Your Amazing Brain

What is your brain made of?

• 100 billion neurons• 78% water• Nerve cells• Connective tissue

Cerebral Cortex

• This is the largest part of the brain. It is divided into two parts: the right and left hemispheres.

• The right is responsible for artistic expression

• The left is responsible for problem solving, decisions, and language.

The Brain Stem

• This is in the bottom of the brain, at the top of the spinal cord. It has 2 main parts: the pons and the medulla.

• It controls sleeping, awakening, dreaming.

The Limbic System

• This is found deep inside the brain. It is made up of several parts including the hippocampus and the amygdala. It is responsible for learning, memory, and emotions. This part of the brain is greatly affected by drugs, such as alcohol and nicotine.

The Cerebellum

• The cerebellum is the part of the brain located in the back of the head. It controls posture, movement, and the sense of balance.

• Playing basketball, dancing, picking up your backpack all require this part of the brain.

Frontal Lobe

• Located behind the forehead.

• Responsible for initiating and coordinating motor movements and problem solving

Parietal Lobe

• Located behind the frontal lobe

• Processes sensory information from the whole body (information about pain, touch, and pressure)

Occipital Lobe

• Located in the back of the brain

• Processes all the visual information coming into the brain

Temporal lobe

• Located behind the temples and just above the ears

• In charge of making sense of the information you hear

• Integrates information from various senses such as smell and vision

3 Ways to “See” the Brain

• MRI = Magnetic resonance imaging

• PET = Positron emission tomography

• SPECT = Single photon emission computed tomography

MRI

PET ScanSPECT

Sketch it on the left side of your notebook

Quiz

1. If you were in a car accident and you damaged the right hemisphere of your brain you would probably have difficulty in what class?– A. math– B. reading– C. art– D. Science

Quiz

2. If you simply cannot remember anything! What part of your brain is not functioning properly?– A. cerebral cortex– B. Cerebellum– C. Hippocampus– D. Amygdala

Quiz

3. You are an excellent basketball player and you love to play the piano. What part of your brain do you use for these two things?– A. Cerebellum– B. Hippocampus– C. Cerebral Cortex– D. Brain Stem

Quiz

4. What is the largest part of your brain?– A. Brain stem– B. Cerebellum– C. Cerebral Cortex– D. Temporal lobe