Name _____________________________________ Date _____________ Period ________
LAB - Sheep Brain
Safety - Dissecting equipment is sharp. Use caution.
Procedure1. Line dissecting tray with paper towels.
2. Examine the midsagittal section and a whole sheep brain.
3. Prepare pins with numbers 1 - 13.
4. Using the pictures as a reference, locate and pin the structures listed.
Be careful not to destroy brain tissue.
5. Partners will be graded for the correct placement of the pins as well as the ability to
provide 1 function of each structure in an oral practical.
6. Once you have been graded remove the pins.
7. Return brains to the bucket.
8. Rinse and dry dissenting tray and pins.
9. Leave the lab station CLEAN and DRY.
Structures to pin 1. Cerebrum
2. Corpus callosum
3. Thalamus / 3rd ventricle
4. Optic chiasma
5. Hypothalamus
6. Epithalamus
7. Pituitary gland
8. Midbrain
9. Pons
10. Medulla oblongata
11. 4th ventricle
12. Cerebellum
13. Mammillary body
Other Structures to Locate but NOT pin:
14. Meninges
15. Lateral ventricles
16. White matter
17. Gray matter
Complete this table - Functions of Brain Structures:
Brain part
Function
Located inside the brain stem. Contains cerebrospinal fluid
Located inside the thalamus. Contains cerebrospinal fluid.
Located inside the left & right cerebrum, Contains cerebrospinal
fluid.
For balance, coordination, and posture.
Regulates breathing
Relay center for the brain
Where the optic nerve crosses.
Produces hormones essential for metabolism, sexual maturity, and
growth.
Responsible for visual and auditory reflexes
Responsible for the sucking reflex.
Connects the left and right sides of the brain.
Responsible for conscious thought and decision-making.
Responsible for drives: sex, hunger, thirst, sleep, and body
temperature.
Responsible for blood pressure, vomiting, coughing, hiccoughing,
and swallowing.
Responsible for circadian rhythms.
Provides cushion and protection for the brain.
Makes the cerebrum. Connects gray matter
Makes the cerebrum. Each spot is responsible for a specific
function.