Man is a complex organism, consisting of many organs united in a single network, the work of which is precisely and impeccably regulated. The main function of regulating the body's work is performed by the central nervous system (CNS). This is a complex system that includes several organs and peripheral nerve endings and receptors. The most important organ of this system is the brain - a complex computing center responsible for the correct functioning of the whole organism.
Content
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General information about the structure of the brain
- Oblong section
- Midbrain
- Diencephalon
- Back section
- Large hemispheres of the brain
- Interaction of parts of the brain
General information about the structure of the brain
They have been trying to study it for a long time, but for all the time, scientists have not been able to accurately and unambiguously answer the question of what it is and how this body works. Many functions have been studied, for some there are only guesses.
Visually, it can be divided into three main parts:
brain stem, cerebellum and cerebral hemispheres. However, this division does not reflect the entire versatility of the functioning of this organ. In more detail, these parts are subdivided into departments responsible for certain functions of the body.Oblong section
The human central nervous system is an inextricable mechanism. The oblong section is a smooth transitional element from the spinal segment of the central nervous system. Visually, it can be represented in the form of a truncated cone with a base at the top or a small onion head with thickenings radiating from it - nerve tissuesconnecting to the intermediate department.
There are three different functions of the department - sensory, reflex and conduction. Its tasks include control over the main protective (gag reflex, sneezing, coughing) and unconscious reflexes (heartbeat, breathing, blinking, salivation, secretion of gastric juice, swallowing, exchange substances). In addition, the medulla oblongata is responsible for feelings such as balance and coordination of movements.
Midbrain
The next section responsible for communication with the spinal cord is the middle. But the main function of this department is to process nerve impulses and adjust the performance of the hearing aid and the human visual center. After processing the received information, this formation gives impulse signals for a response to stimuli: turning the head towards the sound, changing the position of the body in case of danger. Additional functions include regulation of body temperature, muscle tone, and arousal.
The human midbrain is responsible for such an important ability of the body as sleep.
The middle section has a complex structure. There are 4 clusters of nerve cells - tubercles, two of which are responsible for visual perception, the other two for hearing. Nerve clusters are connected with each other and with other parts of the brain and spinal cord with the same nerve-conducting tissue, visually similar to the legs. The total segment size does not exceed 2 cm in an adult.
Diencephalon
The department is even more complex in structure and functions. Anatomically, the diencephalon is divided into several parts: The pituitary gland. It is a small appendage of the brain that is responsible for the secretion of essential hormones and regulation of the body's endocrine system.
Pituitary conventionally divided into several parts, each of which performs its own function:
- The adenohypophysis is a regulator of peripheral endocrine glands.
- The neurohypophysis is connected with the hypothalamus and stores the hormones it produces.
Hypothalamus
A small area of the brain, the most important function of which is to control the heart rate and blood pressure in the vessels. In addition, the hypothalamus is responsible for some of the emotional manifestations by producing the necessary hormones to suppress stressful situations. Another important function is the control of hunger, satiety and thirst. To top it off, the hypothalamus is the center of sexual activity and pleasure.
Epithalamus
The main task of this department is to regulate the daily biological rhythm. With the help of the hormones produced, it affects the duration of sleep at night and normal wakefulness during the day. It is the epithalamus that adapts our body to the conditions of "daylight hours" and divides people into "owls" and "larks." Another task of the epithalamus is to regulate the body's metabolism.
Thalamus
This formation is very important for the correct awareness of the world around us. It is the thalamus that is responsible for processing and interpreting impulses from peripheral receptors. This center of information processing converges data from the optic nerve, hearing aid, body temperature receptors, olfactory receptors and pain points.
Back section
Like the previous sections, the hindbrain includes subsections. The main part is the cerebellum, the second is the pons varoli, which is a small roller of nerve tissue for the connection of the cerebellum with other parts and blood vessels that feed the brain.
Cerebellum
In its shape, the cerebellum resembles the large hemispheres, it consists of two parts, connected by a "worm" - a complex of conductive nerve tissue. The major hemispheres are composed of nerve cell nuclei, or "gray matter," assembled to increase surface and volume in folds. This part is located in the occipital part of the skull and completely occupies its entire posterior fossa.
The main function of this department is the coordination of motor functions. However, the cerebellum does not initiate movements of the arms or legs - it only controls accuracy and clarity, the order in which movements are performed, motor skills and posture.
The second important task is the regulation of cognitive functions. These include: attention, understanding, language awareness, regulation of fear, a sense of time, awareness of the nature of pleasure.
Large hemispheres of the brain
The bulk and volume of the brain falls precisely on the terminal section or large hemispheres. There are two hemispheres: the left one is mostly responsible for analytical thinking and speech functions of the body, and the right one is whose main task is abstract thinking and all processes associated with creativity and interaction with the environment the world.
The structure of the telencephalon
The cerebral hemispheres are the main "processing unit" of the central nervous system. Despite the different "specialization", these segments are complementary to each other.
The cerebral hemispheres are a complex system of interaction between the nuclei of nerve cells and nerve-conducting tissues that connect the main areas of the brain. The upper surface, called the cortex, is made up of a huge number of nerve cells. It is called gray matter. In the light of the general evolutionary development, the cortex is the youngest and most developed formation of the central nervous system and reached the highest development in humans. It is she who is responsible for the formation of higher neuropsychic functions and complex forms of human behavior. To increase the usable area, the surface of the hemispheres is collected in folds or convolutions. The inner surface of the cerebral hemispheres consists of white matter - the processes of nerve cells responsible for conducting nerve impulses and communication with the rest of the segments of the central nervous system.
