Lesson 4

The
Human
Brain
Prepared by
Mr. Benedict B. Diaz, LPT
 Learning
Objectives
At any point in this lesson,
students are able to:
• Discuss that understanding the
left and right brain functions may
help in improving one’s learning
• Explore mind-mapping
techniques suited to right brain- or
left brain-dominant thinking
styles;
• Make a plan to improve learning
using both left and right brain
development.
 The human brain is
the command center for
the human nervous
system. It receives
signals from the body's
sensory organs and
outputs information to
the muscles. The human
brain has the same basic
structure as other
mammal brains but is
Human Brain larger in relation to body
size than any other
brains.
 Nervous System

Central Peripheral

Cerebrum Cerebellum

Brain Stem
Facts about the
human brain
• The human brain is the largest brain of all vertebrates
relative to body size.
• It weighs about 3.3 lbs. (1.5 kilograms).
• The average male has a brain volume of 1,274 cubic
centimeters.
• The average female brain has a volume of 1,131 cm3.
• The brain makes up about 2 percent of a human's body
weight.
• The cerebrum makes up 85 percent of the brain's weight.
• It contains about 86 billion nerve cells (neurons) — the
“gray matter."
• It contains billions of nerve fibers (axons and dendrites)
— the "white matter."
• These neurons are connected by trillions of connections,
or synapses.
 3 Major Parts of
the Brain
Brain stem

It connects the spinal cord

and the brain. Controls
functions that keep people
alive such as breathing, heart
rate, blood pressure and food
digestion
 1. Midbrain
The midbrain is
often considered the
smallest region of the
brain. It acts as a sort of
relay station for
auditory and visual
information. The
midbrain controls many
important functions
such as the visual and
auditory systems as well
Parts of the Brain Stem as eye movement.
 2. Pons
The pons connects the
cerebral cortex to the
medulla and to the
cerebellum and serves a
number of important
functions including
playing a role in several
autonomic functions such
as stimulating breathing
and controlling sleep
Parts of the Brain Stem cycles.
 3. Medulla Oblongata
The medulla is located
directly above the spinal
cord in the lower part of
the brain stem and
controls many vital
autonomic functions such
as heart rate, breathing,
and blood pressure.
Parts of the Brain Stem
 3 Major Parts of
the Brain
Cerebellum (The Little Brain)

It controls voluntary movement. It

translates your will into action. The
cerebellum makes up approximately
10% of the brain's total size, but it
accounts for more than 50% of the total
number of neurons located in the entire
brain.
 3 Major Parts of
the Brain
Cerebrum

Largest of the three brain

sections, accounts for
85% of the brain’s weight
and has four lobes.
Lobes of the Cerebrum

1. Frontal Lobe
The frontal lobe is
generally where higher
executive functions
including emotional
regulation, planning,
reasoning and problem
solving occur.

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Lobes of the Cerebrum

2. Parietal Lobe
Areas in the parietal
lobe are responsible for
integrating sensory
information, including
touch, temperature,
pressure, and pain.

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Lobes of the Cerebrum

3. Temporal Lobe
The temporal lobe also
contains regions dedicated
to processing sensory
information, particularly
important for hearing,
recognizing language, and
forming memories.

Retrieved from https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/lobes-brain

Lobes of the Cerebrum

4. Occipital Lobe
The occipital lobe is the major
visual processing center in the brain.
The primary visual cortex, also known
as V1, receives visual information
from the eyes. This information is
relayed to several secondary visual
processing areas, which interpret
depth, distance, location and the
identity of seen objects.

Retrieved from https://qbi.uq.edu.au/brain/brain-anatomy/lobes-brain

 Other organs
located in the brain
1. Thalamus
It is located above the brainstem,
the thalamus processes and
transmits movement and sensory
information. It is essentially a relay
station, taking in sensory
information and then passing it on
to the cerebral cortex. The cerebral
cortex also sends information to the
thalamus, which then sends this
information to other systems.
 Other organs
located in the brain
2. Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is a
grouping of nuclei that lie along
the base of the brain near the
pituitary gland. The
hypothalamus connects with
many other regions of the brain
and is responsible for controlling
hunger, thirst, emotions, body
temperature regulation, and
circadian rhythms.
Other organs
located in the
brain
3. Amygdala
The amygdala helps
coordinate responses to
things in your
environment, especially
those that trigger an
emotional response.
This structure plays an
important role
in fear and anger.
Other organs
located in the
brain
4. Pineal Gland
The pineal gland is a
small, pea-shaped gland in
the brain. Researchers do
know that it produces and
regulates some hormones,
including melatonin.
Melatonin is best known
for the role it plays in
regulating sleep patterns.
Other organs located in
the brain
5. Pituitary Gland
The pituitary gland is called
the 'master gland' as the
hormones it produces control so
many different processes in the
body. It senses the body's needs
and sends signals to different
organs and glands throughout
the body to regulate their
function and maintain an
appropriate environment.
Types of Hormones

