Label Description Picture

Main Points Made up of 100 billion

nerves, communicate in
trillion connections called
synapses.

Cortex Outermost layer of brain cells

Voluntary Movements

Brain Stem Between spinal cord and rest

of the brain

Breathing and sleep are

controlled

Basal Ganglia Cluster of structures

Centre of the brain

Cerebellum Base and back of the brain

Coordination and space

Divided into 7 lobes:

Frontal Problem solving,

judgement and motor
function.

Parietal Manage sensation,

handwriting, and body
position

Temporal Memory and hearing

Occipital Visual processing system

Surrounded by a layer of tissue called meninges.

Skull (Cranium)

Lobes and Functions

Frontal Large, Front of the Brain

Emotional Control Centre

Role in our personality

and how we act

Attention skills and

controlling movement

Manage skills (Executive

Functions)
- Solving
problems,
planning,
making
decisions and
controlling
behaviour

Works like the

conductor of an
orchestra that keeps
all the musicians
 playing harmoniously.

Temporal Side of the brain, above the

ears

Process and
understand sounds

Managing our
emotions and
recognizing faces

Part: Hippocampus -
plays important role in
memory

Parietal Behind frontal lobe and

above temporal lobe

Make sense of things

we touch

Tells our body is in

relation to the objects
around us
- Without
bumping into
things

Visuospatial
processing

Important for skills

such as maths,
spelling, hand-eye
coordination and fine
motor movements.

Occipital Back of the brain

Vision, allows us to
make sense of
information that
comes from our eyes

Visual perception

Brain
Composed of the Cerebrum, Cerebellum and Brainstem

Cerebrum Largest part of the brain

Right and Left

hemisphere

Performs higher functions

like, interpreting touch, vision
and hearing, speech,
reasoning, emotions, learning
and fine control of movement

Cerebellum Under cerebrum

Functions: coordinate
muscle movements,
maintain posture and
balance

Brainstem Relay centre

 connecting cerebrum
and cerebellum to
spinal cord

Performs many
automatic functions:
breathing, heart rate,
body temperature,
wake and sleep cycle,
digestion, sneezing,
coughing, vomiting
and swallowing

Right - Left Brain

Cerebrum ● Divided to 2 halves:

right and left
hemisphere
● Joined by bunbled
fibres
- Corpus
Callosum -
transmits
messages
from one side
to the other.
● Each hemisphere
controls the opposite
side of the body.

Ex. If a stroke occurs

on the right side of the
brain, your left part of
your body
● Not all functions of the
hemispheres are
shared.
● Left hemisphere is
dominant in hand use
and language in 92%
of people.

Left
● Controls speech
● Comprehension
● Arithmetic
● Writing

Right
● Creativity
● Spatial ability
● Artistic and musical
skills

Lobes of the Brain

● Cerebral hemispheres have distinct fissures, dividing the brain into lobes.
● Each lobe may be divided, serving an area with very specific functions.
- Does not function alone
- Complex relationship between the lobes and between the right and left
hemisphere

Frontal Lobe ● Personality,

Behaviour, Emotions
● Judgement, Planning,
Problem Solving
● Speech: Speaking
and Writing (Broca's
Area)
 ● Body Movement
(Motor Strip)
● Intelligence,
Concentration, Self-
Awareness

Parietal Lobe ● Interprets language,

Words
● Sense of touch, pain,
temperature (Sensory
Strip)
● Interprets signals from
Vision, Hearing,
Motor, Sensory and
Memory
● Spatial and Visual
Perception

Occipital Lobe ● Interprets Vision

(Colour, Light,
Movement)

Temporal Lobe Understanding Language

(Wernicke's Area)

Memory

Hearing

Sequencing and
Organisation

Language

Left Hemisphere Language and Speech

- Called dominant
Hemisphere

Right Hemisphere Interpreting Visual

information and
spatial processing

● ⅓ of people are left-handed, a speech function located

on the right-side of the brain.
● Left-handed people may need special testing to
determine if their speech centre is on the left or right
side prior to any surgery in that area.

