By Carolyn Sivco, Hailey Lapa, Preslee Nolte, Stephanie Azevedo, and Meghan Castellano

3 Major Divisions of the Brain

CerebellumMedulla OblongataCerebrum

CerebellumCoordination of voluntary, equilibrium, and

muscle tone.Integrates and passes both sensory and

motor information to/from the brain.Maintains posture, and balance.Regulates skeletal movements and muscles in

order to have smooth/coordinated movementsNecessary for learning new motor skills

CerebellumNeurons of the cerebellar cortex are

distributed into three layers.Molecular Layer: most external, crest shape,

and elaborates information. Intermediate Layer: made up of Purkinje

cells which carry information relative to the movements of the body to the outside of the cerebellum

The Granular Layer: most inner layer, granular and Golgi cells-filter incoming information.

Damage to CerebellumInjury can cause slowed and/or uncoordinated

movementsThe inability to judge distance and when to stop

(dysmetria) The inability to perform rapid alternating

movements (adiadochokinesia)movement tremors (intention tremors)staggering, wide based walking (ataxic gait)tendency toward fallingweak muscles (hypotonia)slurred speech (ataxic dysarthria)abnormal eye movements (nystagmus)

Cerebral palsyLack of oxygen to the brain tissue.Can occur during birth by trauma and lack of

blood flow to the brainIt is more common in twins and premature

laborsAbnormal movements (twisting, jerking, or

writhing) of the hands, feet, arms, or legs while awake, which gets worse during periods of stress

TremorsUnsteady gaitLoss of coordinationFloppy muscles

Fun FactsFrom birth age until age 2, the cerebellum

grows faster than the rate of the brain.Is almost like a mini brain. “Memories of

work” – gradually learned movements. “Data bank” – daily movements.

Rapid impulses produced by cerebral cortex can elaborate data in less then 1/10 of a second.

Medulla OblongataStructure:

Located at the bottom of the brainstemConnects the brain and the spinal cordOnly 3 cm long

Controls and regulates numerous visceral organs

Allows nerve signals to move from the brain to the spinal cordThe vagus nerve

Medulla OblongataRegulates and controls:

BreathingBlood pressure Heartbeat

Contains reflex centers for vomiting, coughing, sneezing, hiccupping, and swallowing

Damage to the MedullaSupportive equipment may be needed to keep

the body working

Head injuries and a variety of drugs and medications can cause this damage (ex. opiates and alcohol)

CerebrumLocated in the front/top of the brainstemLargest and most developed division in the brain.The cerebral cortex

Receives and processes visual, auditory, somatosensory, gustatory, and olfactory information.

Composed of 4 lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.

Speech and language

Limbic SystemComposed of the hypothalamus, hippocampus, and

amygdala.The primary functions:

EmotionsMemories

The hypothalamus = mainly concerned with homeostasis.

The hippocampus = short and long term memoriesThe amygdala = the feeling of stimulating anger.

Cerebrum Pictures

Pictures (cont)

Temporal LobeLocated beneath the frontal and parietal

lobes on each side of the brainjust above one’s ears

Functions:Emotional responsesHearingMemorySpeechReading

Temporal Lobe EpilepsyReoccurring seizures that affect temporal lobe

functionsCauses

Head injury or an infection that affects the brain, such as meningitis.

GeneticsBlood vessel malformations

Simple Partial Seizures – consciousness is not affected

Complex Partial Seizures – consciousness is affectedMedications and surgery can be used to treat

this disease

Occipital LobeSmallest part of the brain; located at the

back of the skullProcesses visual informationRecognition of shapes and colorsOccipital Lobe Epilepsy

Unusual seizures, hallucinations, uncontrollable eye movements, fast eye-blinking, eye pain

Caused by genetics, tumors, vascular malfunctions, trauma, or brain injuries

Parietal LobeLocated behind the frontal lobes and above

the temporal lobesFunctions:

Information Processing Pain and Touch Sensation Speech Visual Perception

Frontal LobeLocated at the front of the cerebrum

Extremely vulnerable to injuryFunctions:

Reasoning & planningParts of speechMovementEmotions

Neuron in Impulse TransmissionDendrites or senders trigger the neuron.Sodium Ions come through the plasma

membrane, while potassium ions leave the cell.An electrical impulse is formed

the cyton receives the impulse and sends it to the axons.