1. Hormones of Thyroid
Thyroid gland basically releases
two hormones Triiodothyronine
(T3) and Thyroxine (T4), which
helps in controlling the
metabolism of our body. Further,
these hormones regulate weight,
determines energy levels, internal
body temperature, skin, hair etc.
Types of Hormones

2. Insulin
This hormone is released by the
pancreas, a leaf-like gland located in
the abdominal cavity behind the
stomach. It allows the body to use
glucose or sugar from carbohydrates in
the food for energy or to store glucose
for future use. It helps in keeping blood
sugar level from getting too high i.e.
hyperglycemia or too low i.e.
hypoglycemia.
Types of Hormones

3. Estrogen
It is a female sex hormone
released by the ovaries. It is
responsible for the reproduction,
menstruation and menopause.
Excess of estrogen in the female
body increases the risk of breast
cancer, uterine cancer, depression,
moodiness etc. If the estrogen level
is less in female body then it leads
to acne, skin lesions, thinning skin,
hair loss etc.
Types of Hormones

4. Progesterone
Progesterone hormone is produced
in the ovaries, the placenta when a
woman gets pregnant and the adrenal
glands. It stimulates and regulates
various functions. It plays an important
role in maintaining pregnancy. It helps
body to prepare for conception,
pregnancy and regulates the monthly
cycle. When pregnancy doesn’t occur,
progesterone levels drop and
menstrual cycle occurs. It also plays a
role in sexual desire.
Types of Hormones

5. Prolactin
This hormone is released by the
pituitary gland after childbirth for
lactation, which enables female to
breastfeed. Levels of prolactin
hormone rise during pregnancy i.e.
it also plays an important role in
fertility by inhibiting follicle-
stimulating hormone (FSH) and
gonadotropin-releasing hormone
(GnRH).
Types of Hormones

6. Androgen
Androgens are crucial for male
sexual and reproductive function.
They are also responsible for the
development of secondary sexual
characteristics in men, including
facial and body hair growth and
voice change. Androgens also
affect bone and muscle
development and metabolism.
Types of Hormones

7. Testosterone
It is a male sex hormone. It is an
anabolic steroid by nature which
helps in building body muscles. In
males, it plays an important role in
the development of male
reproductive tissues; testes and
prostate. It also promotes
secondary sexual characteristics
like increasing the mass of muscles
and bones, growth of body hair etc.
Types of Hormones

8. Serotonin
It is a mood-boosting effect
hormone or also known as nature’s
feel-good chemical. It is associated
with learning and memory,
regulating sleep, digestion,
regulates mood, some muscular
functions etc. Due to the imbalance
of serotonin in the body, brain does
not produce enough of the hormone
to regulate mood or stress level.
Types of Hormones

9. Cortisol
This hormone is produced by the
adrenal gland. It helps you stay
healthy and energetic. Its main role
is to control physical and
psychological stress. In danger
condition, it increases heart rate,
blood pressure, respiration etc. At
stressful times body secretes
cortisol to cope up with the
situation.
Types of Hormones

10. Adrenaline
Adrenaline hormone is secreted
in the medulla in the adrenal gland
as well as some of the central
nervous system’s neurons. It is also
known as an emergency hormone
because it initiates the quick
reaction which makes the individual
to think and respond quickly to the
stress.
Types of Hormones

11. Growth Hormone

It is also known as somatotropin
hormone. It is basically a protein
hormone having 190 amino acids
which are synthesised and secreted
by the cells called somatotrophs in
the anterior pituitary. It stimulates
growth, cell reproduction cell
regeneration and in boosting
metabolism.
 Other organs
located in the brain
6. NEURONS
The basic functional units of the
nervous system, are three-part units
and are key to brain function. They
power the rapid-fire process that turns
thought into movement. The thought
moves as an electrical signal down the
axons to the dendrite and then jumps
to another nerve cell across a space
with the help of some chemicals.
Does the size of
the Brain show
the level of
intelligence of a
person?
 Technically, it’s a No.

According to University of California San

Diego's Temporal Dynamics of Learning
Center, Overall brain size doesn't correlate
with level of intelligence.
For instance, the
brain of a sperm
whale is more than
five times heavier
than the human brain
but humans are
considered to be of
higher intelligence
than sperm whales.
The more accurate
measure of how
intelligent an animal
may be is the ratio
between the size of
the brain and the
body size.
According to Christof
Koch, a neuroscientist
and president of the Allen
Institute for Brain
Science in Seattle, he
stated that among
humans, however, brain
size doesn't indicate how
smart someone is. Some
geniuses in their field
have smaller- than-
average brains, while
others larger than
average.