Vital Areas of the Brain essays

Vital Areas of the Brain essays The human body is divided into many different parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain is made up of many cells, and is the control center of the body. The brain is a soft, wrinkled mass of tissue weighing about 2.75 pounds and has a whitish-pink appearance. The human brain is the most complex organ known to man, made up of different intricate parts. These different structures are all important in the everyday activities of all human beings. In speaking of the most important parts of the brain I feel it necessary to start at the bottom portion of the brain, the brain stem. The brain stem rises from the top of the spinal cord, and holds the pons and the medulla, also at the core of the brain stem is the reticular activating system. The brain stem is such an important part of the brain because of the three parts found within. The pons is responsible for such things as sleeping, walking, and dreaming. If this crucial part of the brain were missing impaired coordination of movement and posture would be the result. The most important part of the brain stem is the medulla, responsible for functions of the body that can be performed unconsciously such as breathing and heart rate. The medulla is such a vital part of the brain that if the medullas well-being is compromised the just mentioned functions are compromised and death may occur as a result. The other part of the brain stem is the reticular activating system, a dense ne twork of neurons that filter incoming information and arouse the higher areas of the brain to respond accordingly when needed to. Without this valuable piece of the brain stem we could not respond to alerting circumstances and may not be able to stay conscious. A part of the brain that I believe to be extremely important is the thalamus. The thalamus directs motor impulses from higher areas of the brain to the spinal cord, an ...