PSYCHOLOGY COURSES/WOODMAN
Functions of Brain
"The human brain is the most fascinating three pounds
of matter on this planet, maybe even in the universe."
The human brain weighs only 3 pounds and is about the size of a
large grapefruit. Other animals have different sized brains. A sperm
whale's brain weighs only 4 pounds (think about the whale's size
compared to the size of its brain), a dog's brain weighs 72 grams, and a
gorilla's brain weighs about 1 pound. That means that compared to our
size, humans have pretty large brains. Our brains are made mostly of
water (78 percent), fat (10 percent), and protein (8 percent). A living
brain is so soft that you could cut it with a butter knife.
Brain Parts
Lobes of the Brain
Scientists divide the brain into
four different sections which
are called lobes. The lobes are
responsible for many different
things such as emotions,
reasoning, hearing, vision, and
more responsibilities. Read the
chart below to learn lots of
interesting facts about your
brain lobes.
Functions
Frontal Lobe
Location
The frontal lobe
is found in the
area around
your forehead.
Parietal Lobe
Location
The parietal
lobes are found
behind the
frontal lobes,
above the
temporal lobes,
and at the top
back of the
brain.
Temporal Lobe
Location
The temporal
lobes are found
on either side
of the brain and
just above the
ears.
Occipital Lobe
Location
Characteristics
It is concerned with
emotions, reasoning,
planning, movement,
and parts of speech.
It is also involved in
purposeful acts such
as creativity,
judgment, problem
solving, and planning.
Characteristics
They are connected
with the processing
of nerve impulses
related to the
senses, such as touch,
pain, taste, pressure,
and temperature.
They also have
language functions.
Characteristics
The temporal lobes
are responsible for
hearing, memory,
meaning, and
language. They also
play a role in emotion
and learning. The
temporal lobes are
concerned with
interpreting and
processing auditory
stimuli.
Characteristics
The occipital
lobe is found in
the back of the
brain.
The occipital lobe is
involved with the
brain's ability to
recognize objects. It
is responsible for our
vision.
Brain Anatomy
Neurons
Your brain is full of billions of microscopic cells. Many of these cells are
special messengers called neurons. Neuron means "nerve cell." We have
about 100 billion neurons in our body. To picture the size of a neuron,
think about the fact that 30,000 neurons can fit on the head of a pin!
Neurons carry special signals back and forth throughout your body.
Billions of neurons are chained together in a network of nerves. Nerves
are a large amounts of neurons linked together in a small place. Your
nerves send tiny electronic signals through your body to the brain stem
and to the main brain.
The neurons inside your brain have three basic parts. Every tiny neuron
consists of a cell body, an axon and a dendrite. Neurons "talk" to each
other by sending chemicals to each other across a very tiny space called
a synapse. Learning happens when two neurons "talk" to each other. As
the brain makes connections, it actually grows dendrites and makes
stronger synapses. That means that the more you learn, the heavier your
brain gets! So that means you really can "grow" a better brain.
Do people loose brain cells as they get older? Yes, you loose brain cells
every day because of decay and disuse. Scientists aren't sure how many
you loose each day but you don't need to worry. You have enough to last
for your whole lifetime.
Some people think that your brain can never grow new neurons. That
isn't true. Scientists have found that one area of the brain called the
hippocampus can grow new neurons. They are doing more research to see
if there are other areas of the brain that regrow neurons.
Glial Cells
You've probably never heard of a glial cell. That's because when people
talk about brain cells, they usually only think of neurons. But did you
know that without glial cells your the neurons wouldn't work? So without
glial cells we wouldn't have working neurons, and without neurons there
would be no point of glial cells. About 90 percent of your brain cells are
glial cells (the other 10 percent are neurons) which means that we have
about 1,000 billion of them. Did you know that glial means "glue?" These
cells are called glial or "glue" because they act like little ropes for
neurons to hold on to when the brain is being formed. Otherwise,
scientists think they act like housekeepers for neurons. Glial cells attach
themselves to neurons and feed them. Unlike neurons, they are able to
reproduce, so your brain can make as many as it needs.
