The Brain

• What is the brain responsible for?

  Complex behaviours
• What other organ is part of the central nervous system apart from the brain?

  The spinal cord
• What is the brain made of?

  Billions of neurones
• Where is the cerebral cortex?

  The outer layer of the brain
• What is the cerebral cortex for?

  • Consciousness
  • Intelligence
  • Memory
  • Language
• What is the medulla responsible for?

  Unconscious activities:

  • Breathing
  • Heartbeat
• Where is the medulla?

  On the bottom of the brain near the spinal cord
• Where is the cerebellum?

  Near the back of the brain
• What is the cerebellum responsible for?

  Muscle coordination
• How can scientists study the brain?

  • Studying patients with brain damage
  • Electrically stimulating the brain
  • MRI scans
• How do scientists study the brain by studying patients with brain damage?

  They observe the effect a damaged part of the brain has on behaviour to tell what that part of the brain does
• How do scientists study the brain by electrically stimulating it?


  They push a tiny electrode into the tissue and zap it. By observing what happens when stimulating different parts of the brain they can discern what those parts do
• What does MRI stand for?

  Magnetic resonance imaging
• How do scientists study the brain using an MRI scan?

  The MRI scanner produces a very detailed picture of the brain's structure, they can use it to see what part is active when a patient is doing something
• What can be used to treat Parkinson's disease?

  Electrical stimulation