Parts of the Brain and What They Do

Amygdala

Responsible for emotion, especially fear and aggression; it helps detect threats quickly and attaches emotional importance to memories.

Brain

The brain is the central organ of the nervous system responsible for processing sensory information, regulating bodily functions, and enabling cognition, emotions, and behaviors.

Brain Stem

It connects the brain to the spinal cord and controls vital functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and sleep cycles.

Broca’s Area

Helps plan the movements of the lips, tongue, and jaw needed to produce words. (Damage to this region caused aphasia).

Cerebellum

Coordinates voluntary movements, balance, and motor skills, and contributes to cognitive functions like attention and language.

Cingulate Gyrus

Bridges cognitive thinking, emotional processing, and autonomic body functions.

Cerebral Cortex

Is responsible for complex functions such as perception, thought, language, and conscious awareness

Corpus Callosum

Connects the two hemispheres of the brain so that they can communicate to each other.

Fornix

Acts as the primary output and communication tract of the hippocampus.

Frontal Lobe

Involved in decision-making, problem-solving, planning, voluntary movement, and controlling behavior and emotions.

Hippocampus

Processes and forms new conscious (explicit) memories; damage to it can leave old memories intact while making new ones very hard to form.

Hypothalamus

Maintains the body: hunger, thirst, body temperature; directs the pituitary gland; it also contains the body’s master clock for daily rhythms.

Limbic System

A group of interconnected structures deep inside the brain that controls your emotions, memories, and basic survival drives.

Medulla

Controls basic functions such as breathing and heart rate.

Motor Cortex

Controls most types of skeletal movement.

Occipital Lobe

This lobe holds the visual cortex and is therefore responsible for processing visual information and is involved in visual perception.

Parahippocampal Gyrus

Acts as a vital bridge between the hippocampus and the rest of the cerebral cortex.

Parietal Lobe

They process sensory information related to touch, temperature, and pain, and help with spatial orientation and body awareness.

Pituitary Gland

Releases hormones that direct other glands of the endocrine system, which is why it is often called the “master gland”.

Prefrontal Cortex

Handles higher-order thinking and executive functioning.

Pons

Acts as a major bridge linking the cerebrum, cerebellum, and spinal cord.

Reticular Activating System

Governs alertness, some voluntary movement, and eye movement.

Somatosensory Cortex

Processes touch sensitivity.

Temporal Lobe

This lobe holds the auditory cortex and is involved in processing auditory information, language comprehension, memory, and emotional responses.

Thalamus

Relays station that routes incoming sensory information (every sense except smell) to the cortex.

Wernicke’s Area

Is responsible for language comprehension (damage to this area (aphasia) means that patients often speak fluently, but their words make little sense, and they struggle to understand others).

What makes up the limbic system?

Amygdala, cingulate gyrus, fornix, hippocampus, parahippocampul gyrus, thalamus.

What makes up the forebrain?

Cerebral Cortex, thalamus, and hypothalamus.

What makes up the hindbrain?

Cerebullum, medulla, and the pons.