Brain Parts

The two parts of the brain are divided into two “hemispheres”, with the right being the creative physical stuff, and the left being the more critical thinking part

Cerebral Cortex: Decision making

Right hemisphere: creative thinking

Left hemisphere: logical thinking

Hippocampus: Forms memories

Hypothalamus: Hormones

FRONTAL LOBE

Language and memory

  • Cognitive Skills
  • Emotional Expression
  • Problem Solving
  • Memory
  • Language (understanding, reading, and creating words)
  • Judgment

It is, in essence the “control panel” of our personality and our ability to communicate

PARIETAL LOBE

Senses

  • Spatial senses
  • Navigation
  • The major sensory inputs from the skin (touch, temperature, and pain receptors, weight, texture)

OCCIPITAL LOBE

Vision

  • Visual Information
  • Shapes
  • Colors

TEMPORAL LOBE

Audio

  • The temporal lobe is involved in primary auditory perception, such as hearing, and holds the primary auditory cortex. The primary auditory cortex receives sensory information from the ears and secondary areas process the information into meaningful units such as speech and words

CEREBELLUM

Motor function

  • The cerebellum (which is Latin for “little brain”) is the major structure of the hindbrain that is located near the brainstem. This part of the brain is responsible for coordinating voluntary movements. It is also responsible for a number of functions including motor skills such as balance, and posture

INSIDE PARTS

Thalamus:

Connects the cerebrum to the something, processes all sensory information

Corpus Callosum:

Connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain

Hypothalamus:

Releases/produces hormones, controls the hormone glands of the body

Cerebellum:

Balance and fine motor skills

Pons:

Connects the brain to the spine

Medulla Oblongata:

Involuntary motor functions

Hippocampus:

Makes memories

Pituitary gland:

Works on growth functions, also called the master gland

Amygdala: Processes emotions

OTHER PARTS

Endocrine:

The body’s “slow” chemical communication system: a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream.

Glands:

An organ in a human or animal body which secretes particular chemical substances for the body or for discharge into the surroundings.

Hormone:

Chemicals that coordinate different functions in your body  by carrying messages through your blood to your organs, skin, muscles, and other tissues.

HORMONE GLANDS:

Thyroid gland

  • Releases thyroxine and triiodothyronine, increasing metabolic rate, growth, and maturation.
  • Affects metabolism

    Parathyroid gland

  • Regulates calcium in the blood
  • Releases parathyroid hormone, increasing blood calcium, and decreasing potassium

    Adrenal gland

  • Inner parts help trigger the “fight or flight” response.
  • Releases adrenaline and noradrenaline. Increases heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, providing a surge of energy known as fight or flight

    Pancreas

  • Regulates the level of sugar in the blood
  • Secretes insulin, regulating the level of sugar in the bloodstream

    Pituitary gland

  • Secretes oxytocin, that helps with par bonding, group cohesion, and social trust

    Pineal gland

  • Secretes melatonin, activates in the dark

    Association Areas:

Areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions, rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking and speaking

Somatosensory Cortex:

An area at the front of the parietal lobes that register and processes body touch and movement sensations

Motor cortex:

The motor cortex is the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements. Classically, the motor cortex is an area of the frontal lobe\

Prefrontal cortex:

Enables judgment, planning and processing of new memories

People with damaged frontal lobes have high intelligence scores and maybe even great cake-baking skills. But they can not plan ahead to begin baking the cake for a special occasion

Plasticity:

The brains ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

Somatosensory system:

All bodily nerve ending system

Fusiform Gyros:

Used to recognized faces

Wernicks Area:

Used to DECIPHER language so that its not just noise

Brocas area:

Is used to express and is used for speech, located in the left frontal lobe

Peripheral nervous system:

Connects to the central nervous system to relay sensory information, move your body, and is composed of two different branches:

  • Somatic nervous system: Voluntary movement and sensory nerves
  • Autonomic nervous system: Involuntary movements
    1. Sympathetic: Excites you
    2. Parasympathetic: Calms you down