Aphasia ● Disturbance of
language affecting
speech production,
comprehension,
reading or writing, due
to brain injury—most
commonly from stroke
or trauma
● Type of aphasia
depends on the brain
area damaged.

Broca's Area ● Left frontal lobe

● Damage to one's area
may have difficulty
moving the tongue or
facial muscles to
produce sounds of
speech.
- The person
 can still read
and
understand
spoken
language but
has difficulty in
speaking and
writing.

Wernicke's Area ● Left temporal lobe

● Damage to this area
causes Wernicke's
Aphasia
➔ The individual
may speak in
long sentences
that have no
meaning, add
unnecessary
words and
create new
words.
● Can make speech
sounds, but have
difficulty
understanding
speech, and is
unaware of mistakes.

Cortex Surface of Cerebrum–

called cortex

Folded appearance with

hills and valleys

Contains 16 billion
neurons (Cerebellum
= 70 billion = 86 billion
total) arranged in
specific layers.

Nerve cell bodies colour

the cortex grey-brown
giving its name-–grey
matter.

Beneath, long nerve

fibres (axons) connect
brain areas together—
white matter.

Folding cortex increases

the brain's surface
area, allowing
neurons to fit inside
the skull, enabling
higher functions.

Each fold is called gyrus,

each groove fold is
called sulcus.

There are names for the

fold and grooves that
help define specific
brain regions.

Deep Structures Pathways called white

 matter tracts connect
areas of the cortex to
each other.

Messages can travel to

one gyrus to another,
one lobe to another,
to structures deep in
the brain.

Hypothalamus Floor of 3rd ventricle

Master control of
automatic system

Controlling behaviours

Regulates body
temperature

Regulates blood pressure

Regulates emotions

Regulates secretion of
hormones

Pituitary Gland Small pocket of bone at

the skull base is
called turcica.

Connected to the
hypothalamus of the
brain by the pituitary
stalk.

Pineal Gland Behind 3rd ventricle

Regulates the body’s

internal clock and
circadian rhythm by
secreting melatonin.

Role in Sexual
Development

Thalamus Relay station for almost

all information come
and goes to cortex

Pain sensation, attention,

alertness and memory

Basal Ganglia Includes caudate,

Putamen and Globus
Pallidus

Nuclei work with

cerebellum to
coordinate fine
motions, such as
fingertip movements

Limbic System Centre of emotions,

learning and memory

Cingulate gyri,
hypothalamus,
amygdala (emotional
 reactions) and
hippocampus
(memory)

Involved in memory
formation

Memory Complex process

includes 3 phases:
encoding (deciding
what information is
important), storing
and recalling.

Different areas of the

brain are involved in
different types of
memory.

Your brain has to pay

attention and
rehearse in order for
an event to move from
short-term to long-
term memory —
called encoding.

Short -term memory Also called working

memory

Occurs in the prefrontal

cortex

Stores information for

about one minute and
its capacity is limited
to about 7 items.
Ex. It enables you to dial
a phone number
someone just told you

Intervenes during reading,

to memorise the
sentence you have
just read, so that the
next one makes
sense.

Long-term memory Processed in the

hippocampus of the
temporal lobe

Activated when you want

to memorise
something for a longer
time

Has unlimited content and

duration capacity.

Contains personal
memories as well as
facts and figures.

Skill Memory Processed in the

cerebellum

Relays information to the

basal ganglia
 Stores automatic learned
memories like tying a
shoe.

The Structure and Function of the Human Brain

● Composed of three main parts: Forebrain, Midbrain and Hindbrain - each with multiple
parts

Forebrain

Cerebrum Also known as Cerebral

Cortex

Cerebral Cortex Largest part of the brain

Associated with higher brain

functions such as thought
and action

Nerve Cells Make up the grey surface,

it is a little thicker than
our thumb.

