The Human Brain is Not Only One of the Most Important Organs in the Human Body

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  • 7/28/2019 The Human Brain is Not Only One of the Most Important Organs in the Human Body

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    Unit - human brain

    The human brain is not only one of the most important organs in the humanbody.

    The brain is the most complex organ in the body. It is the organ that allowsus to think, have emotions, move, and even dream. Given this complexity,it should not be surprising that there are many ways to separate the partsof the brain. Brain parts can be separated on the basis of what they looklike to the naked eye, under a microscope, or by what certain brain partsdo. The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system and allof the nerves found in our body make up the peripheral nervous system.

    Three major part of human brain

    1) cerebrum:

    The cerebrum, also known as the encephalon, is the largest and mosthighly developed part of the human brain. It encompasses about two-thirdsof the brain mass and lies over and around most of the structures of thebrain. The outer portion (1.5mm to 5mm) of the cerebrum is covered by athin layer of gray tissue called the cerebral cortex. The cerebrum is divided

    into right and left hemispheres that are connected by the corpus callous.Each hemisphere is in turn divided into fourlobes. The cerebrum orepencephalon, along with the diencephalon comprise the two majordivisions ofpros encephalon(forebrain).

    The cerebral cortex can be divided into four sections, which are knownas lobes (see image above). The frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobeand temporal lobe have been associated with different functions ranging

    from reasoning to auditory perception.

    http://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bltelenceph.htmhttp://biology.about.com/od/humananatomybiology/a/anatomybrain.htmhttp://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/aa032505a.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blcorpus.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bllobes.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bldienceph.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blprosenceph.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blprosenceph.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bldienceph.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bllobes.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/blcorpus.htmhttp://biology.about.com/od/anatomy/a/aa032505a.htmhttp://biology.about.com/od/humananatomybiology/a/anatomybrain.htmhttp://biology.about.com/library/organs/brain/bltelenceph.htm
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    Unit - human brain

    The frontal lobe is located at the front of the brain and is associated

    with reasoning, motor skills, higher level cognition, and expressivelanguage. At the back of the frontal lobe, near the central sulcus, lies themotor cortex. This area of the brain receives information from variouslobes of the brain and utilizes this information to carry out bodymovements. Damage to the frontal lobe can lead to changes in sexualhabits, socialization, and attention as well as increased risk-taking.

    The parietal lobe is located in the middle section of the brain and is

    associated with processing tactile sensory information such as pressure,touch, and pain. A portion of the brain known as the somatosensorycortex is located in this lobe and is essential to the processing of thebody's senses. Damage to the parietal lobe can result in problems withverbal memory, an impaired ability to control eye gaze and problemswith language.

    The temporal lobeis located on the bottom section of the brain. Thislobe is also the location of the primary auditory cortex, which is importantfor interpreting sounds and the language we hear. The hippocampus isalso located in the temporal lobe, which is why this portion of the brain isalso heavily associated with the formation ofmemories. Damage to thetemporal lobe can lead to problems with memory, speech perception,and language skills.

    http://psychology.about.com/od/tindex/f/temporal-lobe.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/tindex/f/temporal-lobe.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/hindex/f/hippocampus.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/memory.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/cognitivepsychology/a/memory.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/hindex/f/hippocampus.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/tindex/f/temporal-lobe.htm
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    Unit - human brain

    The occipital lobe is located at the back portion of the brain and isassociated with interpreting visual stimuli and information. The primary

    visual cortex, which receives and interprets information from the retinasof the eyes, is located in the occipital lobe. Damage to this lobe cancause visual problems such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inabilityto identify colors, and trouble recognizing words.

    Function:

    The cerebrum is involved in several functions of the body including: Determining Intelligence Determining Personality Thinking Perceiving Producing and Understanding Language Interpretation of Sensory Impulses Motor Function Planning and Organization Touch Sensation

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    Unit - human brain

    2 )The brain stem is comprised of the hindbrain and midbrain. Thehindbrain contains structures including medulla, the pons and the reticularformation.

    The Hindbrain

    The hindbrain is the structure that connects the spinal cord to the brain.

    The medulla is located directly above the spinal cord and controls manyvital autonomic functions such as heart rate, breathing and bloodpressure.

    The pons connects the medulla to the cerebellum and helps coordinatemovement on each side of the body.

    The reticular formation is a neural network located in the medulla thathelps control functions such as sleep and attention

    The midbrain is the smallest region of the brain that acts as a sort of relaystation for auditory and visual information.

    The midbrain controls many important functions such as the visual andauditory systems as well as eye movement. Portions of the midbrain calledthe red nucleus and the substantia nigra are involved in the control ofbody movement. The darkly pigmented substantia nigra contains a largenumber of dopamine-producing neurons are located. The degeneration ofneurons in the substantia nigra is associated with Parkinsons disease

    3 )cerebellum

    Sometimes referred to as the "little brain," the cerebellum lies on top of

    the pons, behind the brain stem. The cerebellum is comprised of small

    lobes and receives information from the balance system of the inner ear,

    sensory nerves, and the auditory and visual systems. It is involved in the

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    Unit - human brain

    coordination of motor movements as well as basic facets of memory and

    learning.

    Other part of human brain

    Thalamus

    Located above the brainstem, the thalamus processes and

    relays movement and sensory information. It is essentially a relay station,

    taking in sensory information and then passing it on to the cerebral cortex.

    The cerebral cortex also sends information to the thalamus, which then

    sends this information to other systems.

    hypothalamus

    The hypothalamus is a grouping of nuclei that lie along the base of the

    brain near the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus connects with many other

    regions of the brain and is responsible forcontrolling hunger, thirst,

    emotions, body temperature regulation, and circadian rhythms. The

    hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland by secreting hormones,

    which gives the hypothalamus a great deal of control over many body

    functions.

    Limbic

    The limbic system is comprised of four main structures: theamygdala,

    the hippocampus, regions of the limbic cortex and the septal area.

    These structures form connections between the limbic system and thehypothalamus, thalamus and cerebral cortex. The hippocampus is

    important in memory and learning, while the limbic system itself is central in

    the control of emotional responses.

    http://psychology.about.com/od/hindex/g/hormones.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/amygdala.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/amygdala.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/amygdala.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/aindex/g/amygdala.htmhttp://psychology.about.com/od/hindex/g/hormones.htm