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In our previous anatomy and physiology session we have discussed about Lung Anatomy, Function and Disease, Anatomy of Kidney, Functions of Kidney, Anatomy of Liver, Functions of Liver. Please check out for the link below.
Lung Anatomy, Function and Disease
Being a healthcare professional, it is very important to have knowledge about human body.
Human body’s Central Nervous System consists of Brain and the Spinal Cord. In today’s topic we are going to discuss about anatomy of the brain.
Let's get into the topic.
ANATOMY OF THE BRAIN
The brain is made up of more than 100 billion nerves
which communicate between trillions of connections called synapses. The brain is surrounded by the layer of tissue called meninges. The skull protects the
brain from external injury.
The brain is divided into three main parts
structurally, cerebrum, cerebellum, brainstem.
Let’s discuss in detail about each of the
above-mentioned parts.
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CEREBRUM
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum is composed of right and left hemispheres. The fissure that separates the two hemispheres is called as great longitudinal fissure. The corpus callosum connects the two sides of the brain at the bottom which is used to deliver messages from one side of the brain to the other side.
The cerebral hemispheres have several distinct
fissures. Based on these fissures, it can divided into pair of lobes. Each
hemisphere have separate lobes called frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal
lobe, occipital lobe.
The functions of cerebrum include interpretation of touch, vision, hearing as well as speech, reasoning, learning, emotions, fine control of movements and learning.
LOBES OF THE BRAIN
The Brain is divided into several lobes which are as
follows.
FRONTAL LOBE: The frontal lobes are located in the
front part of the brain. The frontal lobes are largest lobes in the brain.
PARIETAL LOBE: The parietal lobes are located behind
the frontal lobes.
TEMPORAL LOBE: The temporal lobes are located on both
sides of the head as the same level of the ears.
OCCIPITAL LOBE: The occipital lobes are located on the
backside of the brain.
Image courtesy: Wikimedia commonsLicensed under: CC Share Alike
CEREBELLUM
It is located at the back of the brain beneath
occipital lobe. The cerebellum is separated from cerebrum by the tentorium. Similar
to cerebrum, the cerebellum has right and left hemispheres. The both
hemispheres are connected by middle region called vermis.
The Arbor Vitae is a central white stem within the
interior tissue. The Arbor Vitae spreads branches and sub branches through the
right and left hemispheres.
The cerebellum’s main function is to coordinate muscle
movements, maintain balance and posture. The cerebellum is responsible for
rapid and repetitive actions.
BRAINSTEM
The brainstem is present at the base of the brain. It
extends from upper cervical spinal cord to diencephalon of cerebrum. The
brainstem connects cerebrum and cerebellum to the spinal cord. The brainstem is
further divided into medulla, pons and midbrain. The 12 Cranial Nerves
originate from the brain stem.
The 12 Cranial nerves are as follows.
1. Olfactory
2. Optic
3. Oculomotor
4. Trochlear
5. Trigeminal
6. Abducens
7. Facial
8. Auditory
9. Glossopharyngeal
10. Vagus
11. Accessory
12. Hypoglossal
The medulla oblongata which extends as a spinal cord,
connects to the pons at the upper side. Both medulla oblongata and pons are
considered as the parts of hindbrain. The midbrain connects pons to the
diencephalon and the forebrain.
The midbrain plays a important role in ocular motion.
The pons is involved in eye coordination and facial movements, hearing and
balance. The functions of medulla oblongata include breathing, maintaining body
temperature, heart rate, sleep cycle, sneezing, coughing, vomiting, swallowing
and digestion.
DEEP BRAIN STRUCTURES
The following are the deep structures of the brain.
HYPOTHALAMUS
The hypothalamus is located at the floor of the third
ventricle. Hypothalamus is a part of diencephalon which is also a part of
forebrain which connects to the midbrain
and cerebrum. The hypothalamus is the master control of the autonomic system. The
hypothalamus plays a important role in sensory functions like taste, vision and
smell.
BASAL GANGLIA
The basal ganglia is present at the center of the brain.
The basal ganglia are cluster in structure which plays a important role in
coordinating messages between multiple other brain areas.
PITUTARY GLAND
The pituitary gland lies in a small pocket of a bone
at the skull base called as sella turcia. The pituitary stalk connects the
pituitary gland to the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland is also know as the
master gland which controls the other endocrine glands.
PINEAL GLAND
The pineal gland is located behind the third ventricle.
The pineal gland secrets melatonin which helps to regulate body’s internal
clock and cardiac rhythms.
THALAMUS
The thalamus is a relay station for all the
information that comes and goes to the cortex.
LIMBIC SYSTEM
The limbic system is considered as emotional brain.
The limbic system is located on the top of brain stem and under the cerebral
cortex.
CEREBROSPINAL FLUID
The cerebrospinal fluid is a clear watery substance
which cushions and surrounds the brain
and the spinal cord to prevent them from injury. The cerebrospinal fluid is
also found inside the brain. This CSF fluid constantly circulates around the
channels of the brain, which is constantly absorbed and replenished. The
choroid plexus is a specialized structure within each ventricle responsible for
CSF production.
Now I hope you have acquired some knowledge about Anatomy of the Brain. We will discuss in detail about a topic related to biomedical engineering in our future blogs.
NOTE: Dear friends!!!... Please do comment a topic related to Biomedical, so that we can discuss it in future blogs.
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