Essay Sample on Human Brain

Introduction

The human brain is composed of various parts which form during the evolution of human beings. The parts which evolve first are the ones responsible for the functions that support life functions such as breathing, and they are found at the brain base. The brain base is referred to as to brain stem which is made up of the pons, medulla oblongata and midbrain. The cerebrum and cerebellum are the areas which surround the stem of the brain. The cerebellum which is in the shape of cauliflower is found under the occipital lobes at the skull base and on top of the brain stem. It is responsible for movement coordination, balance and posture maintenance and regulation of muscle tone (Heimer, 2012). It's made up of two halves which resemble the cerebrum; it's not responsible for movement initiation, but it manages the balanced and smooth execution to coordination motion and maintains the tension of muscles.

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The cerebrum is round in shape and is responsible for emotions, memory, reasoning, and thoughts. The larger part of the cranial cavity is occupied by the cerebrum which consists of two hemispheres that are interconnected by corpus callosum at the base. The hemispheres are identical and manage the opposite body side; each of them has four parts namely; parietal, frontal, occipital and temporal. The cerebral cortex covers both hemispheres; it contains gray matter that is composed of neuron and dendrite for electrical conduction. The middle brain which is the uppermost is connected to the cerebellum and cerebrum by fiber; it coordinates the movement of skeletal. The pons which is between the medulla and midbrain transmits Sensory data between cerebellum and cerebrum. Finally, the medulla oblongata manages cardiovascular.

The other part is the forebrain which consists of the pituitary gland, hypothalamus, and thalamus. Its bigger part is covered by the cerebral hemisphere and has a cavity called the third ventricle. The hypothalamus is responsible for the management of sex drive, hunger, temperature, thirst, and aggression. The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary gland which is responsible for most hormones' secretion. The thalamus has nerves which are tightly packed for transmission of nerve impulses from the sensory organs to the cortex. The brain also has a network of nerve fibers and nuclei known as the reticular formation; it serves as the system for stimulating reticular. The reticular formation has sensory pathways joining the brain and spinal cord, it maintains the consciousness of a human being. The hypothalamus and the brain stem are covered by limbic system structures which controls response to emotions (Heimer, 2012). The brain also consists four cavities which produce the cerebrospinal fluid.

Conclusion

The brain is the boss; it resembles the central computers which controls and manages all the body activities. It dictates how the body will react after it receives a message from any part of the body. The brain has many neurons each specialized to carry out a specific task in the body. It has been noted that the brain performs the most important functions in the body, it means a person will stop to function correctly if a part of it is injured. Brain damage can lead to a comma; the state where one is unconscious or even death if the damage is severe. There will be poor coordination of the body parts which are controlled by the damaged part of the brain.

References

Heimer, L. (2012). The human brain and spinal cord: functional neuroanatomy and dissection guide. Springer Science & Business Media.