ASSIGNMENT 2
BRAIN ANATOMY AND FUNCTION
The brain is a complex organ that is essential for all body functions. It receives,
processes, interprets, and stores information, as well as being responsible for controlling our
movements. We never think of how the brain completes its functions or the role it has in
everyday tasks. In this essay, we will discuss how specific parts of the brain have a role in
activities such as watching a horror movie, going to a concert, and reading a textbook.
Horror movies have been a joy and oddly enough, a sense of comfort as someone with
anxiety. However, that is not the case for most people when watching a horror movie. Located in
the posterior part of the brain, the occipital lobe allows us to view and process what is being
shown in the movie. When a normal person watches the movie “IT”, their levels of fear and
anxiety may rise and activate their “fight or flight” response. This is where the sympathetic
nervous system comes into play, signaling the body to be ready for a threat, or in this case a
Pennywise the clown scene or a jump scare. When the jump scare finally hits, this event triggers
the medulla to control vital processes such as the heartbeat, breathing and blood pressure.
Most have attended a concert in their lifetime. In fact, the last concert I attended was to
see the artist, Joji in Atlanta, Georgia. At the time, the weather was in the 50’s and we had to
wait outside for hours. In this moment, located in the forebrain, the hypothalamus was trying to
regulate my body temperature, as its main function is to keep the body in a stable state of
homeostasis. Once inside and enjoying the music, the temporal lobe allowed me to process the
auditory stimuli and understand the lyrics being sung, as it contains the auditory cortex. When
singing along to the songs I knew, within the frontal lobe, the Broca’s area interacted with the
flow of sensory information from the temporal cortex, planned the motor movements for speech
and sent that information along the motor cortex.
Reading a textbook is an important task for school, yet often times it is not an enjoyable
one. I tend to struggle to remain focused when reading for school. In those moments, located in
the brainstem, the reticular formation’s ascending networks are controlling output to the
cerebral cortex in order to increase the attention to task. Once able to focus on the material, I can
begin to retain the information, as the Hippocampus allows for learning and memory by taking
in information, temporarily storing it, and sending it to be stored in long-term memory. The urge
to want to reach my phone and check social media begins to invade my mind, however the
frontal lobe allows me to make the right choice to finish my reading and help suppress the need
to look at my phone, as it contains the prefrontal cortex.
The brain consists of many parts that work together to complete every action whether it is
physical or mental. These processes are in constant work in everything we do. Even if we cannot
see the process in real time, the knowledge gathered through research has provided a better
understanding of the brain and its importance in the human body. Understanding how these parts
work individually and in unison allows for a better notion on human behavior and physiology.