brain

• Brain

  Made up of billions of interconnected nerve cells, holds all of our thoughts and memories, responsible for complex behaviors
• Brain regions

  • Cerebral cortex/cerebrum
  • Cerebellum
  • Hypothalamus
  • Brain stem/medulla
• Cerebral cortex/cerebrum

  • Responsible for consciousness, intelligence, memory, language, vision, hearing
• Cerebellum


  • Responsible for controlling balance and muscle coordination
• Hypothalamus

  • Involved in regulating body temperature and sending signals to the pituitary gland
• Brain stem/medulla

  • Controls unconscious activities like breathing and heartbeat
• How scientists study the brain

  1. Study people with brain damage

  2. Electrically stimulate different parts of the brain

  3. Use brain scanning techniques (CT, PET, MRI)
• CT scans are mainly used for seeing which areas of the brain are damaged, whereas PET and MRI scans are better at measuring the underlying brain activity
• If you're shown images that make you sad while in an MRI machine, certain parts of your brain will appear brighter because they're associated with feeling sadness
• If you listen to music while in an MRI machine, you'd see a different pattern of activity in the brain
• Difficulty in treating the brain

  • Wide range of things that can go wrong (tumors, infections, trauma, mental health problems)
  • Brain is encased in the skull and surrounding brain tissue is fragile, making it difficult to physically fix
  • Brain is so complex and we still don't fully understand it, making it difficult to fix with drugs and chemicals