Parts of the Brain

Three parts of the brain

Hindbrain (lower)

Mid brain

Forebrain (upper)

HindbrainBrain Stem:

the center of involuntary actions: balance, breathing, heartbeat

Medulla: monitors the body’s response to injury, blood pressure, and reflexes such as sneezing and laughing

Reticular Activating System: Involved in sleeping and wakefulness

Begins in hindbrain, rises thru midbrain

HindbrainPons:

Relay station between cerebellum and cerebral cortex

Regulating body movement, attention, sleep/alertness

CerebellumResponsible for movement, balance, and posture

Coordination – if damaged, can cause someone to walk unsteady or fall

Midbrain

Top inch of the brain stemConnecting station for nerve signals

Contains part of the reticular activating system; passes signals from hindbrain to forebrain

Involved in vision and hearing

Forebrain

Limbic systemControls emotional response

Hypothalamus:The size of a pea. Controls body temp. and regulates the pituitary gland

Helps control hunger/thirst

ForebrainThalamus

Relays information from the body to the brain

Gets back information that is sent to other parts of the brain and spinal cord

Cerebrum2/3 of brain, 70% of weight

Divided into 2 hemispheres, each w/ 4 lobes

covered by cerebral cortex (outermost “bark” of the brain)

Two hemispheres: right v. left

The two hemispheres are connected by a bundle of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum

Corpus callosum allows the two sides to communicate with each other

Four lobes of the brainFrontal

located in the front of the brain, behind the forehead

Core of a person’s personality and emotional reactions

Socially appropriate behavior:Judgment

Problem-solving

Impulse control

Reasoning

Memory and ability to plan

Four lobes of the brain

TemporalLocated behind your ears

Responsible for hearing, music, understanding speech, and memory for nonverbal events

Memory

Hearing

Recognition

Perception

Hearing language: Right – non, left - verbal

Four lobes of the brain

Parietal LobeLocated on the top of your head

Your left parietal lobe makes sense of info coming in from the right side of your body; right does the opposite.

Helps you understand body senses, pressure, heat, cold pain, reading, thinking

Four lobes of the brain

Occipital lobeLocated on the back of your head

Responsible for vision – left controls right vision, right controls left vision

Damage can cause blindness

Endocrine SystemThe nervous system’s partner in controlling and coordinating the body’s functions

Hormones:Chemical messengers which are sent into the bloodstream and are responsible for maintaining normal growth, sexual development, and metabolism.

Endocrine System

Glands: the organs and tissues scattered throughout the body that produce hormones.

Glands

Pituitary GlandControlled by hypothalamus

Often called the master gland b/c its hormones influence many of the other endocrine glands.

Growth hormone

Glands

Thyroid GlandProduces energy the body can use from nutrients

An overactive gland will cause you to feel nervous and jittery

An under-active gland will make you feel slow and depressed (and likely gain weight)

Glands

Adrenal GlandInfluences metabolism and physical characteristics

Body shape

Hairiness

Produces adrenalineIn response to stress, fear, and anger