Page 238 - Ultimate Visual Dictionary (DK)

THE HUMAN BODY

Brain MRI SCAN OF TRANSVERSE
SECTION THROUGH BRAIN

THE BRAIN IS THE MAJOR ORGAN of the central nervous Grey
system and the control center for all the body’s voluntary White matter
matter
and involuntary activities. It is also responsible for the
complexities of thought, memory, emotion, and language.
In adults, this complex organ is a mere 3 lb (1.4 kg) in Skull
weight, containing over 10 billion nerve cells. Three distinct
regions can easily be seen—the brainstem, the cerebellum,
and the large cerebrum. The brainstem controls vital body Scalp
functions, such as breathing and digestion. The cerebellum’s
main functions are the maintenance of posture and the Lateral
ventricle
coordination of body movements. The cerebrum, which
Longitudinal
consists of the right and left cerebral hemispheres joined fissure Coronal
by the corpus callosum, is the site of most conscious and section
Sagittal
intelligent activities. section
SAGITTAL SECTION
THROUGH BRAIN Fornix Cerebrum
Central sulcus

Corpus
Parietal lobe callosum

Parieto-occipital
sulucs Thalamus

Pineal
body

Occipital
lobe Frontal
lobe

Aqueduct Hypothalamus

Cerebellum Optic
chiasma
Pituitary gland
4th ventricle
Mesencephalon
(midbrain)
Pons Brainstem
Spinal cord
Medulla
oblongata

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