Brain Function and

Theory.

Fun Facts About Brain

Average weight: 1.5 kg | volume: 1130
cm3. (70% of water)
Represents-2%( body weight)
Receives-15%(cardiac output)
Consumes- 20% (body oxygen)
25% (body energy)

glucose

Contains 160,000 km of blood vessels.

25% (energy)

glucose

There are no pain receptors in the brain

Can stay alive for 4 to 6 minutes without
oxygen before cells begin to die.

What is brain?
Cerebral cortex is a thick layer of neural tissue
that covers most of the brain. Brain have four
lobes which are the frontal, parietal, temporal,
and occipital lobes with particular functions
such as movement, cognition or language, and
our vision, hearing, smell, taste, and somatic
senses.
Limbic system controls our emotions and
motivations. Cerebellum relays information to
the muscles to control movement, and the
brain stem connects the brain to the spinal
cord.

Parts of Brains
1. Frontal Lobes

Involve movement, decisionmaking, problem solving &

planning.
Prefrontal cortex: involve
personality expression and
planning of complex
cognitive behaviour.
Premotor & motor: control
execution of voluntary
muscle movement.

FUNCTIONS

When damage, there are some behaviour changes

such as Palalysis, change in mood, behaviour, personality,
different with concentration, memory and problem solving.

Motor functions.
Higher order functions,
conscious thought.
Planning and problem
solving.
Concentration and
attention span
Reasoning, forward
and critical thinking.
Judgement.
Impulse control.
Memory for habits and
motor activities.
Emotional response
and empathy.
Expressive language
and meaning.

2. Parietal Lobe

FUNCTIONS

Part of the cerebral

cortex.
Involved in the
reception and
processing of sensory
information.
Controls voluntary
movements,
manipulation of
objects and the
integration of
different senses

Damage to left parietal lobe

Confusion between the right and left side of the body.

Agraphia, Alexia, Acalculia and Aphasia.
Inability to perceive objects normally.
Damage to right parietal lobe

Neglecting part of the body or space

Problems with self-care skills.
Difficulty with making things
Damage to both sides

Problems with visual attention and motor skills.

Inability to voluntarily control the gaze
Inability to integrate components of a visual scene
Problems with hand/eye coordination

Cognition.
Information
processing.
Pain and touch
sensation.
Spatial orientation
and body position.
Speech.
Understanding the
concept of time.
Visual attention and
face recognition.

3. Temporal lobe

Located: Side of the

head above ears.
System: Limbic
System
The upper and
central region
receive via thalamus.

THE AUDITORY PATHWAY

(Smell sense)

( Visual sense)

FUNCTIONS

Located :surface of the temporal lobes

Hearing ability and

auditory perception.
Understanding spoken
language and rhythm.
Memory acquisition and
learning.
Some visual perception.
Categorization and
ordering of objects.
Speech.
Emotional responses.

4. Occipital Lobe

THE VISUAL PATHWAY

DAMAGE

Located: at primary
visual cortex
Main centre for visual
processing.
Region involved:
visuospatial
processing,
Visual, colour, depth
and motion
perception.

One side:
homonymous
loss of vision
Both side:
stroke- cortial
blindness

5. Brain Stem and Cerebellum

FUNCTIONS
& DAMAGE

FUNCTIONS
& DAMAGE

Breathing
Heart Rate
Alertness and
sleep
Difficulties of
breat, heart
rate and
alertness

Coordination of
fine movement.

Balance and
equilibrium.

Reflex motor
acts.

Muscle tone.
Loss of
coordination of
fine motor
movements
(Asynergia).
Tremors,
dizziness, vertigo.

Taste sense
Chorda tympani nerve ---glossopharyngeal nerve ---vagus nerve .

SOMATOSENSORY SYSTEM
Somatosensory region : Skin, muscles, bones, joints and organs are triggered by a specific stimulus.

Summary of Funstions of Brains.

How memory works in learning

Teaching Grows Brain
Cells

Neuroplasticity,
interneuron connection
continue pruned in
response. { Sensory
input, emotion,
physical skills}
Guided instruction
Practice with frequent
corrective feedback.

Memory is constructed & stored by

patterning.

Short term memory

Activation of brains
related prior knowledge
before new information
taught.
Teachers demonstrate
the pattern connection &
relationships exist.
Helps increase variety of
interventions correlated
with neuroimaging
responses.

High stress Restricts Brain

Processing to the Survival State

Brain- based get new

information cannot pass
through the amygdale
(part of the limbic system)
Teachers need to know
cut down stress flows.

Memory is sustained by use

When more times a person

repeat an action, the more
dendrites grow and
interconnect greater
memory storage.

The Thinking Brain & Reactive Brain

Prefrontal cortex (17%)

Automatic brain (83%)

Stress Level down, interest

Negative emotion{ avoid- ignore it,and fight

high.

against it }

RAS ( the Gatekeeper)

Locate: lower back of brain
Receive input from sensory nerves that come from nerve ending in eyes,
ears, mouth, face, skin, muscles and internal organ.

Solution
i.
ii.

Keep yourself physically healthy and well rested

Practice focusing and observing yourself.

The Limbic System

Hippocampus

The Amygdala

o Filters negative
emotion
o Block new information
to your prefrontal
cortex
o Stress may close the
pathway of RAS and
amygdala to thinking
brain.

Nest to amygdale

Solution
i.

ii.
iii.

Reviewing & practice

information: dendrites
grows between nerve cell
Repeated stimulation
Create something new:
Strengthen neural pathway.

Solution
i.

Take deep breath.

Dopamine
o
o
o

Most important
neurotransmitter
Carry electrical messages
across synapse
Dopamine increase,
neurotransmitter increase.