COGS 17 Midterm 1—UCSD Exam
Questions All Solved Correct 2025-
2026 Updated.
ipsi-lateral vs. contra-lateral - Answer connecting to the SAME side vs. connecting to the
OPPOSITE side
lateral vs. medial - Answer towards the sides vs. towards the middle
ventral vs. dorsal - Answer towards the stomach or bottom of the human head vs. towards
the back or top of the human head
superior vs. inferior - Answer a structure above another vs. one below another
coronal vs. sagittal vs. horizontal - Answer planes through head as seen from the front vs.
the side vs. above/below
diencephalon - Answer division of the forebrain that ultimately becomes the thalamus,
hypothalamus, and the eye
telencephalon - Answer division of the forebrain that ultimately becomes the cerebral
cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, etc.
medulla - Answer hindbrain structure, controls vital reflexes
pons - Answer hindbrain structure, acts as a bridge between hindbrain and higher centers
cerebellum - Answer hindbrain structure, involved primarily with guided, timed movements
reticular formation - Answer network of cells moving medially through hind and mid brain,
involved in arousal
raphe system - Answer core strip of cells through hind and mid brain, involved in sleep
tegmentum - Answer midbrain structure involved in motor processes
, tectum - Answer midbrain structure involved in sensory processes, incldues superior (visual)
and inferior (auditory) colliculi
hypothalamus - Answer forebrain structure, oversees 4 Fs (fight, flight, feed, f*ck),
temperature, clock; communicates with and through the endocrine system
pituitary gland - Answer forebrain structure; "master gland," stimulated by hypothalamus
thalamus - Answer forebrain structure, a principal stop along most sensory, motor and
arousal pathways, projects to cortex
limbic system - Answer a set of forebrain structures involved in motivation and emotional
expression
hippocampus - Answer Part of above system, involved in the formation of new memories
amygdala - Answer part of above system, associated especially with anger and fear, also with
recognizing emotions of others
cingulate gyrus - Answer part of above system, re-entrant layer mediating between cortex
and lower systems, especially for +/- evaluation
olfactory bulb - Answer part of above system, receives smell info from olfactory receptors
basal ganglia - Answer forebrain structure including caudate nucleus, putamen and globus
pallidus, involved in organization of movement sequences
basal forebrain - Answer forebrain structure including nucleus accumbens, involved in
arousal of cortex, attention and reinforcement
cerebral cortex - Answer forebrain structure, outer "bark" of brain, 6 layer, highly convoluted
occipital lobe - Answer lobe of the cortex, posterior, primarily involved in visual processing
including V1 (striate cortex)
temporal lobe - Answer lobe of the cortex, lateral, primarily involved in auditory processing
(e.g. A1 and Wernicke's) and higher visual (IT)
Questions All Solved Correct 2025-
2026 Updated.
ipsi-lateral vs. contra-lateral - Answer connecting to the SAME side vs. connecting to the
OPPOSITE side
lateral vs. medial - Answer towards the sides vs. towards the middle
ventral vs. dorsal - Answer towards the stomach or bottom of the human head vs. towards
the back or top of the human head
superior vs. inferior - Answer a structure above another vs. one below another
coronal vs. sagittal vs. horizontal - Answer planes through head as seen from the front vs.
the side vs. above/below
diencephalon - Answer division of the forebrain that ultimately becomes the thalamus,
hypothalamus, and the eye
telencephalon - Answer division of the forebrain that ultimately becomes the cerebral
cortex, basal ganglia, limbic system, etc.
medulla - Answer hindbrain structure, controls vital reflexes
pons - Answer hindbrain structure, acts as a bridge between hindbrain and higher centers
cerebellum - Answer hindbrain structure, involved primarily with guided, timed movements
reticular formation - Answer network of cells moving medially through hind and mid brain,
involved in arousal
raphe system - Answer core strip of cells through hind and mid brain, involved in sleep
tegmentum - Answer midbrain structure involved in motor processes
, tectum - Answer midbrain structure involved in sensory processes, incldues superior (visual)
and inferior (auditory) colliculi
hypothalamus - Answer forebrain structure, oversees 4 Fs (fight, flight, feed, f*ck),
temperature, clock; communicates with and through the endocrine system
pituitary gland - Answer forebrain structure; "master gland," stimulated by hypothalamus
thalamus - Answer forebrain structure, a principal stop along most sensory, motor and
arousal pathways, projects to cortex
limbic system - Answer a set of forebrain structures involved in motivation and emotional
expression
hippocampus - Answer Part of above system, involved in the formation of new memories
amygdala - Answer part of above system, associated especially with anger and fear, also with
recognizing emotions of others
cingulate gyrus - Answer part of above system, re-entrant layer mediating between cortex
and lower systems, especially for +/- evaluation
olfactory bulb - Answer part of above system, receives smell info from olfactory receptors
basal ganglia - Answer forebrain structure including caudate nucleus, putamen and globus
pallidus, involved in organization of movement sequences
basal forebrain - Answer forebrain structure including nucleus accumbens, involved in
arousal of cortex, attention and reinforcement
cerebral cortex - Answer forebrain structure, outer "bark" of brain, 6 layer, highly convoluted
occipital lobe - Answer lobe of the cortex, posterior, primarily involved in visual processing
including V1 (striate cortex)
temporal lobe - Answer lobe of the cortex, lateral, primarily involved in auditory processing
(e.g. A1 and Wernicke's) and higher visual (IT)
