Brain Structure, Functions, and Neurotransmitters

Posted on Mar 11, 2025 in Psychology and Sociology

Brain Structure and Function

Forebrain (Prosencephalon)

Diencephalon

Functions: Directing sense impulses throughout the body, autonomic function control, endocrine function control, motor function control, homeostasis, and perception of hearing, vision, smell, taste, and touch.

Main structures: Hypothalamus, Thalamus, Epithalamus, Subthalamus.

Telencephalon (Cerebrum)

Functions: Determining intelligence and personality, thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language, interpretation of sensory impulses, and motor function. The cerebrum is divided into right and left hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum. Each hemisphere is further divided into four lobes.

Brain Hemispheres:

• The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body and vice versa.
• They are connected through the corpus callosum.

Left Hemisphere: Language, critical thinking, logic, numbers, reasoning.

Right Hemisphere: Recognizing faces, expressing and reading emotions, color, images, intuition, creativity, music.

Midbrain (Mesencephalon)

It connects the forebrain and the hindbrain.

Tectum

Functions: Controls auditory and visual responses.

Tegmentum

Functions: Controls motor functions, regulates awareness and attention, and controls some autonomic functions.

Hindbrain (Rhombencephalon)

Myelencephalon (composed of medulla oblongata)

Functions: Autonomic functions, serves as a conduction pathway for nerve tracts, and controls breathing, digestion, heart rate, swallowing, and sneezing.

Metencephalon (consists of the pons and the cerebellum)

Functions: Arousal, balance, cardiac reflexes, sleep, fine muscle movement, and muscle tone maintenance.

The Four Lobes of the Cerebrum

Frontal Lobe: Responsible for reasoning, motor skills, higher-level cognition, and expressive language. Damage can lead to: Changes in sexual habits, socialization, and attention, as well as increased risk-taking.

Parietal Lobe: Processes tactile sensory information (pressure, touch, and pain). Damage can lead to: Problems with verbal memory and language, and an impaired ability to control eye gaze.

Temporal Lobe: Contains the auditory cortex, responsible for interpreting sounds and language, and the hippocampus, crucial for the formation of memories. Damage can lead to: Problems with memory, speech perception, and language skills.

Occipital Lobe: Responsible for interpreting visual stimuli and information. The primary visual cortex receives and interprets information from the retinas of the eyes. Damage can lead to: Difficulty recognizing objects, inability to identify colors, and trouble recognizing words.

Neurons

Structure:

1. Dendrites: Extensions at the beginning of a neuron that transmit information to the cell body.
2. Cell body.
3. Axon: The elongated fiber that extends from the cell body to the terminal endings and transmits the neural signal. The larger the axon, the faster it transmits information.

Types of Neurons:

• Sensory Neurons: Carry information from sensory receptor cells throughout the body to the brain.
• Motor Neurons: Transmit information from the brain to the muscles of the body.
• Interneurons: Communicate information between different neurons in the body.

Neurotransmitters