Learning Our Brain

Pituitary Gland: Lies in a small pocket of bone at the skull base called the sella turcica. It is connected to the hypothalamus by the pituitary stalk. This gland is known as the 'master gland'. It controls endocrine glands in the body. It secretes hormones that have a big role in growth and sexual development. Hypothalamus: Master control of the autonomic system and located in the floor of the third ventricle. In charge of regulating hormones, blood pressure, body temperature and emotions. This gland also controls behavior like thirst, hunger, sleep, and sexual response Pineal Gland: Located behind the third ventricle. Helps to regulate the body's internal clock and circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin. Thalamus: Relay station for all that comes and goes to the cortex. Plays a role in pain sensation, attention, alertness, and memory. Basal Ganglia: Includes the caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus. These nuclei work with the cerebellum to coordinate fine mov...

The parietal lobe is located in the upper back part of the cortex. Its main responsibility is to process sensory information that has to do with temperature, taste, and touch. This lobe has to be able to process all these senses within seconds in order to decide what to do with it. If this lobe was damaged then we would not be able to feel the sense of touch at all. Our brains would have no way to interpret it.

Where is the Temporal Lobe and what is it? The temporal lope is located at the bottom middle part of the cortex and is in charge of processing all auditory information from the ears. A bog part of temporal lobe revolves around listening and selective hearing. This part of the brain comprehends what we hear using the pitches of people's voices that are transmitted through sensory receptors of the ears. If this lobe got damaged then we would not be able to comprehend any of what people say to us.

The Occipital lobe is the lobe located on the back side of your brain. This part of the brain is responsible for processing visual information from the eyes.  The lobe must work very fast to be able to process all that we are seeing every moment. The job of the lobe is to help us understand what we are seeing and make sense of it all.  If the occipital lobe is damaged we would not be able to process all that we are seeing leading to visual confusion.

What is the frontal lobe? The frontal lobe is the "control panel" of our personalities and our abilities to communicate. The frontal lobe controls many things such as... Language Sexual Behavior Judgement Problem Solving  Emotional Expression Memory Behavior The frontal lobe is also primarily responsible for our motor functions of our muscles and the two key area's of speech which includes the Broca's area. The left hemisphere of the frontal lobe controls the right side of the body and vice versa.  The frontal lobe is also the most common place for injury to occur in the brain. Damage to this part of the brain can cause changes in personality, limited facial expressions and the inability to assess risk and danger.  Below is a picture of where the frontal lobe is located. 

To start off we are going to talk about the main parts of the brain... There are 3 main parts to it The Cerebrum This is the largest part of the brain and is composed of right and left hemispheres. It performs higher functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing, as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and fine motor control.   The Cerebellum  This part of the brain is located under the cerebrum. The main functions of this part of the brain are to control posture, balance, and muscle movements. The Brainstem This part of the brain includes the mid-brain, pons, and medulla. The brainstem controls the flow of messages between the brain and the rest of the body. The brainstem also controls many of our basically bodily functions like breathing, swallowing, blood pressure, heart rate, consciousness, and if we feel sleepy or awake.