The brain is made up of several compartments; however, there are three main parts of the brain. The three main partitions are the cerebrum, cerebellum and brain stem, according to Thinkquest.org. Each section controls different things in the body and are vital to the functioning of a human being.
Cerebrum
According to Shippensburg University, the cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. The cerebrum is divided into two parts, the right and left hemispheres, Thinkquest.org reports. The left hemisphere controls things on the right side of the body, and the right hemisphere controls things on the left side of the body, according to Thinkquest.org, which also reports that the right side controls imagination and spatial reasoning and the left side controls numbering skills, posture and reasoning. Each hemisphere is divided into four sections: the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes, Thinkquest.org reports. According to Shippensburg, the frontal lobe controls voluntary movement, personality, intelligence and planning. The occipital lobe controls vision. According to Bryn Mawr College, the temporal lobe controls perception the recognition of auditory stimuli, memory and speech. Bryn Mawr reports that the parietal lobe controls movement, orientation, recognition and the perception of stimuli.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum controls high functioning, posture, balance and coordination, according to Thinkquest.org. The cerebellum is made up of the thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala and hippocampus, according to Bryn Mawr; the thalamus controls sensory and motor functions. The hypothalamus controls homeostasis, emotion, thirst, hunger, circadian rhythms, autonomic nervous system and the pituitary gland, according to Bryn Mawr. The amygdala controls emotion, memory and fear. Finally, the hippocampus controls learning and memory, coverts short-term memory to long-term memory, and recalls spatial relationships, Bryn Mawr reports.
Brain Stem
According to Thinkquest.org, the brain stem connects the brain with the spinal cord. The brain stem contains the midbrain, pons and medulla oblongata, according to Bryn Mawr. The midbrain controls vision, hearing, eye movements, body movements and voluntary motor functions. The pons controls motor control, sensory analysis, level of consciousness and sleep, movement and posture. The medulla oblongata maintains vital body functions such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate, according to Bryn Mawr.
