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And the little bit we know about it Human Brain And the little bit we know about it

Protecting your Brain Your brain has two layers of protection . . . Skull – the large bone that protects your brain and most of your sensory organs (eyes, ears, tongue, nose) Meninges – this is the tough thick membrane that surrounds the brain filled with cerebro-spinal fluid, which cushions the brain (sometimes referred to as the dura matter) Meningitis is a disease in which the meninges becomes inflamed and swollen putting pressure on the brain

Parts There are many different ways to separate the brain into parts. Sometimes they are separated by the parts we can distinguish Sometimes we separate them by what parts of the body that part of the brain controls Cerebrum Limbic System

Cerebrum This is the largest part of the brain consisting of the Frontal Lobe – controls our personality Parietal Lobe - receives and interprets the senses of touch, pressure, temperature, and pain Occipital Lobe - visual processing center of the brain Temporal Lobe - auditory center The cerebrum is convoluted (it is really bumpy) The wrinkles in the brain are called sulci The bumps on the brain are called gyri

Limbic System The limbic system consists of many parts: Thalamus – controls sleep and wake cycles as well as receiving sensory information and relaying it to the correct part of the brain Hypothalamus – Regulates homeostasis by keeping track of hunger, thirst, response to stimuli, pulse, breathing, etc . . . Amygdala – controls fear, aggression, and sexual response Hippocampus – converts short term memory to long term memory

Corpus Callosum This is located directly above the limbic system This is the part of the brain that bridges the right and left hemispheres It acts to coordinate information between the two sides of the brain

Pons The pons takes sensory input and transmits it to the cerebellum. It is the a way for the cerebrum and the cerebellum to communicate with one another

Medulla Controls autonomic (think automatic functions, stuff that happens without your thinking about it) functions Respiration Blood pressure Swallowing Reflexes Relay center between the brain and the spinal cord This is the part of the brain they suppress when we go under anesthsia

Cerebellum Spinal Cord The cerebellum controls motor coordination, balance, equilibrium, and muscle tone. Spinal Cord The spinal cord controls reflex arcs and is where all other nerves in the body below the head stem from. This is why severing the spinal cord (breaking your neck or back) can cause death or paralysis, because then the nerves in the rest of your body cannot communicate with your brain

Reflex Arc A stimulus causes and initial signal. The signal travels down the sensory nerve to the spinal cord. The spinal cord determines appropriate response and sends a signal down a motor nerve. The motor nerve is connected to a muscle. When the signal reaches the terminal end of the nerve the nerve stimulates the muscle to contract.

Fun stuff to try Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere Language Are you Right or Left Dominant? Left Hemisphere Right Hemisphere Language Spatial abilities Math Face recognition Logic Visual imagery Music

Schwann Cell Dendrite Cell Body Axon Myelin Sheath Terminal Button Neuro-transmitter Neuron Cerebrum Cerebellum Central Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System Spinal Cord Reflex Habit Spinal Column Reflex Arc Medulla Synapse Sensory Nerves Motor Nerves Interneurons Action Potential Meninges Skull Resting Potential Node Threshold Response Nerve