White Nerve Fibres Beneath the surface,

carry signals between
nerve cells in other
parts of the brain and
body

Neocortex Its wrinkled surface

increases the surface
area

Six-layered structure
found in mammals

Functions of the Lobes

Frontal Lobe Beneath the forehead

Associated with our

brain’s ability to
reason, organise,
plan, speak, move,
make facial
expressions, serial
tasks, problem
solving, control
inhibition, spontaneity,
initiate and self-
regulate behaviour,
attention, memory and
control emotions.

Parietal Lobe Upper rear of the brain

Controls complex
behaviours, including
senses such as
vision, touch, body
awareness and spatial
orientation.

Plays important roles in

integrating sensory
information from
various parts of our
body, knowledge of
numbers and their
 relations, and in
manipulation of
objects.

Portions are involved with

our visuospatial
processing, language
comprehension, the
ability to construct,
body positioning and
movement, neglect/
inattention, left-right
differentiation and
self-awareness/
insight.

Occipital Lobe Back of the brain

Associated with visual

processing, such as
visual recognition,
visual attention,
spatial analysis
(moving in a 3D
world)

Visual perception of body

language: such as
postures,
expressions, and
gestures.

Temporal Lobe Near our ears

Processing perception
and recognition of
auditory stimuli
(including our ability to
focus on one sound
among many, like
listening to one voice
among many at a
party),
comprehending
spoken language,
verbal memory, visual
memory and language
production (including
fluency and word-
finding), general
knowledge and
autobiographical
memories.

A deep furrow divided the

cerebrum into two
halves, known as the
left and right
hemispheres.

WHile the two

hemispheres look
almost symmetrical,
each side functions
differently.

Right Hemisphere -
Creative Side
 Left Hemisphere - Logical
side

A bundle of axons, called

the corpus callosum,
connects the two
hemispheres.

Midbrain

Located below the cerebral cortex, above the hindbrain

placing it near the centre of the brain.

Composed of the tectum, tegmentum, cerebral aqueduct,

cerebral peduncles and several nuclei and fasciculi.

Primary role is to act as a sort of relay station for our

visual and auditory systems.

Portions of the midbrain called the red nucleus and the

substantia nigra—-are involved in the control of body
movement and contain many dopamine-producing
neurons.

Degeneration of neurons in substantia nigra is

associated with Parkinson’s Disease.

Smallest region of the brain, located most centrally within

the cranial cavity.

Limbic System Referred as the

“emotional brain” or
“childish brain”

Buried within the

cerebrum and
contains thalamus,
hypothalamus,
amygdala and
hippocampus.

Thalamus Relay sensory information

from other parts of the
brain to the cerebral
cortex.

Hypothalamus Regulate various

functions of the
pituitary gland, and
endocrine activity, as
well somatic
functions.
Ex. Sleep

Amygdala Critical processor for the

senses

Connected to the
hippocampus

Role in emotionally laden

memories and
contains a huge
number of opiate
receptor sites that are
implicated in rage,
fear and sexual
feelings.
Hippocampus Memory forming,
organizing, and
storing information.

Important in forming new

memories, and connecting
emotions and senses, such
as smell and sound, to
memories.

Pituitary Gland Important link between

the nervous system
the endocrine system.

Releases many hormones

which affect growth,
metabolism, sexual
development, and the
reproduction system

Connected to the
hypothalamus and is
about the size of a
pea.

Located at the centre of

the skull, behind the
bridge of the nose.

Hindbrain

Cerebellum Also called little brain

Like cerebrum with its two

hemisphere and
highly folded surface.

Associated with regulation

and coordination of
movement, posture,
balance, and cardiac,
respiratory, and
vasomotor centres.

Brain Stem Beneath the limbic

system.

Responsible for vital life

functions such as
breathing, heartbeat,
and blood pressure.

Is made of the midbrain,

pons and medulla.

Pons To serve as a bridge

between various parts
of the nervous
system, including the
cerebellum and
cerebrum.

Many important nerves

that originate in the
pons, such as the
trigeminal nerve,
responsible for feeling
in the face, as well as
controlling the
 muscles that are
responsible for biting,
chewing and
swallowing.

Contains the abducens

nerve, which allows
us to look from side to
side and the
vestibulocochlear
nerve, which allows to
hear.

