Cells in the Left Temporal Lobe are specialized for . Those that perform this function are in a region called _.

16. Damage to the motor strip produces what impairments? Where? _________
_
_
_
_

17. Read about damage to all the other brain regions, clicking on each to get the information. _
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
_
18. Which lobe, and on which side of the brain would you rather have had damaged, if you had such damage? In other words, which area seems like it would cause the least loss of functioning? . In your own words, explain why. Compared to what? _
_
_
_
_________________________________

Choose "Return" from the menu at the top left part of the screen.
Go to Image #4 (Saggital View).

Start with the "Structures" pre-select button, and use the different pre-select buttons for each of these questions about areas 5 and/or 9:

19. What is the name of area 9? ___.

20. To what structures does area 9 have "Connections?"
_
_
_
21. How will "Damage" to area 5 affect us? _
_
_
_____.

22. Click on area 8.
What is this little structure , and of what kind of Cells is it made? _.

23. Neurons in area 4, the , have what kind of axons? . Why is this important? _ _____________________________

24. Goto Image # 6. (The Neuron)
Get to know the names of each of the areas labeled on the Neuron. In what area of the Neuron does the charge build up before a signal is finally fired down the axon?

25. Brief essay question: What is myelin sheathing? Why is it important? That is, how does it affect our daily mental functions? Be as specific as possible. Note: the answer to this question is not found directly in BrainPower. Think, read web pages on this topic, speculate, draw conclusions based on your reading and thought.
_____
_
_
_
_
_
_
_________________________________

26. Read in your book about neurotransmitters.
Brief essay question:
In your opinion, which of the neurotransmitters (pick only one) is most important to our day-to-day activities? __. Why? _
_
_
_
_
27. BONUS: Where do the 3 cerebral arteries connect together? Identify and explain.
_
_
_
_______________

Turn this exercise in at Test #1. E-mail me (Mcguffr@tcc.fl.edu) or call me (201 - 8157) if you are lost and need help.

Last updated on 1/17/06 -RM