WHERE IT ALL BEGINS!!!! THE BRAIN!!
Main Functions
The brain is a very important thing; we need it for everything without it we will not be able to function properly. The brain allows us to think, move, feel, see, hear, taste, and smell. Our brain controls our body, it receives, sends, analyses and stores information (i.e. memory).
Size of Our Brain
The average human brain weighs about 3 pounds. When we are born our brain weighs less than a pound. As we grow the numbers of cells remain the pretty much the same, but the cells grow and the number of connections increases. By about the age of 6 our brain is fully grown and developed.
The Nervous System
Both the brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. The brain is connected to the spinal cord, which runs from our back to our hip areas. The spinal cord is the one that carries nerve messages from the brain to the body. The nerves that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body are called peripheral nervous systems. The autonomic nervous system controls our life support systems that we can not consciously control, like breathing, digestion, etc.
Each part of the nervous system has a special function:
The Cerebrum – is the largest part of the brain, it controlsvoluntary movements and coordinate mental actions.
Cerebellum – is a large part of the brain, it is in charge of coordinating voluntary movements, posture, and balance in humans, it is located in the back and just below our cerebrum it is consisted of two lateral lobes and a central lobe.
Cranial Nerves – is composed of twelve pairs of nerves that come from the nervous tissues of the brain. They must exit or enter the cranium through openings in the skull. The functions of the cranial nerves to send their axons (a nerve) out of the cranium where they control a muscle (i.e. blinking).
Removable Brain Stem- controls our reflexes and other vital mechanisms in our bodies such as respiration and heartbeat.
Spinal Cord - carries nerve messages from the brain to the body.
Spinal Nerve Roots - The nerve roots run through the bony canal and at each level a pair of nerve roots exits from the spine.
Sympathetic Ganglia – part of the autonomic nervous system which controls our life support systems that we can not consciously control, like breathing, digestion, etc.