Part of the brainstem, a

section of the lower
pons stimulates and
controls the intensity
of breathing.

Section of the upper pons

decreases the depth and
frequency of breaths.

Associated with the

control of sleep
cycles, and controls
respiration and
reflexes.

Located above the

medulla, below the
midbrain, just Infront
of the cerebellum.

Medulla Regulating our involuntary

life sustaining
functions such as
breathing, swallowing
and heart rate.

Helps transfer neural

messages to and from
the brain and spinal
cord.

Located at the junction of

the spinal cord and
brain.

● The brain is the human body’s control system and is part of the central nervous
system. (CNS)
● It connects to the spine and controls personality, movement, breathing and other
crucial processes that keep people alive.
● Most complex organ in the body.
● Is made of grey matter, which is where the brain processes information.
● Has ridges (gryi) and folds (sulci)
● The folds and ridges accommodated the rapid brain growth humans experienced over
years of evolution.
● The right side of the cerebral cortex or hemisphere – controls left side of the body.
● Left cerebral cortex or hemisphere – controls the right side of the body.
● Each hemisphere communicates with other through the corpus callosum, which is a
bridge of white matter.

Cerebrum Front part of the brain and

includes the cerebral
cortex.

Responsible for many

 processes:
● Initiating and
controlling
movement
● Thinking
● Emotion
● Problem-solving
● Learning

Responsible for
personality

If a person experiences
trauma to the
cerebrum, in particular
the frontal lobe, their
friends and family
may notice changes in
their demeanour,
mood and emotions.

Cerebral Cortex Covers the cerebrum and

has many folds

Due to its large surface

area, the cerebral
cortex accounts for
50% of the brain’s
total weight.

The cerebral cortex has

four lobes:

Frontal Lobe –
Responsible for
language, motor
function, memory,
personality, and other
cognitive functions

Temporal Lobe –
Contains the
Wernicke Area, which
is responsible for
understanding
language.
- Processes
memories and
emotions and
plays a major
part in hearing
and visual
perception.

Parietal Lobe –
Processes what
person sees and
hears.
- Interprets
other sensory
information.

Occipital Lobe –
Interprets visual
information and
contains visual cortex.

Cerebellum
 ● Or little brain
● Tucked underneath the cerebrum at the back of the head
● Regulates balance and learned movements, such as walking and fastening
buttons, but it cannot initiate movements.
● Is sensitive to alcohol, people will experience problems with balance and
walking when they consume too much.
● May also play a role in learning and decision-making.
● Ancient part of the brain
● The cerebral cortex grew on top of it as human evolved.

Brainstem
● Made up of the midbrain, pons, and medulla
● Connects to the spinal cord

Midbrain Responsible for several

important functions
that include hearing
and movement

Helps formulate
responses to
environment changes,
includes potential
threats

Pons Enables a range of bodily

functions, such as the
production of tears,
blinking, focus vision,
balance and facial
expressions.

10 cranial nerves arise

from the pons. These
connect to the face,
neck and trunk.

Medulla Regulates biological functions

that are essential for survival,
such as heart rhythm, blood
flow, and breathing.

This part of the brain also

detects changes in blood
oxygen and carbon
dioxide levels.

Reflexive responses such

as vomiting,
swallowing, and
coughing also
originate from the
medulla.

Maintaining a healthy brain Brain health is just as

important as physical
health.

Keeping the brain healthy

offset memory loss
and also help prevent
other chronic
conditions such as
diabetes.

Actions a person can take

to improve their brain
health include:
 Stop smoking

Preventing or managing
high blood pressure

Maintaining a healthy
weight

Keeping cholesterol levels

within a healthy range

Getting enough sleep

Staying socially active

Managing blood sugar

levels

Reducing alcohol
consumption

Summary
● The brain is the most complex structure in the body.
● It is made up of three major areas: the cerebrum, cerebellum, and brainstem
● It controls critical biological processes that are crucial for survival, such as
breathing and temperature regulation.
● Maintaining a healthy brain not only offsets memory loss as people age, but also
helps protect against chronic conditions such as diabetes.