The brain, a gelatinous mass encased within the skull, is an incredibly complicated organ which works so efficiently that people rarely stop to consider its astonishing capacity. Your brain is the key to your speech, emotions, thought, memories, learning and ability to sense and create. It controls your every conscious and unconscious movement. In short, your brain is what makes you human.
Cerebrum
The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum, makes up 85 percent of the brain's weight, according to the Kids Health website. The cerebrum's two hemispheres, or halves, are covered with deeply wrinkled folds. The folds serve to increase the brain's surface matter. The corpus callosum, a grouping of nerves at the base of the fissure between the two halves, carries messages from one hemisphere to the other. Each hemisphere consists of four lobes or regions: the frontal lobes which control thought, speech, emotion and movement; the parietal lobes which provide sensory information such as touch and temperature; the occipital lobes which deal with vision; and the temporal lobes, which control the senses of smell and sound, and serve a role in memory.
Cerebellum
The cerebellum, a wrinkled mass lying behind and below the cerebrum, is the second largest part of the brain, according to National Geographic. Using sensory input from the inner ear and the muscles, the cerebellum controls movement, balance and coordination.
Inner Brain
The thalamus, hypothalamus and hippocampus are located deep within the brain. The thalamus acts as a relay for impulses traveling from the body's nerves to the brain. The hypothalamus regulates temperature and primal needs like sleeping and eating, and controls emotion. The hypothalamus also controls the body via the pituitary gland, which controls body functions like growth and metabolism by releasing hormones into the blood. The hippocampus helps store and recall memories.
Brain Stem
The brain stem lies at the base of the brain and links the brain with the spinal cord. It is responsible for body reflexes and basic life functions such as breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and digestion. It also plays a role in sleep, according to MayoClinic.com.
Central Nervous System
The spinal cord is a bundle of nerve fibers running from the base of the brain to the lower back. The brain and spinal cord together are known as the central nervous system, and relay messages to and from the peripheral nervous system, found throughout rest of the body. The nervous system consists of many millions of interconnected neurons which work at amazingly rapid speed, allowing the body to move, think, learn and communicate.
