Your Amazing Brain
What is your brain made of?
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•
•
•
100 billion neurons
78% water
Nerve cells
Connective tissue
Cerebral Cortex
• This is the largest part of
the brain. It is divided into
two parts: the right and
left hemispheres.
• The right is responsible
for artistic expression
• The left is responsible for
problem solving,
decisions, and language.
The Brain Stem
• This is in the
bottom of the brain,
at the top of the
spinal cord. It has 2
main parts: the
pons and the
medulla.
• It controls sleeping,
awakening,
dreaming.
The Limbic System
• This is found deep
inside the brain. It is
made up of several
parts including the
hippocampus and the
amygdala. It is
responsible for
learning, memory, and
emotions. This part of
the brain is greatly
affected by drugs,
such as alcohol and
nicotine.
The Cerebellum
• The cerebellum is the
part of the brain located
in the back of the head. It
controls posture,
movement, and the sense
of balance.
• Playing basketball,
dancing, picking up your
backpack all require this
part of the brain.
Frontal Lobe
• Located behind the
forehead.
• Responsible for
initiating and
coordinating motor
movements and
problem solving
Parietal Lobe
• Located behind the
frontal lobe
• Processes sensory
information from the
whole body
(information about
pain, touch, and
pressure)
Occipital Lobe
• Located in the
back of the brain
• Processes all
the visual
information
coming into the
brain
Temporal lobe
• Located behind the
temples and just
above the ears
• In charge of making
sense of the
information you hear
• Integrates information
from various senses
such as smell and
vision
3 Ways to “See” the Brain
• MRI = Magnetic
resonance imaging
• PET = Positron
emission tomography
• SPECT = Single
photon emission
computed
tomography
MRI
SPECT
PET Scan
Sketch it on the left side of your
notebook
Quiz
1. If you were in a car accident and you
damaged the right hemisphere of your
brain you would probably have difficulty in
what class?
– A. math
– B. reading
– C. art
– D. Science
Quiz
2. If you simply cannot remember anything!
What part of your brain is not functioning
properly?
– A. cerebral cortex
– B. Cerebellum
– C. Hippocampus
– D. Amygdala
Quiz
3. You are an excellent basketball player
and you love to play the piano. What part
of your brain do you use for these two
things?
– A. Cerebellum
– B. Hippocampus
– C. Cerebral Cortex
– D. Brain Stem
Quiz
4. What is the largest part of your brain?
– A. Brain stem
– B. Cerebellum
– C. Cerebral Cortex
– D. Temporal lobe