In turn, each of the hemispheres is conventionally divided into 4 parts or lobes: occipital, parietal, temporal and frontal.
Occipital lobes
The main function of this conditional part is the processing of neural signals coming from the viewing centers. It is here that the familiar concepts of color, volume and other three-dimensional properties of a visible object are formed from light stimuli.
Parietal lobes
This segment is responsible for the onset of pain and the processing of signals from the body's heat receptors. This is where their common work ends.
The parietal lobe of the left hemisphere is responsible for structuring information packets, allowing you to operate with logical operators, read and read. Also, this area forms an awareness of the integral structure of the human body, the definition of the right and left parts, the coordination of individual movements into a single whole.
The right one deals with the generalization of information flows that are generated by the occipital lobes and the left parietal. In this area, a general volumetric picture of the perception of the environment, spatial position and orientation, and a miscalculation of perspective are formed.
Temporal lobes
This segment can be compared to the "hard disk" of a computer - a long-term storage of information. It is here that all the remembering and knowledge of a person, collected over a lifetime, are stored. The right temporal lobe is responsible for visual memory - memory of images. Left - all concepts and descriptions of individual objects are stored here, interpretation and comparison of images, their names and characteristics takes place.
As for speech recognition, both temporal lobes are involved in this procedure. However, their functions are different. If the left lobe is designed to recognize the semantic load of the words heard, then the right one interprets the intonation coloration and compares it with the speaker's facial expressions. Another function of this part of the brain is the perception and decoding of neural impulses coming from the olfactory receptors in the nose.
Frontal lobes
This part is responsible for such properties of our consciousness as critical self-assessment, adequacy of behavior, awareness of the degree of meaninglessness of actions, mood. The general behavior of a person also depends on the correct functioning of the frontal lobes of the brain, violations lead to inadequacy and asocial behavior. The process of learning, mastering skills, acquiring conditioned reflexes depends on the correct functioning of this part of the brain. This also applies to the degree of activity and curiosity of a person, his initiative and awareness of decisions.
To systematize the functions of the GM, they are presented in the table:
| Department of the brain | Functions |
|---|---|
| Medulla | Control of basic defensive reflexes. Control of unconscious reflexes. Balance control and coordination of movements. |
| Midbrain | Processing of nerve impulses, visual and auditory centers, response to them. Regulation of body temperature, muscle tone, agitation, sleep. |
| Diencephalon Pituitary Thalamus Hypothalamus Epithalamus |
Secretion of hormones and regulation of the endocrine system of the body. Awareness of the surrounding world, processing and interpretation of impulses coming from peripheral receptors. Processing information from peripheral receptors Heart rate and blood pressure monitoring. Production of hormones. Control of the state of hunger, thirst, satiety. Regulation of the daily biological rhythm, regulation of the body's metabolism. |
| Hind brain Cerebellum |
Coordination of motor functions. Regulation of cognitive functions: attention, understanding, language awareness, regulation of fear, sense of time, awareness of the nature of pleasure. |
| Large hemispheres of the brain Occipital lobes Parietal lobes Temporal lobes Frontal lobes. |
Processing neural signals from the eyes. Interpretation of pain and heat sensations, responsibility for the ability to read and write, logical and analytical thinking ability. Long-term storage of information. Interpretation and comparison of information, recognition of speech and facial expressions, decoding of neural impulses coming from olfactory receptors. Critical self-esteem, adequacy of behavior, mood. The process of learning, mastering skills, acquiring conditioned reflexes. |
Interaction of parts of the brain
In addition to the fact that each part of the brain has its own tasks, the integral structure determines consciousness, character, temperament and other psychological characteristics of behavior. The formation of certain types is determined by the varying degrees of influence and activity of one or another segment of the brain.
The first psychotype or choleric. The formation of this type of temperament occurs with the dominant influence of the frontal lobes of the cortex and one of the subdivisions of the diencephalon - the hypothalamus. The first generates determination and desire, the second site reinforces these emotions with the necessary hormones.
A characteristic interaction of the departments that determines the second type of temperament - sanguine, is the joint work of the hypothalamus and the hippocampus (the lower part of the temporal lobes). The main function of the hippocampus is to maintain short-term memory and convert the acquired knowledge into long-term. The result of such interaction is an open, inquisitive and interested type of human behavior.
Melancholic people are the third type of temperamental behavior. This option is formed with enhanced interaction between the hippocampus and another formation of the cerebral hemispheres - the amygdala. At the same time, the activity of the cortex and hypothalamus is reduced. The amygdala takes on the entire "blow" of stimulating signals. But since the perception of the main parts of the brain is inhibited, the response to arousal is low, which in turn affects behavior.
In turn, forming strong connections, the frontal lobe is able to set an active model of behavior. When the cortex of this area and the tonsils interact, the central nervous system generates only highly significant impulses, while ignoring insignificant events. All this leads to the formation of a Phlegmatic model of behavior - a strong, purposeful person with an awareness of priority goals.
