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ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE BRAIN

BRAIN

⮚ The brain is one of the largest and most complex organs in the human body. It weighs
1300 to 1400 grams or 3 pounds

⮚ It is made up of more than 100 billion nerves

⮚ It is mushroom shaped.

MAJOR PARTS OF THE BRAIN

CEREBRUM
⮚ It is the largest part of the brain and is composed of
right and left hemispheres. It performs higher
functions like interpreting touch, vision and hearing,
as well as speech, reasoning, emotions, learning, and
fine control of movement.

⮚ The left hemisphere controls speech, comprehension,

arithmetic, and writing. The left hemisphere is
dominant in hand use and language in about 92% of
people.

⮚ The right hemisphere controls creativity, spatial

ability, artistic, and musical skills.

CEREBELLUM
⮚ It is located under the cerebrum. Its function is to
coordinate muscle movements, maintain posture, and
balance.

DIENCEPHALON
⮚ It is involved in many crucial bodily functions including coordinating with the endocrine
system to release hormones, relaying sensory and motor signals to the cerebral cortex,
and regulating circadian rhythms (the sleep wake cycle). Consisting primarily of the
thalamus and hypothalamus.
BRAINSTEM
⮚ Acts as a relay center connecting the cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord. It is
made up of the midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.

⮚ The midbrain serves important functions in motor movement, particularly movements of

the eye, and in auditory and visual processing.

⮚ The pons is a broad horseshoe-shaped mass of transverse nerve fibres that connect the
medulla with the cerebellum. It is also the point of origin or termination for four of the
cranial nerves that transfer sensory information and motor impulses to and from the facial
region and the brain

⮚ The medulla Oblongata is the lowest part of the brain and the lowest portion of the
brainstem. The medulla oblongata is connected by the pons to the midbrain and is
continuous posteriorly with the spinal cord, with which it merges at the opening (foramen
magnum) at the base of the skull. The medulla oblongata plays a critical role in
transmitting signals between the spinal cord and the higher parts of the brain and in
controlling autonomic activities, such as heartbeat and respiration.

LOBES OF CEREBRAL CORTEX AND BRODMANN’S CLASSIFICATION

The function of the cerebral cortex has been mapped out into areas by Broadmann. These
two major types of cortical areas are:

1. Primary Cortical Area – regions directly related to a specific function

2. Secondary Cortical Area/ Association Area– these lie adjacent to the primary area and are
concerned with a higher level of organization and integration.

1. Frontal Lobe
Area 4 - primary motor area
Area 6 - premotor area
Area 8 - frontal eye movement and
papillary change area
Area 44 - motor speech (Brocas Area)

2. Parietal Lobe
Area 3, 1, 2 - primary sensory areas
Area 5, 7 - sensory association areas
Area 39 – 40 - Wernicke’s area
Area 5, 7, 39 – 40 - Gnostic area
Area 43 - primary gustatory area

3. Occipital Lobe
 Area 17 - primary visual cortex
Area 18 – 29 - visual association areas

4. Temporal Lobe
Area 41 - primary auditory cortex
Area 42 & 22 - auditory association areas

MENINGES OF THE BRAIN

The meninges are layers of tissue that surround the brain and spinal cord. It serves as the
protection and the covering of the brain

Dura Matter
⮚ The dura mater is thick and tough, appearing and feeling very similar to leather. The
main dura mater function is to provide protection to the brain. This layer is composed
primarily of tough fibroblasts and collagen, which together create a supportive network
that is highly resistant to damage or tears.

Arachnoid Matter
⮚ The arachnoid mater function is to hold the brain in place by connecting it to the more
superficial, sturdier dura mater. In addition, the arachnoid mater works with the other
meningeal layers to provide a blood-brain barrier, which prevents important fluids from
the nervous system from entering the blood and vice versa.

Pia Matter
⮚ This is a thin clear layer adheres to the surface of the brain and follows the natural hills
and valleys (called gyri and hillocks) of the surface of the brain. The pia mater functions
to contain cerebrospinal fluid within its proper pathway. Additionally, about 30% of the
total CSF is produced by the pia mater.

DEEP STRUCTURES OF THE BRAIN

Hypothalamus
⮚ It is located in the floor of the third ventricle and is
the master control of the autonomic system. It plays a
role in controlling behaviors such as hunger, thirst,
sleep, and sexual response. It also regulates body
temperature, blood pressure, emotions, and secretion
of hormones.

Pituitary gland
⮚ Lies in a small pocket of bone at the skull base called
the sella turcica. The pituitary gland is connected to
the hypothalamus of the brain by the pituitary stalk.
Known as the “master gland,” it controls other
endocrine glands in the body. It secretes hormones
that control sexual development, promote bone and
muscle growth, and respond to stress.

Pineal gland
⮚ It is located behind the third ventricle. It helps regulate the body’s internal clock and
circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin. It has some role in sexual development.

Thalamus
⮚ Serves as a relay station for almost all information that comes and goes to the cortex. It
plays a role in pain sensation, attention, alertness and memory.

Basal ganglia
⮚ It includes the caudate, putamen and globus pallidus. These nuclei work with the
cerebellum to coordinate fine motions, such as fingertip movements.

Limbic system
⮚ It is the center of our emotions, learning, and memory. Included in this system are the
cingulate gyri, hypothalamus, amygdala (emotional reactions) and hippocampus
(memory).