January 7, 2014
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The brain is divided into four main regions:
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Cerebrum

Diancephalon (aka interbrain)
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Brain stem

Cerebellum

Largest region

Responsible for all ‘higher’ brain functions:
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◦
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speech
memory
reasoning
emotion
consciousness
interpretation of sensation
voluntary movement

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Divided into left and
right hemispheres
Wrinkled texture
◦ Raised areas called gyri
◦ Shallow grooves called
sulci
◦ Deep groves called
fissures

The outer part of the cerebrum
– called the cerebral cortex -is composed of gray matter
◦ Gray matter = cell bodies and
unmyelinated nerve fibers
◦ This is where thought,
sensation, etc. occur

The inner part of the cerebrum
is mostly white matter
◦ White matter = mylinated
nerve fibers
◦ This is the connection
between different regions of
the brain

The corpus callosum is one especially important
area of white matter – it’s the connection between
the two cerebral hemispheres
Damage to one of these regions can cause loss of specific
functions (e.g. partial paralysis due to stroke)
BUT
The brain does have some ability to heal itself – to form new
connections or to have one hemisphere take over the job of the
other hemisphere - this is called brain plasticity
Jody’s
story
But also see Phineas
Gage’s story
The diencephalon consists of three parts:

thalamus

epithalamus (completely enclosed by thalamus)

hypothalamus
structures that are part of the diencephalon
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Regulation of autonomic functions, including
◦ Body temperature
◦ Water balance
◦ Metabolism
Control of endocrine system
Limbic system – emotional / visceral brain (sex,
food, thirst, pain, pleasure)
Mostly, these functions are
done by the hypothalamus
The brain stem consists of three parts
 Midbrain
 Pons
 Medulla
oblongata
Controls many autonomic functions, including:
 Breathing
 Blood pressure
 Heart rate
Also allows passage of nerves fibers between
brain and spinal cord
Back of the brain, beneath cerebrum
Like cerebrum, it has
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
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Two hemispheres
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Wrinkled surface
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Outer cortex made of gray matter outside and
inner region of white matter
Functions:
• Balance
• Coordination of
muscles
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Do the diagrams and questions on your
guided notes
Following a stroke, a person develops the
symptoms listed below. Which part of the
brain was damaged?


ataxia (an inability to coordinate muscular
movement)
cerebellum
Drooping left side of face
right cerebral hemisphere


Fluid that surrounds and protects brain and
spinal cord
Produced by the choroid plexuses from
blood plasma, and drains back into the blood
 Some diseases can be
diagnosed by
examining CSF
collected during a
spinal tap
Which glial cells are involved
with CSF?
What do they do?


Fluid that surrounds and protects brain and
spinal cord
Produced by the choroid plexuses from
blood plasma, and drains back into the blood
 Some diseases can be
diagnosed by
examining CSF
collected during a
spinal tap
Which glial cells are involved
with CSF? ependymal
What do they do? Circulate CSF

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Protects the brain from toxins, most drugs,
and fluctuations in other chemicals such as
ions
Two major barriers
◦ Relatively impermeable brain capillaries
◦ Astrocytes which control flow of
materials from blood vessels to
neurons
Why is the blood brain barrier necessary?
Does the blood brain barrier
block the passage of alcohol?
Why is the blood brain barrier necessary?
Without a controlled environment, uncontrolled
neural activity might occur
Does the blood brain barrier
block the passage of alcohol?
No – you can tell by the effects
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What were our objectives, and what did you
learn about them.
What was our learner profile trait and how did
we exemplify it?
How does what we did today address our unit
question?
For the following questions,
A = cerebrum, B= diencephalon
C = brain stem, D = cerebellum
1)
The thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus
constitute the _________________.
2)
Control of temperature, endocrine activity, and
thirst are associated with the ____________.
3)
The area of the brain that controls breathing and
heart rate is the _________________.
4)
A shallow groove on the surface of the cortex is
called a
A) fissure
C) furrow
5)
B) gyrus
D) sulcus
The three major parts of the brain stem are the
A) cerebrum, cerebellum, and diencephalon
B) thalamus, epithalamus, and hypothalamus
C) midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata
D) basal nuclei, pineal body, and choroid
plexus
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EC 1
EC 2
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