Role of the brain

• Role of Brain


  Largest part of nervous system

  
  

  Controls behaviours

  
  

  Regulates all psychological behaviours
• Major divisions of the Brain

  forebrain, midbrain, hindbrain
• Forebrain


  Purpose = higher order of thinking

  Covered by cerebral cortex

  
  

  3 parts:

  Cerebrum

  Hypothalamas

  Thalamas
• Midbrain


  Connects the forebrain + hindbrain

  Regulates arousal lvls, attention and consciousness

  
  

  Made up of the reticular activating system (RAS)
• Hindbrain


  Supports the body + links the spinal cord and brain

  
  

  3 parts:

  Medulla

  Pons

  Cerebellum
• Reticular activating system (RAS)


  Network of neurons connecting the hindbrain + forebrain
• Medulla


  Controls breathing, heartbeat, digestion
• Pons


  Recieves visual info = control eye + body actions
• Cerebellum


  Coordinates sequence of body movements
• Cerebrum


  Largest part of the forebrain

  
  

  Left + right cerbral hemispheres = higher mental proccess + complex behaviours
• Hypothalamus


  Regulates autonomic (sleep, heartbeat, body temp)

  
  

  Instincts = flight, flee, fight, freeze
• Thalamus


  'Communication centre'

  
  

  Recieve sensory info then gives to cortex (except smell)
• Corpus Callosm


  Set of fibres connecting the two cerebral hemispheres