The brain

• After this topic, you should know what the main areas of the brain do and how scientists find out about the structure and functions of the brain
• The brain is very complex and coordinates much of our behaviour
• Brain


  Controls everything from walking to complex behaviour as well as thoughts and feelings
• The brain is protected inside the bones of your skull
• Regions of the brain

  Carry out different functions
• Cerebral cortex


  • Concerned with consciousness
  • Intelligence
  • Memory
  • Language
• Cerebellum


  • Concerned mainly with coordinating muscular activity
  • Balance
• Medulla


  • Controls unconscious activities such as heartbeat
  • Movements of the gut
  • Breathing
• The hypothalamus and pituitary gland play a big part in hormone regulation
• Studying people with brain damage has helped discover the functions of different areas
• Finding out about the brain

  1. Studying brain damage

  2. Electrically stimulating different parts

  3. Using MRI scans
• Electrically stimulating different parts of the brain can help understand their functions
• Scientists have developed better ways of taking images of the brain using MRI scans
• The brain is easily damaged and difficult to investigate
• Brain disorders


  Conditions that affect the brain's function
• It is easy to cause unintended damage during brain surgery
• The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of grey matter that covers most of the surface of the cerebrum.
• The cerebellum controls balance, posture and coordination
• The medulla oblongata regulates heart rate, breathing and blood pressure
• The cerebellum controls balance, posture and movement
• The medulla oblongata controls breathing rate and heartbeat
• The pons connects the cerebrum with other parts of the nervous system