O brain is the most important organ in our nervous system and is inside the braincase, being protected by it. This organ weighs about 1.5 kg.
The brain is responsible for coordinating the functions of our body, this means that it controls all voluntary and involuntary actions that we have, and it is because of it that we walk, talk, breathe, taste food, think and have memories, among others activities.
The brain is divided into two hemispheres, right and left, separated by a groove known as the longitudinal fissure of the brain. The hemispheres are divided into four lobes: the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe and occipital lobe, and the insula.
Read too: Human body — the organs and systems that make up its anatomy
Summary about the brain
- The brain is the most important organ of the nervous system.
- He controls all our activities.
- It is divided into two parts, or two hemispheres, the right and the left, and each one controls specific activities.
- A liquid known as CSF circulates around its structures.
- The lobes of the brain are: frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital and insula.
- In the brain we have two types of substances, white and gray.
- An interesting fact about the brain is that the right hemisphere controls the left side of the body, and the left hemisphere controls the right side of the body.
What are the functions of the brain?
The brain coordinates all voluntary actions of our body, how to walk, talk, eat, and involuntary actions, such as sneezing, breathing, yawning. Memory, reasoning, reason, behavior, intelligence, among other functions, are controlled by the brain, with the participation of other organs present in the brain. brain. The brain receives information through sense organs and then processes them, issuing a response.
Brain anatomy
The nervous system is divided into two types: the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. O central nervous system (CNS) is divided into the brain and spinal cord.
O brain has three main structures:
- cerebellum;
- brain stem;
- brain, the main and largest structure, found in the brain.
O brain is made up of two hemispheres, left and right, separated by the longitudinal fissure, and within it there is a structure called the corpus callosum, which communicates the two sides of the brain.
Each side of the brain has characteristic functions, and appears to be associated with different activities, e.g. For example, the right side is more associated with creativity, intuition, and the left side, with reasoning and logic.
A liquid circulates around the structures of the brain which we know as CSF, acting as a type of shock absorber. You've probably heard of people doing an exam to remove cerebrospinal fluid to analyze diseases, such as meningitis.
The human brain is not smooth, it presents irregularities known as gyri and grooves, which provide greater information processing and cognitive capacity through an increase in the brain surface area, making the brain able to encompass a greater number of neurons.
The neuron is the fundamental unit, a type of cell with the basic function of receiving, processing and sending information, as it conducts what we call a nerve impulse.
O brain is divided into five areas, with four lobes and the insula. The island is a very important region, but some scholars consider it as a wolf, and others do not. Therefore, the parts of the brain are: the frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and the insula.
- Frontal lobe: It is the front part of the brain, behind the forehead, and is involved with motor activity, cognitive functions and emotional response.
- Parietal lobe: It lies behind the frontal lobe and is involved with skin sensations, that is, tactile sensations.
- Temporal lobe: is the most lateral part of the brain, located behind the ear and is responsible for hearing, for the smell, by identifying objects and by memories.
- Occipital lobe: located at the back of the brain and involved with vision, it processes visual information.
- Insula: is a region of the brain that lies between the frontal and parietal lobes and is associated with the taste, pain and social behavior.
Still in the brain, we have two types of substances, white and gray. The brain has the cerebral cortex, which is the outer layer that covers it, made up of gray matter.
The white matter consists of axons covered by layers of myelin and is located inside the brain. The gray matter, as we have already said, is more external and consists of the bodies of the axons, responsible for processing information.
Read too: Is the skin a tissue or an organ?
Curiosity about the brain
- A fun fact about the brain is that the right hemisphere controls the left side of our body and the left hemisphere controls the right side.
- Despite being responsible for transmitting pain signals throughout the body, the brain itself does not feel pain, Therefore, there are some surgical procedures in which the patient remains awake, talking and even singing.
- We also have some curiosities related to the brains of famous people, such as Andrea Bocelli and Albert Einstein.
- Andrea Bocelli: is a famous tenor singer who was born with a condition called congenital glaucoma, being partially blind, however, at the age of 12 age, while playing football, he received a blow to the back of the head, affecting the occipital lobe, becoming completely blind.
- Albert Einstein: the German theoretical physicist died in 1955, and the doctor responsible for the autopsy of his body, Thomas Harvey, decided to keep some samples of the famous brain.
