The+Brain+and+Biology

The brain is the central organ in the human body, and most species of the animal kingdom, for that matter. It is the “command center”, which controls many of the functions and processes throughout the body. It is responsible for emotions, chemical and electrical signals, memories, motor function and computing a vast amount of information. It is said that the human brain is the fastest supercomputer ever. [] The Brain is divided into the **__Forebrain__**, **__Midbrain__**, and **__Hindbrain__**.

The **__Forebrain__** contains the four different lobes that dictate higher functions of the body, including our senses.

The Lobes:
 * Frontal**- controls short-term memory, cognitive thought, and primary/conscious motor skills
 * Parietal**- Just behind forebrain. Center of taste and smell. Also provides the ability for Arithmetic and Reading.
 * Temporal**- Center for hearing and sound cognition. This also contributes to memories through sound, taste, sight, etc.
 * Occipital**- This is the back of the Brain. Here, vision is processed to allow what the eyes see to be created into coherent images. Allows for memories to be stored as images.

The __**Midbrain**__ is also known as the brain stem. Here are the pathways between the brain and the spinal cord and all the nerves in the body.

The __**Hindbrain**__ contains the cerebellum. The cerebellum controls vital motor functions like breathing and heart beat. These are all the things one doesn’t think of in the body, but the functions still occur. These also include moving food through the digestive tract and even blinking eyes to clear them.

The brain can only allow for these functions to occur if the nerves connected to them can transmit their signals. Electrical signals from the brain flow to individual nerves and interact with surrounding structures through synapses. This is where the synaptic cleft and the nerve meet. The junction between the nerve and the cleft interact through diffusion of neurotransmitters, like Acetocholine, that are released when the electric signal is present.

Sources: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/brain_basics/know_your_brain.htm#mid

Edited by Bill McKane