Parts of the Brain

• Cerebrum


  The most anterior part of the brain, located in the front of the area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right. It is responsible for the integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary activity in the body.
• Cerebellum


  The part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates. Its function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity, balance, movement, and coordination.
• Brain stem


  The center trunk of the brain that continues downward to form the spinal cord. Takes in, sends out signals, and coordinates all of the brain's messages. Controls vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, swallowing, and digestion.
• Corpus Callosum


  A broad band of nerves that connects the left and right hemispheres of the cerebrum.
• Cerebral Hemispheres


  The two halves of the cerebrum part of the brain.
• Lobes


  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Occipital lobes
  • Temporal lobes
• Motor cortex


  The part of the brain where nerve impulses initiate voluntary muscular activity.
• Frontal lobe


  Play a large role in your behavior and personality, such as planning, voluntary muscle movements, mood, emotions, social interactions, and attention, and are also involved in memory retrieval and storage.
• Parietal lobe


  Responsible for sensing touch, spatial processing, language, and memory.
• Sensory cortex


  All received sensory input signals, such as touch and taste, are sent through neurons to the sensory cortex to be processed.
• Conscious


  Having knowledge of and being aware.
• Occipital lobes


  Primarily responsible for visual perception, and are involved in some forms of visual, short-term memory.
• Visual cortex


  The part of the cerebral cortex that receives and processes sensory nerve input from the eyes.
• Optic nerves


  A pair of nerves transmitting input signals to the brain from the retina at the back of the eye.
• Temporal Lobes


  Process smell, sound, recognizing and understanding words and languages, visual memory.
• Auditory cortex


  The part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory input signals.
• Olfactory bulbs


  The structure in front of the brain responsible for receiving and processing smells.
• Olfactory tracts


  The nerve Ξbers that connect the olfactory bulbs to the temporal lobes.
• Hypothalamus


  A region of the brain below the thalamus that coordinates the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep, and emotional activity.
• Thalamus


  Either of two masses of gray matter lying between the cerebral hemispheres, relaying sensory information and acting as a center for pain perception.
• Pituitary gland


  A tiny organ that serves as the primary gland for the body, producing several hormones and activating other glands to produce hormones.
• Optic chiasm


  The X-shaped structure formed at the point below the brain where the two optic nerves cross each other.
• The cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes, including the frontal lobe.