THE BRAIN

Submitted by:

Lakshmi saranga

Natural science

Reg no: 13 383 007

BRAIN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION

OVERVIEW

introduction The brain Parts of brain Four lobes of brain Conclusion Reference

INTRODUCTION

“If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t”

-Emerson Pugh, The Biological Origin of Human Values (1977)

THE BRAIN

Most complex organ of the body

Only weighs 1,300 grams

Contains billions of neural networks that interact to create human behaviour

PARTS OF THE BRAIN

THALAMUS Relays messages

CEREBELLUM Coordination

and balance

BRAINSTEM Heart rate and breathing

Brainstem responsible for

automatic survival functions

Medullacontrols

heartbeat and breathing

THE CEREBELLUM

regulates equilibrium, muscle tone, postural control, fine movement and coordination of voluntary muscle movement.

THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

Cerebral Cortex the body’s

ultimate control and information processing center

Thalamus- filters sensory information, controls mood states and body movement associated with emotive states

Hypothalamus- ‘Central control’ for pituitary gland. Regulates autonomic, emotional, endocrine and somatic function. Has a direct involvement in stress and mood states.

Medulla oblongata- Conscious control of skeletal muscles, balance, co-ordination regulating sound impulses in the inner ear, regulation of automatic responses such as heart rate, swallowing, vomiting, coughing and sneezing

THE LOBES OF THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES

THE LOBES OF THE CEREBRAL HEMISPHERES

Planning, decision making speech

Sensory

AuditoryVision

THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

Frontal Lobes involved in speaking and

muscle movements and in making plans and judgments

the “executive” Parietal Lobes

include the sensory cortex

THE CEREBRAL CORTEX Occipital Lobes

include the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field

Temporal Lobes include the auditory areas, each of which

receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear

CONCLUSION

The human brain is an amazing and complex structure.The function of the brain is to exert centralized control over the other organs of the body. The brain acts on the rest of the body both by generating patterns of muscle activity and by driving the secretion of hormones.This centralized control allows rapid and coordinated responses to changes in the environment. Some basic types of reflexes can be mediated by the spinal cord but sophisticated purposeful control of behavior based on complex sensory input requires the information integrating capabilities of a centralized brain.

REFERENCES Boyd (2002). Psychiatric Nursing , contemporary practice .Lippincott, USA Rosenweig, Breedlove and Leiman (2002) Biological Psychology: an

introduction to cognitive, behavioural and clinical neuroscience 3rd Edition.Sineur Associates , Inc USA.

Stuart and Laraia (2005) Prinicples and Practice of Psychiatric Nursing. Mosby, USA.

Barlow and Durand (2005). Abnormal Psychology, and intergrated approach.Thompson/Wadsworth, Australia.

Leonard BE (1997). Fundamentals in Psychopharmacology. 2nd ed. Chichester: Wiley & Sons.

Purves DE, Augustine GJ, Fitzpatrick D, et al. (eds). Neuroscience. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates, Inc; 1997.

Lundbeck Institute, www.brainexplorer.com Blakemore & Frith (2005). The Learning Brain. Blackwell Publishing Begley (2005). The blood brain Barrier. Gauchers News May 2005c