THE BRAIN

The Brain Can you image a hunk of pinkish-gray tissue the size of your hand that is controlling your entire body? This organ in your body is called the brain. The brain is not the largest organ but is the most complex organ in your body. (Metos, 1990, p. 10 ) When you think of the brain do you think of the control center of movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and virtually every other vital activity necessary to survive? Or do you think of the brain as the organ that controls emotions including, hate, love, fear, sadness, mourning, ect.? I really doubt you would think of that unless you were an anthropologist, a scientist who studies humans? ( Funk & Wagnalls Corporation, 1995, Encarta Encyclopedia. ) As a matter of fact, the brain weights about 1.3 kilograms or about 3 pounds, that is in males, because there thick headed, but in females it weights about 10% less and contains 10 to 15 billion nerve cells. ( Metos,1990, pg. 10. ) These nerve cells are all linked together, they are responsible for the control of all the mental functions. Also from the outside of the human brain, which I doubt any of us will ever see in person, looks like it’s divided into three parts, which it is, the first part is the cerebrum, the second part is the cerebellum, and the last part is the brain stem. The three parts of the brain are very complex and have many little parts in them. The first part of the human brain is the cerebrum and is the largest part. It weighs about 85% of the 3 pounds. The second part of the human brain is the cerebellum, which is in the posterior, or the hind part of the brain. The cerebellum is the center of which reflex, for coordination. The third part is the most complex, the brain stem is made up of six different parts. The first part of the brain stem is the thalamus, which lies in the middle of the brain.