Do you know what famous scientist had a whole lot of glial cells in his
brain? The answer is Albert Einstein. The scientists who studied his
brain found a huge number of glial cells in a specific area of his brain.
The scientists think this means that this area of Einstein's brain showed
more use than the same area in any other brain ever studied.
Here is a table of some other parts of the brain you might be interested
in learning more about:
Part
The Cerebral
Cortex
Location
This newspaper
sized "white
matter" is the 1/4"
outside covering of
both brain
hemispheres.
Part
Location
Cerebellum
The cerebellum is a
cauliflower-shaped
structure located in
the lower part of
the brain next to
the occipital area
and the brain stem.
Part
Location
Functions
Other Facts
The cerebral
cortex controls
your thinking,
voluntary
movements,
language, reasoning,
and perception.
In higher mammals
the cortex looks
like it has lots of
wrinkles, grooves
and bumps. Grooves
and bumps are also
called "gyros."
Cortex is the Latin
word for "bark."
Functions
Other Facts
The cerebellum
controls your
movement, balance,
posture, and
coordination. New
research has also
linked it to
thinking, novelty,
and emotions.
Functions
Hypothalamus The hypothalamus
The hypothalamus
is part of the limbic controls your body
system. It is
temperature,
located in the
emotions, hunger,
internal portion of thirst, appetite,
the brain under the digestion and sleep.
thalamus.
Part
Location
Functions
The very word
cerebellum comes
from the Latin
word "little brain."
Other Facts
The hypothalamus
is composed of
several different
areas and is located
at the base of the
brain. It is only the
size of a pea (about
1/300 of the total
brain weight), but is
responsible for
some very
important
behaviors.
Other Facts
Thalamus
The thalamus is
part of the limbic
system so it is
located in the
internal portion of
the brain or the
center of the brain.
Part
Location
The thalamus
controls your
sensory integration
and motor
integration.
Functions
The thalamus
recieves sensory
information and
relays it to the
cerebral cortex.
The cerebral
cortex also sends
information to the
thalamus which
then transmits this
information to
other parts of the
brain and the brain
stem.
Other Facts
Pituitary Gland The pituitary gland The pituitary gland Without your
is part of the limbic
system although it
hangs below the
rest of the limbic
system.
Part
Pineal Gland
Part
Amygdala
Location
The pineal gland is
part of the limbic
system so it is
located in the
internal portion of
the brain.
Location
The almond shaped
amygdala is part of
the limbic system
so it is located in
the internal portion
of the brain.
controls your
hormones and it
helps to turn food
to energy.
Functions
The pineal gland
controls your
growing and
maturing.
Functions
The amygdala
(there are two of
them) control your
emotions such as
regulating when
you're happy or
mad.
pituitary gland, you
could eat but you
wouldn't get any
energy from the
food.
Other Facts
I bet you didn't
know that your
pineal gland is
activated by light
so if you were born
and lived all your
life in a place
without a trace of
light your pineal
gland would never
start to work.
Other Facts
Your amygdala is
very important.
Without it you
could win the
lottery and feel
nothing. You
wouldn't be happy.
Part
Location
Functions
Other Facts
Hippocampas
The crescent
shaped hippocampus
is found deep in the
temporal lobe, in
the front of the
limbic system.
The hippocampas
forms and stores
your memories
(scientists think
there are other
things unknown
about the
hippocampas) and is
involved in learning.
Your hippocampus is
one of the most
important parts of
your brain. If you
didn't have it, you
wouldn't be able to
remember anything.
People with
Alzheimer's
Disease loose the
functioning of their
hippocampas.
Part
Location
Functions
Other Facts
Mid-brain
The mid-brain is an
area located in the
middle of the brain
behind the frontal
lobes.
The mid-brain
controls your
breathing, reflexes,
and swallowing
reflexes.
The mid-brain
includes the
thalamus,
hippocampus, and
amygdala. Every
living thing has to
have a mid-brain.