The Brain

The Brain:



Functions of the brain:

FRONTAL LOBES: You use your frontal lobe nearly everyday. You use it to make decisions, such as what to eat or drink for breakfast in the morning, as well as for thinking or studying for a test. The frontal lobe is also where our personality is formed and where we can carry out higher mental processes such as planning. In addition, the frontal lobe is necessary to being able to speak fluently (without fault) and meaningfully.

PARIETAL LOBES: The parietal lobe carries out some very specific functions. As a part of the cortex, it has a lot of responsibilities and has to be able to process sensory information within seconds. The parietal lobe is where information such as taste, temperature and touch are processed. Humans would not be able to to feel sensations of touch, if the parietal lobe was damaged.

OCCIPITAL LOBES: The occipital lobe is important to being able to correctly understand what your eyes are seeing. These lobes have to be very fast to process the rapid information that our eyes are sending. Similar to how the temporal lobe makes sense of auditory information, the occipital lobe makes sense of visual information so that we are able to understand it. If our occipital lobe was impaired or injured we would not be able to correctly process visual signals, therefore, visual confusion would result.

TEMPORAL LOBES: The temporal lobe mainly revolves around hearing and selective listening. It receives sensory information such as sounds and speech from the ears. It is also key to being able to understand speech. In fact, we would not be able to understand someone talking to us, if it wasn't for the temporal lobe. This lobe is special because it makes sense of the all the different sounds and pitches(different types of sound) being transmitted from the sensory receptors of the ears.

CEREBELLUM: The cerebellum is one of the most identifiable parts of the brain due to its unique shape and location. It is extremely important for being able to perform everyday voluntary (done with purpose and intent) tasks such as walking and writing. It is also essential to being able to stay balanced and upright. Patients who have suffered from damaged cerebellums often struggle with keeping their balance and maintaining proper muscle coordination.

BRAIN STEM: The brainstem is the region of the brain that connects the cerebellum with the spinal cord. It consists of the midbrain*, medulla oblongata*, and the pons*. Motor and sensory neurons* travel through the brainstem allowing for the relay of signals between the brain and the spinal cord. Most cranial nerves* are also located in the brainstem.

The brainstem coordinates motor control signals sent from the brain to the body. This brain region also controls life supporting autonomic functions of the peripheral nervous system*. The fourth cerebral ventricle* is located in the brainstem, posterior to the pons and medulla oblongata. This cerebrospinal fluid-filled ventricle is continuous with the cerebral aqueduct and the central canal of the spinal cord*.

Function

The brainstem controls several important functions of the body including:

• Alertness
• Breathing
• Blood Pressure
• Digestion
• Heart Rate
• Relays information between the Peripheral Nerves and Spinal Cord to the upper parts of the brain

~KEYWORDS~
*Midbrain*- A small central part of the brainstem, developing from the middle of the brain.

*Medulla oblongata*- The continuation of the spinal cord within the skull, forming the lowest part of the brainstem and containing control centres for the heart and lungs.

*Pons*- The part of the brainstem that links the medulla oblongata and the thalamus.

*Sensory Neurons*- Sensory neurons are nerve cells that transmit sensory information (sight, sound, feeling, etc.). They are activated by sensory input, and send projections to other elements of the nervous system, transfering sensory information to the brain or spinal cord.

*Cranial Nerves*- The cranial nerves are twelve pairs of nerves that can be found at the bottom surface of the brain. Some of these nerves bring information from the sensory organs to the brain, some can control muscles, and some are connected to glands or internal organs such as the heart and lungs.

*Peripheral Nervous System*- This is the nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord.

*Cerebral Ventricle*- It is one of a system of four communicating cavities (ventricles) within the brain that are continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord.

* Spinal Cord*- The cylinder shaped bundle of nerve fibres and associated tissue which is enclosed in the spine and connects nearly all parts of the body to the brain, it forms the central nervous system.

Prezi: Introduction to the Brain 

The Eye

Abby has done some great work researching the eye... well done Abby! 

The Eye:

• The eye is a very important part of the body it lets us see things. The eye consists of many different parts, Each of these parts has a different function:

  

Different parts of the eye:

• SCLERA-  This is the opaque layer on the outside of the eye, its function is to protect the eye.
• CORNEA- This part of the eye acts like a window, it controls and focuses the amount of light allowed into the eye.
• PUPIL- This is the part of the eye which light passes through.
• LENS- This is the part that lets us see shapes as they are and at different distances, it allows the real image to be formed at the retina.
• IRIS- This is the coloured part of the eye, it helps control the amount of light entering the eye. when the light is bright, this part of the eye closes the pupil to let in less light and when there is low light this part of the eye opens the pupil to let in more light.
• CILIARY BODY- This part of the eye realeases a clear liquid called aqueous humor, it also changes the shape of the lens when your eye focuses on something.
• CHOROID- This part of the eye looks mainly at helping the outer layers of the retina, it also controls heat and pressure, whilst absorbing excess light to try and avoid reflection.
• RETINA- This part of the eye is a light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye, it converts light energy that reaches it into signals which are then sent to the brain by the optic nevre.
• FOVEA CENTRALIS- This part of the eye is tiny but responsible for providing us with our most clearest, sharpest vision, by having a healthy fovea, it is the key to reading, watching T.V, driving and other activities that need to see things in detail. this part of the eye has no blood vessels. 
• OPTIC NERVE- This part of the eye transfers visual images (what we see) to the brain from the retina through electrical impulses, it is made up of nerve cells.
• SUSPENSORY LIGAMENT- This is the part that supports the eye, it forms a hammock beneath the eyeball for this support.
• BLOOD VESSELS- These are capillaries and arteries throughout the eye.
• OPTIC DISC (BLIND SPOT)- This is the part of the eye where the *ganglion cell axons* leave the eye, because there is nothing overlying this, it results in a blind spot in each eye.

The Optic Nerve (Blind Spot):

• To find your blind spot here is a quick experiment:

- Put your right hand over your right eye, and stare at the black dot.

- Move closer or further away, and you will find you can't see the ➕ anymore, this is because that is your blind spot!

The Retina:

• Here is a picture of Miss McCarthy's retina: