The Brain

• The brain is responsible for complex behaviours
• Along with the spinal chord, the brain is part of the central nervous systen
• The brain is made up of billions of interconnected neurones
• The brain is in charge of all your complex behaviours. It controls and coordinates everything you do
• We know that different regions of the brain carry out different functions
• Cerebral cortex:

  • This is the outer wrinkly bit. It's responsible for things like consciousness, intelligence, memory and language

  
• Medulla:

  • Controls unconscious activities like breathing and your heartbeat

  
• Cerebellum:

  • Responsible for muscle coordination

  
• Scientists use a range of methods to study the brain
• Scientists use a few different methods to study the brain and map out which bits do what
• Studying patients with brain damage:

  • If a small part of the brain has been damaged, the effect this has on the patient can tell you a lot about what the damaged part of the brain does. E.g. if an area at the back of the brain was damaged by a stroke and the patient went blind, you know that that area has something to do with vision
• Electrically stimulating the brain:

  • The brain can be stimulated electrically by pushing a tiny electrode into the tissue and giving it a small zap of electricity. By observing what stimulating different parts of the brain does, it's possible to get an idea of what those parts do.
  • E.g. when a certain part of the brain (known as the motor area) is stimulated, it causes muscle contraction and movement
• MRI scans:

  • A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner is a big tube-like machine that can produce a very detailed picture of the brain's structures. Scientists use it to find out what areas of the brain are active when people are doing things like listening to music or trying to recall a memory
• Scientists that study the brain are called neuroscientists
• Knowledge of how the brain works has led to the development of treatments for disorders of the nervous system. E.g. electrical stimulation of the brain can help reduce muscle tremors caused by nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease
• The brain is incredibly complex and delicate - the investigation of brain function and any treatment of brain damage or disease is difficult. It also carries risks, such as physical damage to the brain or increased problems with brain function (e.g. difficulties with speech)