The Brain: How It Works

The brain’s many, many nerve cells control how we feel, move, and think. Learning a bit about the brain’s structure and function can help you understand what effects a brain injury can have.

The brain is divided up into two halves, the left brain and the right brain. Each half of the brain is charged with taking care of different tasks and thinking processes. The left brain is involved in verbal expression like language, thoughts, and other things that contain words. The right side of the brain gives us emotions, and lets us experience nonverbal things like music and art.

The cerebrum is the part of the brain that gives humans their higher functioning abilities. It can again be divided up into four lobes: the frontal lobe, the parietal lobe, the occipital lobe, and the temporal lobe. These separate parts each control a still more specific function or type of thinking. Brain damage associated with the specific physical location of one of these lobes can result in a corresponding loss of function.

  • Temporal: memory, speech, recognizing sounds
  • Occipital: visual processing
  • Parietal: spatial recognition, movement
  • Frontal: emotions, planning, critical thinking

Besides the cerebrum, the brain also contains three parts which are thought to be much older, evolutionarily. The cerebellum, located in the back of the head above the spinal cord, takes care of proper balance and movement. The limbic system takes care of various functions, from hunger, thirst, and circadian rhythms, to memory. Finally there is the brain stem, the most basic part of the brain, which regulates breathing and blood pressure.

Article Sources: