THE BRAIN

DEFINITION: The part of the CNS located within the skull composed of 100 billion neurons and even more glia cells weighs 3 pounds

FUNCTION primary receiver, organizer and distributor of information for the body

Cerebrum

Cerebrum (7/8 of human brain) Associated with higher brain functions such as thought and action.

How do we know what each part of the cerebrum does? MRI Surgery Watch Amazing Medical Stories

Cerebrum Divided into 4 lobes Frontal: Parietal: Occipital: Temporal: Memory, intelligence, behavior, emotions, motor function, smell Pain, touch, hot cold, speech Vision, speech Hearing, smell, memory, speech

The surface of the cerebrum is highly folded. Ridges = gyri Grooves = sulci Deep grooves= fissures What is the purpose of all these folds?

Folds increase surface area. Use the pictures to make an analogy.

Left hemisphere Right hemisphere Sometimes the right hemisphere is associated with creativity and the left hemispheres is associated with logic abilities. The corpus callosum is a bundle of axons which connects these two hemispheres.

Diencephalon

Thalamus -interprets all senses except smell -synapses for voluntary movement Hypothalamus -controls the autonomic nervous system -coordinates the nervous and endocrine systems Epithalamus -regulates the sleep cycle

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Brain stem: Responsible for basic life functions such as Breathing Heartbeat Blood pressure Scientists say that this is the "simplest" part of human brains because a reptile’s (who appear early on the evolutionary scale) entire brain resembles our brain stem.

Cerebellum (Little brain) -associated with regulation and coordination of movement, posture, and balance What happens when our movements are not fine tuned? Link

Brain Facts

1. By the time you were born you lost _____ of the neurons you had as a fetus. A. 10% B. 25% C. 50% 2. As a teenager you ( lose / gain ) neurons as your body streamlines itself for optimal function.

3. Your brain is an energy hog 3. Your brain is an energy hog. It occupies 2% of your body but uses _____ of your energy when you are at rest. A. 10% C. 50% B. 20% D. 75% 4. The more you repeat something the more brain space is dedicated to it. For example, in musicians the part of the brain that controls fingers used to play an instrument is up to 130% larger than in a non-musician. True or False?

5. Once you learn a task your brain shuffles it to a lower level of consciousness to save energy. If you move it into a conscious level you may make a mistake. True or False? 6. Stress can shrink your brain. True or False?

Brain Health (whole grains, dairy, fruit) 7. Caffeine 8. Glucose Perform better than your peers by increasing short-term memory and attention Eat 2 servings a week to gain omega 3 fatty acids for proper brain development and enhanced memory Protect your brain from free-radicals and increase your ability to learn Contain antioxidants that prevent cognitive decline In small quantities can boost energy and help you focus Get the blood flowing to the brain with these foods Offers short-term boost to memory, thinking processes, and mental ability 7. Caffeine 8. Glucose 9. A healthy breakfast (whole grains, dairy, fruit) 10. Fish 11. Nuts and chocolate 12. Avocados and whole grains 13. Blueberries

In addition to eating healthy… Get a good nights sleep Stay hydrated Exercise Reduce stress