The Workings of the Brain

Hello, readers! Today, when browsing the good old science section of the Guardian, I came across an interesting article about the discovery part of brain area that helps spot bad decisions. Oh, cool. So I read further, and naturally, went to share it with everyone else! It is the size of a Brussels sprout, and made up of a ball of neural tissue that seems to be crucial for our flexible thought that allows us to consider switching to another more promising course of action. It is named the lateral frontal lobe, and is perhaps an area known only exclusively to human brains when the area could not be found in any comparable region in monkeys. Now I know maybe not everyone cares at all that much about the recent discoveries about what goes on in our skull everyday, but this is so interesting! The brain is what makes us us! And so, lovely readers, here is my post on what the heck the brain is.

Okay, so we have the brain and a bunch of words some of us may not be familiar with. So I'll do my best to deliver a simple explanation of the parts of the brain and their function, and hopefully some of you guys may come away from this post, enlightened on the knowledge of the workings of the brain in what you thought was just spending time surfing the web...

• It is a complex organ that allows us to think, feel, hear, taste, and smell by controlling our body through producing electrical signals, with chemical reactions, that allow parts of the body to communicate
• The average brain weighs 3 pounds
• It consists of grey matter (40%) and white matter (60%) and is composed of three main parts: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem (medulla)
• The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system (CNS). The brain is connected to the spinal cord, which in turn carries nerve 'messages' (technically a transmission of motor or sensory signals) to the body. This is known as the peripheral nervous system.
• The brain and spinal cord are covered by a tough, translucent membrane, called the dura mater. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a clear, watery liquid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord, and is also found throughout the ventricle (brain cavities and tunnels). CSF cushions the brain and spinal cord from jolts. The cranium surrounds and protects the brain. The spinal cord is surrounded by vertebrae (hollow spinal bones). Also, some muscles serve to pad and support the spine.   

So, in following the parts of the diagram:

• Thalamus:  a large, dual lobed mass of grey matter buried under the cerebral cortex. It is involved in sensory perception and regulation of motor functions. Its functions involve motor control, receiving auditory, somatosensory and visual sensory signals, relay sensory signals to the cerebral cortex and controls sleep and awake states.
• Pineal gland: A small, cone-shaped organ in the brain of most vertebrates that secretes the hormone melatonin.
• Superior and inferior colliculus: Out of the two, the superior one is a layered, visual structure. Its upper layer gets visual signals from the retina, while the lower layers get multiple signals from various other parts of the brain. This colliculus is not restricted to a visual role alone, and performs another important function of providing orientation to the eyes and head. One of the key projections of the colliculus is to spinal cord region. This helps the head to respond to different sensory stimuli  
• Cerebellum: the part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates, which coordinates and regulates muscular activity.
• Spinal cord: the cylindrical bundle of nerve fibres and associated tissue which is enclosed in the spine and connects nearly all parts of the body to the brain, with which it forms the central nervous system.
• Medulla: The lowermost portion of the brainstem in humans and other mammals. It is important in the reflex control of involuntary processes, including respiration, heartbeat, and blood pressure.
• Mid brain: a small central part of the brainstem, developing from the middle of the primitive or embryonic brain.
• Pituitary: the major endocrine gland, a pea-sized body attached to the base of the brain that is important in controlling growth and development and the functioning of the other endocrine glands.
• Corpos callosom: a broad band of nerve fibers joining the two hemispheres of the brain. 
• Cingulate gyrus: coordinates sensory input with emotions, emotional responses to pain, and regulates aggressive behavior
• Hypothalamus: coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity.
• Fornix: the arched band of white matter located beneath the corpus callosum of the brain.