Where is the reasoning part of the brain

Probably the most famous case of frontal lobe damage is that of a man by the name of Phineas Gage. On September 13, , Gage age 25 was working as a railroad foreman in Vermont. Although lying in a pool of his own blood with brain matter emerging from his head, Gage was conscious and able to get up, walk, and speak.

But in the months following his accident, people noticed that his personality had changed. Many of his friends described him as no longer being himself. Before the accident, it was said that Gage was a well-mannered, soft-spoken man, but he began to behave in odd and inappropriate ways after the accident. Such changes in personality would be consistent with loss of impulse control—a frontal lobe function. With connections between the planning functions of the frontal lobe and the emotional processes of the limbic system severed, Gage had difficulty controlling his emotional impulses.

On the basis of extremely limited information about Gage, the extent of his injury, and his life before and after the accident, scientists tended to find support for their own views, on whichever side of the debate they fell Macmillan, Figure 4. Specific body parts like the tongue or fingers are mapped onto certain areas of the brain including the primary motor cortex.

This strip running along the side of the brain is in charge of voluntary movements like waving goodbye, wiggling your eyebrows, and kissing. It is an excellent example of the way that the various regions of the brain are highly specialized. Interestingly, each of our various body parts has a unique portion of the primary motor cortex devoted to it. If we then jump to the centre of the brain, we find some strangely named parts that play a big role in emotions.

The Amygdala uh-MIG-duh-luh is a group of cells that interprets the emotional meaning of everything that happens to you. If the amygdala interprets something as threatening, it sends messages to another structure called the Hypothalamus HI-pO-thal-a-mus , which controls the release of hormones into the body to get you ready for a fight-or-flight response. The fight-or-flight response is what happens when our bodies tense up, become more alert, and ready for action to either escape flight or defend ourselves fight.

Finally, another structure called the Hippocampus hip-uh-KAM-pus , organises memories so the amygdala can interpret an event. Ok, now we are familiar with some of the major parts of the brain involved in behaviours and emotions we can look at how they interact with each other and influence behaviors through development, how we can help our kids understand what is happening, and what we can do to help our kids and ourselves to better manage behaviors and emotions.

The main structures are all there, but the connections between them — the brain wiring — is still very sparse, especially in the upstairs, rational brain cerebrum. What that means is, every time we experience something, our brains form a connection between the cells and structures about memories, emotional reactions, and skill learning.

Then, every time we have the same or similar experience, those connections become stronger…we are learning. The downstairs brain is the part of our brain that makes us act without thinking. Developmentally, this part of the brain is well developed at birth and forms more connections earlier than the upstairs brain because it is responsible for essential tasks such as making sure our needs are met, feeling strong emotions, using instinct to keep us safe, and managing bodily functions.

The upstairs, rational brain whilst structurally all there remember the lobes? This part of the brain is highly sophisticated and responsible for problem solving, rational thinking, logic, planning and decision making, organisation, and self-control. All of these things are learnt through repeated experiences. Keeping to the house analogy, the upstairs, rational brain is under major construction for the first few years of life.

The pituitary gland governs the function of other glands in the body, regulating the flow of hormones from the thyroid, adrenals, ovaries and testicles. It receives chemical signals from the hypothalamus through its stalk and blood supply. The hypothalamus is located above the pituitary gland and sends it chemical messages that control its function.

It regulates body temperature, synchronizes sleep patterns, controls hunger and thirst and also plays a role in some aspects of memory and emotion. Small, almond-shaped structures, an amygdala is located under each half hemisphere of the brain. A curved seahorse-shaped organ on the underside of each temporal lobe, the hippocampus is part of a larger structure called the hippocampal formation. It supports memory, learning, navigation and perception of space. The pineal gland is located deep in the brain and attached by a stalk to the top of the third ventricle.

The pineal gland responds to light and dark and secretes melatonin, which regulates circadian rhythms and the sleep-wake cycle. Deep in the brain are four open areas with passageways between them. They also open into the central spinal canal and the area beneath arachnoid layer of the meninges.

The ventricles manufacture cerebrospinal fluid , or CSF, a watery fluid that circulates in and around the ventricles and the spinal cord, and between the meninges. CSF surrounds and cushions the spinal cord and brain, washes out waste and impurities, and delivers nutrients.

