Your Brain: An Introduction to Its Anatomy

By: Rachel Kimball

Introduction

• The brain is essential for human consciousness, coordination of voluntary movement, and regulation of nonconscious processes.
• The anatomy of the brain is complex and fascinating.
• Fun Facts:
  • Average person has 12,000-60,000 thoughts a day.
  • Human brain triples in size in the first year of life.
  • Brain gets smaller with age.
  • No pain receptors in the brain; headaches result from nerve reactions outside the brain.
  • Average brain contains 100 billion neurons and is 75% water.

Lobes of the Brain

• Each lobe has distinct functions.
• Damage to lobes results in serious complications.

Frontal Lobe

• Anatomy:
  • Located behind the forehead; largest lobes.
  • Contains Broca's area (controls speech muscles).
• Function:
  • Speech & language production, motor skills, empathy, personality, motivation, attention.
• Damage Effects:
  • Paralysis, Broca’s Aphasia, focus issues, reduced motivation, personality changes, mood swings, impulse control difficulty.

Parietal Lobe

• Anatomy:
  • Located near back/top of head, behind frontal lobe.
• Function:
  • Sensations (touch, pressure, pain, etc.), spatial awareness, language understanding, math problem-solving.
• Damage Effects:
  • Difficulty distinguishing left/right, spatial disorientation, reading problems (alexia), math difficulties (dyscalculia), movement issues (apraxia).

Occipital Lobe

• Anatomy:
  • Rear upper brain, divided by central cerebral fissure.
  • Primary visual cortex.
• Function:
  • Depth perception, color and distance perception, face and object recognition, visual integration.
• Damage Effects:
  • Blindness, difficulty with colors/shapes, face recognition, motion detection, hallucinations, epilepsy.

Temporal Lobe

• Anatomy:
  • Bottom middle brain, behind temples.
  • Includes auditory cortex and Wernicke’s area.
• Function:
  • Long-term memory, emotion, sound interpretation, part of limbic system.
• Damage Effects:
  • Verbal memory issues, musical skill impairment, directional trouble, hearing problems, learning difficulties.

Cerebellum

• Anatomy:
  • Back & bottom of brain, behind brainstem.
• Function:
  • Balance, movement coordination, eye movements, motor learning, potential role in thinking and emotions.
• Damage Effects:
  • Muscle control loss, speech difficulties, mobility issues, ataxia.

Brainstem

• Anatomy:
  • Composed of midbrain, pons, and medulla oblongata.
• Function:
  • Swallowing, breathing, blood pressure control, sensory processing, heartbeat regulation.
• Damage Effects:
  • Speech disorders, vestibular issues, swallowing difficulties, demyelination, infections, respiratory issues.

Conclusion

• Each brain part serves a unique purpose, and effective collaboration is crucial.
• Damage to any lobe affects functionality.
• Future posts will cover brain injuries and safety.

Sources

• Britannica, Medical News Today, DK Publishing 2013.