Monday, March 19, 2012

Why Your Brain Parts Are So Important

The brain is thought as the most complex organ in our bodies. It controls virtually everything we do, our organs and allows us to process information and perceive the world around us in an amazing manner. The brain itself is made up of many brain parts which individually perform certain key functions which are vital to our life. Let’s review this further.

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. It is most closely associated with higher brain functions and critical thought. This is the part of the brain which is much larger than other animal’s brains similar in size to us. It is what gives us our unique mental abilities and our ability to think.

Within the cerebrum are other parts which have specialized functions. For example the front lobe of the cerebrum is associated with reasoning, speech, movement, emotions and problem solving skills among others.

The parietal lobe is associated with movement, balance, and perception of stimuli. The occipital lobe is most closely associated with visual processing. And the temporal lobe is associated with perception and the ability to recognize auditory stimuli. It also controls memory and speech.

The cerebrum is also split into two halves. The right half of the cerebrum controls many functions on the left side of your body. And the same thing occurs with the right half of your cerebrum. The latest studies are showing that still we need to have those two parts, or two hemispheres, working together for a proper functioning of our brain. For example, creativity needs the two parts of the brain to work together and not only one part as we usually define how the brain works. Mind exercise can help you train your cognition and can improve the functioning of the two parts.

The ability to process, organize, store and retrieve information is largely performed by the cerebrum. So you can thank this brain part for allowing you to remember many aspects of your fifth year birthday party even though it may have occurred many years earlier. As you may know, your memory is a key aspect of your life and you want to do everything you can to preserve it in a good condition for the long run.

The cerebellum is another key brain part. It is also referred to as the little brain. This brain part plays a critical role in movement as well as posture and balance.

This is the part which allows you to regain your balance if something happens to through it off. So if you are an accomplished skier or surfer, you can thank your cerebellum for helping you to stay on your feet.

The limbic system is that part of the brain which seems to control emotion. It is an older part of the brain, meaning that other parts seem to have evolved more recently.

And another key brain part is the brain stem portion. This is most primitive part of the brain and is very much involved in automatic functions. This includes things like heartrate, breathing rate, perspiration, temperature control, etc.

Many of the functions which the brain stem controls are done without any kind of conscious thought or effort.

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