brain areas

Brainstem

Located at the base of the brain, connecting to the spinal cord; controls basic survival functions like breathing and heartbeat.

Medulla

Located in the lower part of the brainstem; regulates heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure.

Pons

Sits above the medulla in the brainstem; helps coordinate movement, sleep, and communication between brain regions.

Reticular Formation

Runs through the brainstem; regulates alertness, arousal, and sleep-wake cycles.

Thalamus

Located above the brainstem in the center of the brain; acts as a sensory relay station for all senses except smell.

Cerebellum

Located at the back of the brain beneath the occipital lobe; coordinates balance, posture, and voluntary movement.

Limbic System

Located deep within the brain between the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; involved in emotion, motivation, and memory.

Hypothalamus

Located below the thalamus; regulates hunger, thirst, temperature, and links the nervous system to the endocrine system.

Pituitary Gland

Located just below the hypothalamus; known as the “master gland” that controls hormones and growth.

Amygdala

Located in the temporal lobe within the limbic system; involved in fear, aggression, and emotional processing.

Hippocampus

Located in the temporal lobe within the limbic system; essential for forming long-term memories and spatial navigation.

Cerebral Cortex

Outer layer of the cerebrum; responsible for higher-level thinking, decision-making, and processing sensory information.

Frontal Lobe

Front part of the cerebral cortex; controls planning, judgment, decision-making, personality, and voluntary movement.

Parietal Lobe

Top middle section of the cerebral cortex; processes touch, pressure, temperature, and spatial awareness.

Temporal Lobe

Located on the sides of the brain near the ears; processes hearing, memory, and language comprehension.

Occipital Lobe

Located at the back of the brain; responsible for visual processing.

Primary Motor Cortex

Located at the rear of the frontal lobe; controls voluntary muscle movements.

Primary Sensory Cortex

Located at the front of the parietal lobe; receives and interprets sensory information from the body.

Auditory Cortex

Located in the temporal lobe; processes sounds and hearing.

Visual Cortex

Located in the occipital lobe; processes visual information from the eyes.

Association Areas

Spread throughout all lobes of the cortex; integrate and interpret information, supporting learning and memory.

Broca’s Area

Located in the left frontal lobe; responsible for speech production and language expression.

Wernicke’s Area

Located in the left temporal lobe; responsible for understanding spoken and written language.

Angular Gyrus

Located in the parietal lobe near the temporal and occipital lobes; involved in reading, writing, and turning written words into spoken language.

Corpus Callosum

Located between the two hemispheres; bundle of nerve fibers connecting and allowing communication between left and right hemispheres.

Left Hemisphere

Controls the right side of the body; specializes in language, logic, and analytical thinking.

Right Hemisphere

Controls the left side of the body; specializes in creativity, spatial reasoning, and facial recognition.