The human brain is the control center of the central nervous system. It is immensely complex and specialised, with different regions of the brain responsible for diffrent body functions.
It is estimated that 80-120 billion neurons exist in the brain.
Below you can see which parts of the brain are responsible for controlling speech, smell, touch and taste etc.
For the purpose of our study of the brain in this section, we can divide the brain into the forebrain, the mid-brain and the hindbrain.
The forebrain is the largest part of the brain and consists of the cerebrum, the thalamus and the hypothalamus.
The cerebrum is divided into halves- the left and the right cerebrum.
A layer of cells which covers the cerebral hemispheres is called the cerebral cortex.
The cerebral cortex controls motor and sensory functions of the body.
It also contains what are association areas- which perform complex functions such as memory and communication.
The hypothalamus in the forebrain acts as a link between the nervous system and the endocrine system - via the pituitary gland.
The mid brain contains centers for reception and integration of sensory information- such as audio and visual stimulus.
The hindbrain consists of the pons, cerebellum and the medulla.
The cerebellum is responsible for precision of voluntary actions and for maintaining posture and balance of your body.
The medulla of the hind brain is connected to the spinal cord and contains centers which control respiration and secretions of gastric juices.
The peripheral nervous system can be divided into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
The somatic nervous system carries information about external stimuli registered by our sense organs to the CNS.
The autonomic nervous system on the other hand carries information about controlling internal movements of the body such as contraction and relaxation of muscles in the heart and the digestive system.