Two sets of blood vessels supply blood and oxygen to the brain: the vertebral arteries and the carotid arteries. The external carotid arteries extend up the sides of your neck, and are where you can feel your pulse when you touch the area with your fingertips. The internal carotid arteries branch into the skull and circulate blood to the front part of the brain. The vertebral arteries follow the spinal column into the skull, where they join together at the brainstem and form the basilar artery , which supplies blood to the rear portions of the brain.

The circle of Willis , a loop of blood vessels near the bottom of the brain that connects major arteries, circulates blood from the front of the brain to the back and helps the arterial systems communicate with one another.

The first two nerves originate in the cerebrum, and the remaining 10 cranial nerves emerge from the brainstem, which has three parts: the midbrain, the pons and the medulla. Health Home Conditions and Diseases. What is the brain made of? What is the gray matter and white matter? How does the brain work? Main Parts of the Brain and Their Functions At a high level, the brain can be divided into the cerebrum, brainstem and cerebellum.

Cerebrum The cerebrum front of brain comprises gray matter the cerebral cortex and white matter at its center. Brainstem The brainstem middle of brain connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord.

The midbrain or mesencephalon is a very complex structure with a range of different neuron clusters nuclei and colliculi , neural pathways and other structures. The medulla is located directly above the spinal cord in the lower part of the brain stem and controls many vital autonomic functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.

The pons connects the cerebral cortex to the medulla and to the cerebellum and serves a number of important functions. It plays a role in several autonomic processes, such as stimulating breathing and controlling sleep cycles.

The cerebellum is comprised of small lobes and serves a number of important functions. Although there is no totally agreed-upon list of the structures that make up the limbic system, four of the main regions include:.

The hypothalamus is a grouping of nuclei that lie along the base of the brain near the pituitary gland. The hypothalamus connects with many other regions of the brain and is responsible for controlling hunger, thirst, emotions , body temperature regulation, and circadian rhythms. The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland by secreting hormones. This gives the hypothalamus a great deal of control over many body functions.

The amygdala is a cluster of nuclei located close to the base of the brain. It is primarily involved in functions including memory, emotion, and the body's fight-or-flight response. The structure processes external stimuli and then relays that information to the hippocampus, which can then prompt a response to deal with outside threats.

Located above the brainstem, the thalamus processes and transmits movement and sensory information. It is essentially a relay station, taking in sensory information and then passing it on to the cerebral cortex. The cerebral cortex also sends information to the thalamus, which then sends this information to other systems. The hippocampus is a structure located in the temporal lobe.

It is important in memory and learning and is sometimes considered to be part of the limbic system because it plays an important part in the control of emotional responses. It plays a role in the body's fight-or-flight response and in the recall and regulation of emotional memories. The brain can also be affected by a number of conditions and by damage. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, there are more than types of neurological diseases. Some conditions that can affect the brain and its function include:.

By studying the brain and learning more about its anatomy and function, researchers are able to develop new treatments and preventative strategies for conditions that affect the brain.

You can't change your genetics or some other risk factors. But it's important to take steps to help protect the health of your brain. Research suggests that regular physical activity is essential for brain health. For example, that exercise can help delay brain aging as well as degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, diabetes, and multiple sclerosis.

It is also associated with improvements in cognitive abilities and memory. Similarly, a nutritious, balanced diet that includes omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and antioxidants is important for brain function as well as overall health. It's also essential to protect your brain from injury by, for example, wearing a helmet when participating in physical activities that pose a risk for collision or falls, and always wearing a seatbelt when driving or riding in a car.

Sleep can also play a pivotal role in brain health and mental well-being. Studies have found that sleep can actually play a role in the development and maintenance of some psychiatric conditions including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder.

Evidence also suggests that staying mentally engaged can also play an important role in protecting your brain from some degenerative conditions. Activities that may help include learning new things and staying socially active. The human brain is remarkably complex and researchers are still discovering many of the mysteries of how the mind works.

By better understanding how different parts of the brain function, you can also better appreciate how disease or injury may impact it. If you think that you are experiencing symptoms of a brain condition, talk to your doctor for further evaluation. Ever wonder what your personality type means? Sign up to find out more in our Healthy Mind newsletter.