The brain

• The brain is made up of billions of interconnected nerve cells and holds all of our thoughts and memories, as well as being responsible for our complex behaviors.
• The brain and spinal cord together make up the central nervous system, but apart from simple reflexes, it's the brain that makes all the important decisions.
• The brain is divided into different regions that perform specific functions, such as the cerebral cortex which is responsible for consciousness, intelligence, memory, language, vision, and hearing.
• The cerebral cortex is split into two halves which we call hemispheres, with the left hemisphere controlling the muscles on the right side of our body and the right hemisphere controlling those muscles on the left side.
• The cerebellum is located at the back of the brain and is responsible for controlling our balance and muscle coordination.
• The hypothalamus, located in the middle of the brain, is involved in regulating things like our body temperature and sending signals to the pituitary gland.
• The brain stem, located at the bottom of the brain, connects the brain to the spinal cord and contains the medulla which controls our unconscious activities like breathing and the beating of our hearts.
• Scientists study the brain to learn which parts do what, including studying people with brain damage, electrically stimulating different parts of the brain, and scanning the brain using techniques like ct scans, pet scans, and mri scans.
• Treating the brain is difficult due to a wide range of things that can go wrong with it, including tumors, infections, trauma, and mental health problems.
• The brain is encased within our skull and the surrounding brain tissue is also fragile, making it extremely difficult to physically fix anything like with surgery.
• The brain is complex and we still don't fully understand it, making it difficult to fix things with drugs and chemicals because we don't understand the underlying processes.
• The medulla oblongata regulates heart rate, breathing and blood pressure
• The cerebellum controls balance, posture and coordination
• The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of grey matter that covers most of the surface of the cerebrum.