“I once thought about cloning a new, more
efficient brain, but then I realized that I was
getting a head of myself.”
The Brain is a jellylike mass of fat and protein
weighing about 3 pounds.
It is one of the body's biggest
organs, consisting of some 100
billion nerve cells that create
thoughts, coordinate physical
actions, and regulates our
unconscious processes, such as
digestion and breathing.

The brain stem is located at
the base of the brain

It controls the body’s
reflexes and involuntary
actions like breathing,
sleeping and blood pressure

It lies in front/on top of the brainstem

Is the largest part of the brain, processing
thought, memory, language, sensory
information and movement

It is divided into right and left hemispheres
that are connected by the corpus callosum. Each
hemisphere is in turn divided into four lobes.
Controls
movements
on the right
side of our
bodies
Controls
movements
on the left
side of our
bodies

The brain is divided
into four lobes:
 The frontal lobe
 The parietal lobe
 The occipital lobe
 The temporal lobe
The Frontal lobe
processes speech, thought,
learning, emotion and
movement

 The Occipital lobe processes
vision
 The Parietal lobe processes interprets
touch, heat and pain
 The Temporal lobe processes sounds
sensations like
The second largest part of the
brain (aka “little brain”)

Coordinates muscle movement
and controls balance


Receives information from the
spinal cord and other parts of the
brain

Makes up the lower part
of the brain stem and
regulates breathing,
blood pressure and
heartbeat

Located within the brain
stem and acts as a relay
station for the senses,
movement and it
regulates sleep
The RAS receives input
from many parts of the
brain and sends info
to various parts of the
Cerebral cortex.

It is responsible for
regulating arousal and sleep to awake
transitions.


Relays sensory and motor
signals from around the body
to the cerebral cortex

Regulates consciousness,
alertness and sleep based on
the body’s needs
It regulates:
Food intake and
hunger

The body’s fluid
balance (thirst)


Internal body temperature (controls when the body
sweats to cool off by dilating the blood vessels, or
makes the body shiver to warm up by constricting the
blood vessels)

The hypothalamus also regulates sexual drive

The hypothalamus is responsible for the
monthly female hormonal cycle in humans
through its control of the pituitary gland.

The hypothalamus contains programming for
male and female sexual behavior.

Produces and
distributes
hormones that
control growth,
sexual drive and
hunger.
The hippocampus is
located in the temporal
lobe of the brain.

The hippocampus is
responsible for the
formation of new memory.

Without the hippocampus
one cannot form any new
permanent (long-term) memories.


The amygdala is shaped like a walnut and
located in the lower tip of the hippocampus.

The amygdala is involved in the expression
of emotions, especially fear and rage.

It is also involved in forming and/or storing
the emotions that accompany some
memories, or reconstructing those emotions
when memory is recalled.
The primary auditory cortex is
located in the temporal lobe and it
is responsible for the basic
analysis of sound.


Input from the ears is crossed over: The left
auditory cortex receives input primarily from
the right ear, and the right auditory cortex
receives input primarily from the left ear.

lies at the very back of the brain in the
occipital lobe.

The visual cortex processes visual
information in the brain .

Information from the left visual field, from
both eyes, goes to the right visual cortex.
Information from the right visual field, from
both eyes, goes to the left visual cortex.

Is in the parietal lobe.

The somatosensory cortex receives sensory
information from the thalamus and sensory
receptors on the body’s surface.

This area is at the back of the frontal lobe,
separating the frontal and parietal lobes.
The primary motor cortex
sends impulses to the
muscles of the body.

Why didn’t the brain want to
take a bath?
Answer: Because it didn’t want
to get brain washed!

There are a number of workstations set up
around the classroom. Complete the following:
1.
Complete the activity outlined at the
workstation.
2.
Try to guess what parts of the brain
being used in the activity.
3.
Describe the function of that part of
the brain.