Download Brain Notes Most complex organ in the body It allows us to think

Brain Notes
I. Most complex organ in the body
II.
It allows us to think, have emotions, move, and dream
III.
The brain’s job:
1. receiving information from the rest of the body
2.interpreting that information
3.guiding the body’s response to it
II. Types of input (information received):
1. odors
2. light
3. sounds
4. pain
III.Preforms vital operations such as
1. breathing
2. maintaining blood pressure
3. releasing hormones
IV. Divided into 3 main sections :
1. Hindbrain
2. Limbic System
3. Neocortex
A.Each section is responsible for doing a portions of the brain’s job. Different areas often
share responsibility for the same task
B. The larger areas of the brain are divided into smaller areas that handle smaller portions of
the work
The Hindbrain
- oldest part of the brain
- we share this piece of the brain with reptiles
- in charge of our primal instincts and most basic functions
1. Spinal Cord
a. information superhighway of the body
b. carries information up to the brain and instructions back down
2. Medulla Oblongata
a. part of the Brain Stem
a. Job:
1.Helps control the body's autonomic functions (things you don't need to think about to
perform) like respiration, digestion and heart rate.
2.Also acts as a relay station for nerve signals going to/from the brain
3. Pons
a. part of the Brain Stem
b. Job:
1. Also controls body’s autonomic functions
2. also a relay station for sensory information
3. plays a role in your sleep habits
4.Cerebellum
a. is below and behind the cerebrum, attached to the brain stem
b. Job:
1.motor function
1. the body’s ability to balance
2. ability to interpret information sent to the brain by the ears, eyes, and other sensory
organs
The Limbic System
- sometimes called the “emotional brain”
- in more primitive mammals
- Where our emotions reside and our memory begins
- Where our unconcious value judgements are made
- information going through the Limbic System are filed under “agreeable and disagreeable”
- plays a role in salience (what grabs your attention), spontaneity, and creativity
1. Diencephalon
a. inside the cerebrum, above the brain stem.
b. Job:
1. sensory function
2. food intake control
3. body’s ability to sleep
c. Divided into sections:
1. thalamus: the relay station of the brain. Most sensory signals pass through here
on their way to other parts of the brain. Also plays a part of motor control
2. hypothalamus: controls many of the body’s functions.
- monitors and controls your circadian rhythms (your daily
sleep/wake cycle)
- homeostasis (making sure your body is running smoothly)
- appetite
- thirst
3. epithalamus: the connection between the limbic system and other parts of the
brain
2. Amygdala
a. latin name for almond, which is it’s shape
b. storing and classifying emotionally charged memories
c. produces our emotions, especially fear
d. triggers responses such as sweaty palms, freezing, increased heart-beat/ respiration and
stress hormone release
3. Hippocampus (RAM on the computer)
a. memory formation
b. classifying information
c. long-term memory
The Neocortex
- most advanced part of the brain
- shared with primates and dolphins
- human has the largest neocortex
- power to develop language, abstract thought, consciousness, and imagination
- divided into two hemispheres
- the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body
- the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body
- right side of the brain: artistic, spatial, and musical
- left side of the brain: colder, linear, rational, and verbal aspects
1.Cerebrum
a. largest part of the brain (wrinkly gray blob)
b. wrinkles are called cortex
i. where the majority of brain cells (neurons) are
c. Job:
i. speech
ii. senses
iii.
emotional response
iv. memory
d. divided into several sections called lobes
i. Frontal Lobe(white house): reasoning, problem solving, judgement, impulse control
1. last thing to develop- occurs when we are young adults
2. higher emotions such as empathy and altruism
3. motor control and memory
ii. Temporal Lobe: process sounds and form memories
iii.
Parietal Lobe: make sense of all of the different bits of information that is
bombarding your brain
1. processing pain and touch sensation
2. movement, orientation, recognition, and speech
3. Wernicke’s Area: language recognition
iv. Occipital Lobe: process all the things you see
2. Broca’s Area
a. controls speech, languge recognition, and facial nerves
3. Corpus Callosum
a. Neural bridge that connects the two hemispheres to each other, located centrally in the
brain