A chemical transmitter (acetylcholine) is released into the synapse the chemical transmitter then keeps the process

going by activating the nerves.

Pictures

Types of head Injuries Concussion

injury to the brain pass out for a short time vision blurs and trouble balancing.

Contusion bruise of the brain bleeding causing swelling.

Skull Fracture when the skull cracks sometimes edges of the broken bones can cut into the

brain causes bleeding and swelling

Hematoma bleeding in the brain that clots and then forms a

bump.

Brain Abscesses Collection of immune cells, pus, and other

material in the brain. Caused when bacteria or fungi infects part of the

brain. Swelling and inflammation usually develops in response

A membrane forms around the infected area and creates a brain abscess.Brain swells and puts pressure on soft brain tissue =

NOT GOOD The infected material may cause blockage of the blood

vessels in the brain. Life threatening

Brain Abscesses cont’d What are the symptoms of brain abscesses?

aching neck, shoulders, or backchange in mental status or confusionfever and chillsHeadache and vision changesVomitingloss of muscle function

How do you treat this?Antibiotics

fight off the bacteria that caused the infectionSurgery may be needed depending on the severity of

the infection.

Diseases of the Brain and Nervous SystemHuntington’s diseaseEpilepsyAlzheimer’s DiseaseTrigeminal Neuralgia

Huntington’s Disease Genetically programmed degeneration of brain

cells Symptoms:

depression, mood swings, irritability, and trouble doing simple tasks like driving.

Degeneration causes uncontrollable movements, emotional disturbance, and loss of intellectual

abilities. Medication to control HD Side effects include:

fatigue, restlessness, and hyperexcitibility.

Epilepsy “to Seize” common neurological disorder recurrent seizures. abnormal or excessive neuronal activity in the brain. can sometimes be controlled (but not cured) by

medication Commissurotomy can reduce the severity of the

seizures. corpus callosum, which connects the two hemispheres of

the brain, gets cut. Stimuli are transferred For epilepsy massive amounts of neurons are

transferred if the connection is cut the neurons will stay in one

hemisphere, which reduces the severity of the seizure.

Alzheimer’s Disease Most common form of dementia Loss of ability in thinking , remembering, and

reasoning. Damage to brain begins 10 to 20 years before any

problems are evident. Plaques form and healthy neurons begin to work less

efficiently. Third stage is the loss of connections between

neurons in the brain because they lose their ability to function and communicate.

Trigeminal NeuralgiaNerve disorder of the fifth cranial nerve

(trigeminal)Sudden shock-like facial pains

Normally only affects one side of the face, sometimes found on both sides.

Called "suicide disease“ and/or most excruciatingly painful human condition. 

Atypical Trigeminal NeuralgiaCommon age for TN is around 50

has also been found in infants and teens.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Treatment:anti-convulsant drugs, such as Tegretol

or Neurontin.  neurosurgical proceduresmedical therapies such as acupuncture,

chiropractic adjustment, self-hypnosis or meditation.

Rare disease - affects less than 200,000 people US.

The exact cause of TN is not fully understood.

Trigeminal Neuralgia

Marijuana (pot)

The temporal lobe weakens short term memory and even blocks info

from becoming long term memory. The prefontal lobe

controls our emotions and higher thinking. The hypothalamus

controls hunger stimulus. people get the “munchies” after they use pot

Inhalants

Effect the brain immediately after using. Fatty tissues that protect the nerve cells in

the brain get destroyed by the vapors. neural transmissions slow down or even stop.

Effects of the inhalants include: diminished ability to learn, remember, and

solve problems.

THE END <3