1. Your Brain Pawson, PVMHS 2014

2. The neuron

3. 2 hemispheres: Right & Left  In theory – left brain is analytical and objective, right brain is thoughtful and subjective.

4. Regions of the brain  Cerebral hemispheres  Diencephalon  Cerebellum  Brain stem

5. Cerebral hemispheres: The Cerebrum  Comprised of the left and right hemispheres.  What we generally think of when we picture “the brain”  Makes up more than half of the brain mass  The surface is covered with ridges (called gyri) and grooves (called sulci).

6. Lobes of the Cerebrum  Deep grooves called fissures, divide the cerebrum into lobes.  The surface lobes of the cerebrum are:  Frontal  Temporal  Parietal  Occipital

7. Specialized areas of the brain  Somatic sensory area of the cortex  Receives impulses from the body’s sensory receptors  Motor area of the cortex  Sends impulses to skeletal muscles  Broca’s area  Involved in speech

8. Specialized areas of the brain  Cerebral areas involved in special senses  Gustatory area (taste)  Visual area  Auditory area  Olfactory area  Interpretation areas of the cerebrum  Speech/language region  Language comprehension region  General interpretation area

9. Specialized areas of the brain

10. Layers of the cerebrum  Gray matter  Outer layer  Composed mostly of neuron cell bodies  White matter  Myelinated axons  Transmits signals from one region of the cerebrum to another.  Corpus callosum  Connects the right and left hemisphere  Allows for communication between the hemispheres

11. Diencephalon, brain stem, cerebellum

13. The diencephalon  Sits on top of the brain stem  Enclosed by the cerebral hemishperes  Made up of 3 parts:  Thalamus: relay station for sensory impulses  Transfers impulses to the correct part of the cortex for interpretation  Hypothalamus: important in autonomic nervous system  Regulates body temperature, water balance, metabolism  Important part of the limbic system  Pituitary gland is attached here  Epithalamus: contains the pineal gland

14. The brain stem  Attaches to the spinal cord  Consists of the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.  Midbrain: reflex center for vision and hearing.  Pons: the bulging center part of the brain stem.  Involved in the control of breathing.  Medulla Oblongata: the lowest part of the brain stem.  Contains heart rate control, blood pressure regulation, breathing, swallowing, vomiting

15. Cerebellum  Has two hemispheres with a convoluted surface.  Accounts for 10% of brain, but contains 50% of the total neuron in the brain!  Maintains balance and posture, coordinates voluntary movements (walking, running)  Gross motor (hitting a baseball, jumping rope)  Language