5.2.2 The Brain

• When we view images of the brain we are generally looking at a cross section of brain. What is a cross section? 

  A view into the inside of something made by cutting through it.
• Which structure is highlighted in this image?

  Cerebral cortex (cerebrum).

  
• How many hemispheres is the cerebral cortex split into?

  Two.
• What are the roles of the cerebral cortex?

  • Consciousness
  • Memory
  • Interpreting senses
• Which structure is highlighted in this image?

  Cerebellum.

  
• What are the roles of the cerebellum?

  • Muscle coordination
  • Balance
• What is the medulla responsible for?

  Coordinating unconscious activities.
• What is an example of an unconscious activity?

  Regulating breathing rate.
• What is responsible for body temperature regulation?

  The hypothalamus.
• Where in the brain is the medulla found?

  In the brain stem.
• Studying the brain involves matching specific regions of the brain with specific functions. What are the three main ways that scientists can do this? 

  • Studying people with brain damage
  • Electrically stimulating different parts of the brain
  • Scanning the brain
• What are the three main reasons treating the brain is so difficult? 

  • There is a huge range of things that can go wrong, from mental illness to infection
  • It is encased within the skull, so is hard to access
  • It is very complicated, so hard to target with medications
• The brain controls complex behaviour. It is made of billions of interconnected neurones and has different regions that carry out different functions.