So Who Am I?I am the cerebrum, but my friends call me the

“brain”. I work at the very top of the company, my office is in the skull. I couldn’t be here today without my team, so I would also like to thank the brain stem and the cerebellum for helping me be who I am for this company.

My DepartmentWe function in the central nervous system. Some recent accomplishments for our

department include:

Take care of all the communication between the systems of the body using neurons. Without our department, all the other departments would fail to work together.

We take care of the emergencies within the other departments. If the immune system gets sick, we tell the rest of the body how to adjust. If you burn your hand, we are the department that tells the body we are in pain and need to get help.

We are where the company learns and tries new things. Without our department, the body cannot grow and change as we get older.

Although we stopped developing at 5 years, we will continue to make new connections which will help the body work better as a company.

Even though the body has no “battery” my department uses “electricity” to fire off our communications and when the “wires” to any part of the body get “cut off” we lose the ability to control that part of the body.

What do we need to keep doing our part of the company going strong?

1. Skeletal system - my department is at risk of hostile takeovers from outside influences. As a result, we need a strong backbone and thick skull to keep us from getting damaged. The support and protection we get from the skeleton will keep our department from getting hurt.

2. Vitamin B in all its forms – there are lots of types of vitamin B and all of them help me and my central nervous system work better. Some make our communications stronger and faster, others keep parts of my department from falling apart all together

3. Protection from head and back injuries – wearing a helmet when playing sports and riding bikes, as well as being careful when hurting your back will keep accidents from permanently damaging my department’s role in the body

Some negative future directions for myself and my department

1. Diseases caused by the breakdown of brain cells: Alzheimer’s (lose your memory), Parkinson’s (shake and lose dexterity), Multiple Sclerosis (loss of vision, loss of balance, pain and fatigue),

2. Injuries: Spinal cord damage (paralysis) , concussions (vision, balance, memory), encephalitis (swelling of the brain – many side effects possible)

3. Sudden attacks: aneurysm (thinning or bulging of veins or arteries in brain – if they burst can lead to a stroke), stroke (known as a “brain attack” these are life threatening to the company), Meningitis (swelling of the layer on top of the brain – can lead to the department to cease functioning correctly and can even be life threatening to the company)

4. Brain Tumors: Growths which will cause me to be attacked in a harmful manner and will eventually lead to the company to cease functioning if not removed or if they continue to grow back.

Comparisons between our work and the work of the heart with its department

1. You need both of us to live, one can’t function without the other.

2. We are both measured by fists. I am two fists, the heart is one fist.

3. We are both “mushy” and protected by the skeleton.

Contrasts between our work and the work of the heart with its department

1. The heart controls the flow of the blood, I control the flow of the neurons

2. When the body, our company, gets “hurt” I tell the other systems how to stop the pain, but the heart only can stop the pain in its own system

3. You make the heart stronger with exercise, but you make me stronger by thinking a lot.

5 things our company, the body, can’t do without me, the brain

My frontal lobe allows the body to process what we read. The body needs this information to stay informed about the world around us.

5 things our company, the body, can’t do without me, the brain

My department contains the cerebellum which controls balance and posture. Without balance the body, our company, can’t perform beautiful moves.

5 things our company, the body, can’t do without me, the brain

My temporal lobe receives information about what the company hears. This allows the body to make and enjoy beautiful music.

5 things our company, the body, can’t do without me, the brain

Without me, the brain, you can’t hit the ball because you wouldn’t be able to keep our eye on the ball. My occipital lobe controls the body’s vision.

5 things our company, the body, can’t do without me, the brain

My frontal lobe is important for problem solving, reasoning, and planning. Our company will need to be good at problem solving in the future.

The End

Thank you for taking the time to listen to your brain.