CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

BRAIN
The brain is an organ that’s made up of a large mass of tissue that’s protected within the skull.

Some of its main functions include:

1. processing sensory information

2. regulating blood pressure and breathing
3. releasing hormones

3 DIVISIONS OF THE BRAIN

HINDBRAIN
 breathing and movement
 Consists of Medulla, Pons and
Cerebellum
Anatomy and function:
MIDBRAIN FOREBRAIN
 Makes up part of the brain  Most anterior division of the
stem developing vertebrate brain.
 All sensory and motor Responsible for Body temperature,
information that travels eating and sleeping
between the forebrain
and the spinal cord passes  2 DIVISIONS
through the midbrain, > Diencephalon
making it a relay station (thalamus and hypothalamus)
for the central nervous > Telencephalon
system. ( Cerebrum)
 Consists of Brain stem

I. Cerebrum - Control centre of the brain. It is the seat of higher-level thought like
emotions and decision making. It is divided into two halves, called hemispheres;
each hemisphere of the cerebrum is divided into broad regions called lobes
FRONTAL LOBE PARIETAL LOBE OCCIPITAL LOBE TEMPORAL LOBE
•Largest of the lobes  Located behind the  Located in the back of  Located on either
frontal lobes the brain side of the head on
the same level as the
ears
•Located in the front part •organizing and • read and  visual memory,
interpreting sensory recognize printed words, verbal memory and
information along with other aspects interpreting the
of vision emotions and
reactions of others
 motor skills, problem
solving, judgment,
planning, attention,
emotions and impulse
control
 II. Cerebellum
- Located in the back of the brain. It’s involved with fine motor skills It also helps the
body maintain its posture, equilibrium, and balance.

III. Diencephalon - located at the base of the brain. It contains the:

THALAMUS EPITHALAMUS HYPOTHALAMUS
 Consciousness, sleep Connection between the limbic Helps maintain homeostasis
and memory system and other parts of the
brain.

*The limbic system is a part of the brain that’s involved with emotion, long-term
memory, and behaviour*

IV. Brain stem

- Located in front of the cerebellum and connects to the spinal cord. It consists of
three major parts:
MEDULLA PONS CEREBELLUM
 It is the control center for  Relays signals from the  Responsible for balance and
respiratory, cardiovascular, forebrain to the posture, and it assists us
and digestive functions. cerebellum. It houses the when we are learning a new
control centre for motor skill
respiration and inhibitory
functions

V. Cerebral Cortex
- controls higher brain functions such as information processing.

VI. Corpus Callosum

- Fibers beneath the cortex that connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres
and facilitates interhemispheric communication.

VII. The Limbic System

- Combines higher mental functions and primitive emotion into one system; located
beneath the cerebrum on both sides of the thalamus

Components of Limbic System

 Amygdala
- Known as the emotional centre of the brain
- Involved in evaluating the emotional valence
 -helps prepare the body for fight-or-flight reactions by increasing heart
and breathing rate
 Hippocampus
- Responsible for general declarative memory

 Thalamus and Hypothalamus

- The thalamus is a sensory “way-station” for the rest of the brain
- Lesions of the hypothalamus interfere with respiration and
metabolism, sexuality, combativeness, and hunger.

 Cingulate Gyrus
- Emotional reaction to pain and in the regulation of aggressive
behaviour.

 Basal Ganglia
- Serve as a gating mechanism for physical movements, inhibiting
potential movements
- The caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus are major components of
the basal ganglia

*All the components of the limbic system work together to regulate

some of the brain’s most important processes*