Science

Introduction to NeuroScience

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Some parts of the brain, including the cerebellum and brain stem, are quite primitive. They help us coordinate our movements and control basic survival functions like breathing.

Then there’s the cerebrum—the biggest and most evolved part of the brain. It controls the body’s conscious experiences and voluntary movements. It allows us to feel, think and create. And to receive, store and retrieve memories. In short, it makes us human.

brain-limbic

Imagine your whole brain and slice it down the middle. What you’re left with are the two hemispheres of the cerebral cortex. Each of the hemispheres contains four lobes: the frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital lobes. These lobes are specialized to do certain things. For example, the frontal lobe specializes in decision making, while the occipital lobe specializes in vision. In addition to the lobes, there are deeper structures in the brain like the Limbic System, which is important to long-term memory and emotions, ect.

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The Limbic System

The Limbic System is the area of the brain that regulates emotion and memory. It directly connects the lower and higher brain functions. It influences emotions, the visceral responses to those emotions, motivation, mood, and sensations of pain and pleasure. The Limbic System is comprised of the following parts:

  • Thalamus
  • Thalamus means “inner room” in Greek, as it sits deep in the brain at the top of the brainstem.  The thalamus is called the gateway to the cerebral cortex, as nearly all sensory inputs pass through it to the higher levels of the brain.
  • Hypothalamus
  • The hypothalamus sits under the thalamus at the top of the brainstem. Although the hypothalamus is small, it controls many critical bodily functions: Controls autonomic nervous system;  is the center for emotional response and behavior;  Regulates body temperature;  Regulates food intake;  Regulates water balance and thirst;  Controls sleep-wake cycles;  and controls the endocrine system. The pituitary gland extends from the hypothalamus.
  • Cingulate gyrus
  • The Cingulate (to surround) Gyrus (fold), is part of the cerebrum gray matter surrounding and directly connected to the parts of the inner Limbic System. The Cingulate Gyrus serves as a conduit of messages to and from the inner Limbic System
  • Amygdala
  • The Amygdala is important for making associations across stimulus modalities (a certain fragrance often elicits an associated visual image).  It appears to be responsible for the influence of emotional states on sensory inputs. This produces a spectrum of sensory perceptions from apparently identical stimuli (ex. the sound of one’s own motorcycle is never perceived as noise). Thought to be responsible for face recognition.
  • Hippocampus
  • The Hippocampus is very important in the transition of information from short to long term memory,   Since the Hippocampus is also part of the Temporal Lobe, damage to that portion of the brain can result in a loss of memory.
  • Basal Ganglia
  • The Basal Ganglia play an important role in planning and coordinating motor movements and posture. Complex neural connections link the Basal Ganglia with the Cerebral Cortex.  The major effect of the Basal Ganglia is to inhibit unwanted muscular activity and disorders of the Basal Ganglia result in exaggerated, uncontrolled movements.
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