THE BRAIN

Ms. Bunn

8/30/12

There are 4 lobes of the brain The frontal lobe- top front The parietal lobe- middle section The temporal lobe- below the parietal

lobe The occipital lobe- back of the brain

See the photo on the next page…

The brain

Frontal lobe

The frontal lobe is located in the front of the brain- it controls reasoning, motor skills, higher order thinking and expressive language

Your frontal lobe will not be fully developed until you are 24 years old

The frontal lobe receives messages from other lobes and utilizes the information to carry out body movements

Parietal lobe

The parietal lobe is located in the middle of the brain- controls processing tactile sensory information- such as pain, pressure, and touch

The somatosensory cortex is located here, which is essential for the body to processes your senses- remember- see, hear, taste, touch, smell

Temporal lobe

The temporal lobe is located at the bottom of the brain- this is where you will find the primary auditory cortex- which means that it is responsible for interpreting sounds and language we hear (the word auditory refers to sound)

The hippocampus is located here as well- which is associated with memories

Occipital lobe

The occipital lobe is located in the back of the brain and is associated with interpreting visual stimuli (what we see)

The primary visual cortex is located here, and this is where information is received and interpreted from the retina of the eye

Brain stem The brain stem is divided into 2 parts- the hindbrain

and the midbrain The hindbrain connects the spinal cord to the brain The medulla is located directly above the spinal cord

and controls many vital autonomic functions such as heart rate, breathing and blood pressure.

The pons connects the medulla to the cerebellum and helps coordinate movement on each side of the body.

Check out the photo on the next page The reticular formation is a neural network located in

the medulla that helps control functions such as sleep and attention.

Hindbrain

Brain stem

The midbrain is the smallest region of the brain that 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 as eye movement. Portions of the midbrain called the red nucleus and the substantia nigra are involved in the control of body movement.

Midbrain

Cerebellum

The cerebellum is also known as the “little brain”, lies on top of the pons behind the brain stem.

The cerebellum is comprised of small lobes and receives information from the balance system of the inner ear, sensory nerves, and the auditory and visual systems. It is involved in the coordination of motor movements as well as basic facets of memory and learning.

Cerebellum

Left brain vs right brain thinking

According to the theory of left-brain or right-brain dominance, each side of the brain controls different types of thinking. Additionally, people are said to prefer one type of thinking over the other. For example, a person who is "left-brained" is often said to be more logical, analytical and objective, while a person who is "right-brained" is said to be more intuitive, thoughtful and subjective.

Which side of your brain is dominant? Go to the following website and take the

quiz- bring your results to class with a plan for how this information can help your learning

http://homeworktips.about.com/library/brainquiz/bl_leftrightbrain_quiz.htm

Have fun see you in class