How to Remember the Brain Memorization Mnemonics

“Freud Tore his Pants Off” The Four Lobes “Freud Tore his Pants Off” F = Frontal T = Temporal P = Parietal O = Occipital

Frontal Lobe Open the front door to your brain and surprise Einstein (a complex thinker) is there! Frontal Lobe: the frontal lobe is where complex thinking occurs. Use “front door” as your mnemonic. Put the front door on your forehead and put Einstein (complex thinker) behind the door.

Temporal Lobe Bounce to the tempo of your favorite music. This is where auditory processing takes place. Temporal Lobe: the temporal lobe is where auditory processing occurs. Use “tempo” as your mnemonic and picture a metronome above your ear (where the temporal lobe is located)

Parietal Lobe A Piranha bites you on the top of your head, where your parietal lobe is located and would process the pain Parietal Lobe: processes sensory information. Use a “piranha” fish as your mnemonic. The piranha bites you on the top of the head (where the parietal lobe is located). That’s a sensation the parietal lobe would process.

Occipital Lobe Octopus with eyes that process visual info on its tentacles instead of suckers Occipital Lobe: Use the “Occ” part of the word Occipital and imagine an octopus. Since the occipital lobe processes visual information, picture eyeballs instead of suckers on the tentacles. Always good to make your image scary if you can.

THE REST OF THE BRAIN

“Pavlov’s Really Freaking Mad!” Parts of the BRAIN STEM “Pavlov’s Really Freaking Mad!” Pons Reticular Formation Medulla

PONS Put a “d” in “pons” = PONDS PONDS are relaxing to take a nap by Pons = part of the brain that regulates waking and relaxing

RETICULAR FORMATION Imagine someone tickled you while you were sleeping – you would wake up quickly! Reticular Formation: involved in motivation and alertness.

MEDULLA Imagine someone wearing an Olympic medal around their neck Medulla: regulates the heart and lungs

HIPPO CAMPUS Imagine a hippo wandering around a college campus, trying to figure out how to get to class The Hippocampus is involved in MEMORY (and getting the hippo where he needs to go)

AMGYDALA “MGY” rhymes with “WIG” Think of a Halloween costume with a WIG that would scare a child Amygdala associates emotion with memories, including fear Amygdala: involved in your fear responses.

THAL AMUS Picture traffic cops Hal and Amos directing information Thalamus relays information from the body to different parts of the brain for processing Dancing Traffic Cop

CEREBELLUM Imagine yourself trying to balance a bell on top of your head Cerebellum is involved in helping you maintain balance

HYPOTHALAMUS “Hypo the Llamas” Imagine using a hypodermic needle to spray water on llamas, cooling them down Hypothalamus regulates body’s metabolic processes, such as hunger, thirst, and body temperature