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Overview of Human Brain Structure

The human brain consists of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. The cerebrum is the largest part and is divided into four lobes - frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital - each of which is associated with different functions. The brain also contains subcortical structures like the thalamus and basal ganglia that perform key roles. Neurons are the basic functional units of the brain and form complex connections throughout.

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31 views25 pages

Overview of Human Brain Structure

The human brain consists of the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain stem. The cerebrum is the largest part and is divided into four lobes - frontal, temporal, parietal, and occipital - each of which is associated with different functions. The brain also contains subcortical structures like the thalamus and basal ganglia that perform key roles. Neurons are the basic functional units of the brain and form complex connections throughout.

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arseniosilva
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The human brain

 An extension of the
spinal cord which has
become bigger and
bigger as the species
has evolved.
Cerebral hemispheres
Corpus callosum
 Cerebrum (Latin: "brain”):
Largest part of the brain.

 Cerebellum (Latin: "little brain"):


Coordination and control of voluntary
movement

 Brain stem:
breathing, heartbeat, and blood
pressure
Gross generalizations about function

 Frontal lobe:
 decisions, judgments,
problem solving, emotions.
 Temporal lobe:
 perception, recognition,
many aspects of language
 Parietal lobe:
 movement, orientation,
recognition, perception of
stimuli
 Occipital lobe:
 vision at large
Cortex
- about two millimeters thick and has a total surface
area of about 1.5 square-meters
Blown-up cortex
Subcortical structures: thalamus and the
basal ganglia

 Thalamus:
 Receives and organizes
sensory information from
the sensory organs
 Regulates sleep and
wakefulness (during sleep
the thalamus is closed. i.e.,
does not take input from
sensory organs).
Subcortical structures: thalamus and the
basal ganglia

 Basal ganglia:
 Caudate nucleus, putamen,
globus pallidus
 E.g., voluntary movement

 Amygdala:
 emotion, memory
Cortical
layers

 Cytoarchitectonics:
the arrangement of
nerve cells in the
cerebral cortex
Korbinian Brodmann, (1868 - 1918)

 Defined the cerebral cortex into 52 distinct


regions on the basis of their
cytoarchitectonic characteristics.
Brodmann’s areas
Brodmann’s areas
Homunculus
The mind/brain view of the body
Brain lingua
Brain lingua
Brain lingua

Bilateral - On both sides


Ipsilateral - On the same side
Contralateral - On the opposite side
Neurons
 Central nervous system is
made up of about 100
billion neurons.
 Unlike other cells in that
they can both receive and
send out signals to
neighboring neurons in the
form of electrical pulses.
Neurons
 Typically a given neuron is
connected to about ten
thousand other neurons.
 The specific point of
contact between the axon
of one cell and a dendrite
of another is called a
synapse.
Neurons
 We are born with a complete set of neurons.
 What changes in maturation is the connections
between the neurons.
 On average, we lose about 20% of our neurons
by the time we die.
Neurons

[Link]
Grey and white matter
 Grey matter
 cortex
 unmyelinated nerve cells

 White matter
 myelinated nerve cells
 the tissue through which
messages pass between
different area of grey
matter
How fast is the brain?
 After a neuron has fired, it takes it about one
millisecond to return to its normal state.
 Much slower than your computer!
 The secret of the brain lies in the vast number of
neurons (tens of billions) and the complicated
way they are connected.

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