Parts of the Brain

1. Parts of the Brain

2. Function of the brain • Organ in the body that allows: thought, emotions, movement, dreams, etc. • Control center for the body • Runs everything the body does

3. Cerebrum • Makes up 85% of the brain’s mass/weight • Thinking part of the brain • Controls your voluntary muscles (those muscles you have control over)

4. Frontal lobe • True center for control in the brain • Responsible for reasoning, problem solving, judgment, impulse control, motor control, memory and higher level emotions (empathy and altruism) • Last to develop when a young adult • Front part of cerebrum

5. Parietal Lobe • Responsible for processes such as pain and touch • Also responsible for movement, speech, recognition, orientation, and cognition (calculating the location and speed of objects) • Found directly behind frontal lobe in cerebrum

6. Occipital Lobe • Responsible for visual sense and processing • Found at back of cerebrum

7. Temporal Lobe • Responsible for auditory (sound) sensation and language recognition • Also involved in emotion, memory, and speech • Found below other parts of cerebrum and towards center of brain

8. Corpus Callosum • Neural bridge connection both hemispheres • Located in the center of the brain • Hypothesized that right have of brain controls left half of body and vice versa

9. Cerebellum • Controls balance, movement, posture, and coordination • Also involved in learning movement • Found at the back and bottom of the brain

10. Brain stem • Responsible for all functions your body needs to stay alive (such as breathing, digesting food, circulating blood, etc.) • Controls all involuntary (you have no control over) functions

11. Pons • Responsible for level of arousal and consciousness, and sleep • Also relays sensory information to/from the brain • Also involved in controlling autonomic body function (things you don’t think about) • Top half of brain stem

12. Medulla oblongata • Helps body control autonomic functions (like respiration, digestions, and heart rate) • Also relay station for nerve signals going/to and from brain • Bottom half of brain stem

13. Pituitary Gland • Produces and releases hormones into your body that are linked to growth

14. hypothalamus • Linked to pituitary gland to control body functions • Monitors and controls your circadian rhythms (daily sleep/wake cycle), homeostasis (inner balance in body, including temperature), appetite, thirst, other bodily urges and also plays a role in emotions, autonomic functions, and motor functions

15. Thalamus • The relay station of the brain • Most sensory signals like sound and vision, go through this organ on their way to other parts of the brain for processing • Also plays a function in motor control

16. Amygdala • Latin for almond (which relates to its shape) • Helps in storing and classifying emotionally charged memories • Plays a large role in emotions, especially fear • Trigger responses to strong emotions like sweaty palms, freezing, increased heart rate/respiration, and stress hormone release

17. Hippocampus • Primary role is in memory formation, classifying information, and long-term memory • Also involved in interpreting incoming nerve signals and spatial relationships

18. Neurons and learning • Neurons are the microscopic cells in the nervous system • When new things are learned the messages travel from one neuron to another • Eventually the brain starts to create connections (pathways) between neurons, so things become easier to do • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FR4S1BqdFG4