The parts of the brain and their functions

He brain is an essential organ for life. In addition to vital functions (such as breathing), all our emotions, sensations, and what makes up our personality and makes us unique It is regulated by our brain.

It is, perhaps, the most complex organ of the human body. In fact, the organ inside the head is actually called the brain and is the main part of the central nervous system. The cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem are some of the parts that make up the brain, and they work together to regulate different aspects of our physical and mental functioning. In this article we tell you what they are The parts of the brain and their functions.

Parts of the brain and their functions

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The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is responsible for control conscious thought, memory, movement, and sensory perception, Among other functions. It is divided, by a deep groove, into two hemispheres, each of which controls one side of the body.

He left hemisphere controls the right side of our body. right hemisphere, left side.

In each hemisphere, the brain is divided into four lobes:

frontal lobes, as the name suggests, are located at the front of the brain, just behind the forehead. They are the largest lobes and control the voluntary movement, speech, and intellect. They also play an important role in the memory and personality.parietal lobes They are located in the center of the brain and receive and interpret sensory information, which tells us allows us to understand our environment and the state of our own body.temporal lobes They are located near the ears and help remember words or places where we’ve been recognize people already understand the language and interpret emotions from other persons.occipital lobes are in the back of the brain and allow detect and interpret visual information. They control how we process shapes, colors, and movement.

In this video you can see how neurons work in the brain:

Cerebellum: Functions

He cerebellum (which in Latin means “little brain”) is located in the back of the headbelow the cerebral hemispheres, and is the second largest structure in the brain.

Play an important role in the motor coordination and balance. He also contributes to learning and perfecting movements.

Brain stem: functions

He brainstem connects the brain to the spinal cord and is located in the lower part of the brain.

Is responsible for regulate basic bodily functionssuch as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, sleep-wake cycles, and swallowing. These are essential functions for life that are not under our conscious control.

It is made up of three main parts: the midbrain, the pons, and the medulla oblongata.

Thalamus and hypothalamus: functions

He thalamus and hypothalamus They are located in the central area of ​​the brain, just above the top of the brain stem. They are structures that have a lot to do with the perception, movement and vital functions of the body.

He thalamus it consists of two oval masses, each embedded in a cerebral hemisphere, joined by a bridge. They contain nerve cells classify information from four of the senses (sight, hearing, taste and touch) and transmit it to the cerebral cortex. Only the sense of smell sends signals directly to the cerebral cortex, bypassing the thalamus. The sensations of pain, temperature and pressure are also transmitted through the thalamus, as are the nerve impulses from the cerebral hemispheres that initiate voluntary movement.He hypothalamus It is the main point of interaction of the two physical control systems of the body: the nervous system and the endocrine system and controls the rhythm of the heart, the passage of food through the digestive tract and the contraction of the bladder. It is the brain’s intermediary for translate emotions into a physical response (like a racing heartbeat). It also regulates various bodily functions, such as body temperature, hunger, thirst, and circadian rhythms.

Hippocampus: functions

He hippocampus It is located in the inner part of the temporal lobe. Its name comes from the Latin hippocampuswhich in turn comes from the Greek hippos (horse) and kampos (name of a mythological sea monster) and is so called because its shape is reminiscent of a seahorse.

It plays an important role for the consolidation of recently acquired information (short term memory). Rather, long-term memory is believed to be stored throughout the entire cerebral cortex.

Amygdala: functions

The amygdala is a brain structure located inside the temporal lobes, above the hippocampus. It consists of two nuclei, one in each hemisphere.

It is involved in emotional processing and regulation of emotional responses.