A Tour of the Brain

A Tour of the Brain

Welcome to this tour of the wondrous thing we call the human brain. As we move throughout the brain, we will visit the main areas that control the human body. Each portion of the brain regulates different functions within our bodies, such as walking, talking, heart function, liver function, thinking, dreaming and all of the other complex utilities that take place.

Let’s start with a little bit of basic information about the human brain. It weighs, on average, about three pounds in men and two pounds and twelve ounces in women. There are generally about one hundred billion cells that are called neurons that are present in the brain. While the brain is almost complete at birth, it will continue to grow and increase in tissue connecting the neurons until early adulthood. Now that you know a little bit about the general make-up of the brain, let’s start visiting specific sections.

Here we are at the main area of the brain that is responsible for taking care of the necessary functions that support life. These functions include breathing, sleeping and blood circulation. We are at the base of the brain called the brain stem. This encompasses the midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata. This is the oldest part of the brain before evolution took place. The midbrain is very important in skeletal movements. The medulla oblongata is responsible for the control of breathing and cardiovascular function, while the pons relays sensory information between the cerebellum and cerebrum. Within these structures, we see the reticular formation, which contains a complicated system of nuclei and nerve fibers that makes up the sensory pathways from the spinal cord to the brain and is responsible for the state of consciousness.

Speaking of the cerebellum, that’s what we will see next. It is shaped a bit like cauliflower and located just above the brain stem. It makes up about ten percent of the brain’s volume. It regulates muscle tone and helps to sustain posture and balance, as well as movement coordination. Instead of starting the movement, it makes sure the movement is smooth and executed properly.

Next is the cerebrum. It consists of two hemispheres, which are mirror images of each other, and relate to functions such as thought, emotions, memory and reasoning. Each hemisphere is divided into four lobes, including the occipital lobe, temporal lobe, frontal lobe and parietal lobe. These two hemispheres are connected at the bottom by the corpus callosum. The left hemisphere is responsible for controlling