The diencephalon, alongside the cerebrum make up the two major divisions of the forebrain. The main structures of the diencephalon include the hypothalamus, thalamus, epithalamus (including the pineal gland), and also the subthalamus. Moreover, located within the diencephalon is found the third ventricle, which is one of the four brain ventricles or cavities filled with cerebrospinal fluid.
The function of the diencephalon is to relay sensory information between brain regions and control many autonomic functions of the peripheral nervous system. Furthermore, it connects structures of the endocrine system with the nervous system and works in together with limbic system structures so as to generate and manage emotions and memories.
Location
The diencephalon is located between the cerebral hemispheres, superior to the midbrain.
Function
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The structures of the diencephalon comprise of:
Thalamus, which assists in sensory perception, regulation of motor functions as well as control of sleep and wake cycles.
Hypothalamus, which is the control centre for many autonomic functions during the release of hormones.
Epithalumus (the posterior area of the diencephalon that consist of the pineal gland), which helps in sense of smell and also helps to regulate sleep-wake cycles.
Subthalamus, which assists in motor
Cerebellum: The cerebellum allows us to coordinate movement and allows for balance. It contains more neurons than any part of the brain because it is a significant part of the brain that requires the use of many neural connections. It is located at the back of the brain in the lower half.
The parietal lobes are where information such as taste, temperature (warmth, cold), and touch are interpreted or processed. Lastly, the somatosensory cortex receives all sensory input from the body.
The hippocampus is a paired brain structure, which resembles a seahorse and is located in the ventromedial part of the temporal lobes. The granular cell layer of the hippocampus contains mitotically active neural stem cells (NSCs). The hippocampus forms new memories and is also associated with learning and emotions. Since the brain is symmetrical, the hippocampus is found in both hemispheres of the brain. When both sides of the hippocampus are damaged, the ability to create new memories can be delayed.
This inner core layer of the brain keeps the body’s basic functions running smoothly. Another system is the limbic system, which includes the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. These structures are responsible for memory, motivation, emotion, and learning. The largest part of the brain is the
The cerebellum and brain stem constitute the hind brain. The tectum and the cerebral peduncles form the mid-brain. The forebrain is made of the diencephalon, cerebrum, meninges and cerebro-spinal fluid. A brain tumour or intracranial neoplasm is an abnormal growth of cells within the brain. The tumors are generally grouped on the basis of their grades.
The Limbic System is the part of the brain responsible for emotional expression,seizure expression, and memory storage along with recall. This part of the brain is affected by dementia. There are five stages of memory, memory begins when information from the senses, such as a whiff or sound arrives in the
The hypothalamus communicates to each lobe differently. The hypothalamo-hypophyseal tract system is the specific way the hypothalamus communicates with the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. It is a nervous system connection with direct connecting neurons. The neurons are located in the hypothalamus and then axons extend down to the posterior lobe of the pituitary gland. The neurons produce hormones that slide down the axons and end up in the posterior lobe.
On the posterior side of the medulla contain gracile and cuneate nuclei related with sensation of touch, pressure, vibrations and consciousness. The gustatory or taste pathways from tongue to the brain are carried by the gustatory nuclei. The cochlear nuclei and the vestibular nuclei carries message to the brain. The vestibular nuclei also receive sensory information for posture and balance. Medulla functioning takes place through vestibulocochlear, glossopharyngeal, vagus, accessory and hypoglossal
Hypothalamus Gland Hormones and Their Functions Katherine M. Gaub Western Dakota Tech Hypothalamus Gland Hormones and Their Functions The Hypothalamus gland is responsible for regulating certain metabolic processes and other activities of the autonomic nervous system such as, controlling the body temperature, hunger, thirst, fatigue, sleep, attachment behavior, and circadian rhythms. This gland, which is about the size of an almond, is located at the base of the brain and is near the Pituitary gland and just below the thalamus. The Hypothalamus contains neurons that are responsible for releasing different hormones. The hormones that are secreted are; Gonadotropin releasing hormone, Thyrotropin releasing hormone, Corticotropin releasing hormone,
Mirror neurons are a group of neurons present in the F5 region of the premotor cortex of the brain in humans and monkeys. These neurons fire not only when an individual performs a motor action, but also when the individual observes someone else performing the same action. The discovery of mirror neurons was serendipitous. According to Acharya and Shukla (2012), researcher Giacomo Rizzolatti and his colleagues at the University of Parma in the 1990s were studying the individual firing patterns of F5 neurons in the premotor cortex of a macaque monkey by implanting electrodes in its brain. These neurons fire when the monkey performs a motor action.
The fibres first pass in a dorsomedial direction and then loop over the abducent nerve and produce a small round swelling in the floor of the 4th ventricle. The superior salivary and lacrimatory nuclei of the facial nerve are also present in the lower half of the of pons. These nuclei are small collections of cholinergic nerve cells in dorso-lateral reticular formation. The neuron of these two nuclei seems to be intermingled with each other.
The first three glands are all located in the brain. The hypothalamus gland connects the endocrine system to the nervous system and also regulates when
EAR The human auditory system is one of the most intricate, miraculous, and an ingenious creation designed to transfer sound waves from environment to brain in a most efficient and precise manner. The ear can be described as both an analytic microphone and a microcomputer, sending sound impulses to the brain. Ear is capable of turning the tiniest disturbances to a form that brain can understand and doing so instantaneously, over an enormous range of pitch and loudness. Being extremely complicated organ, it performs dual function of balancing and perceiving sound.
Neurons are still an enigma because of the complexity of their functions which can only be achieved by the unique types and shapes of neurons. There could be more than a hundred types of neurons in the CNS alone, some of those unique types of neurons that have already been discovered are the pyramidal neuron, found in the prefrontal cortex, which is named after the key feature of its triangular shape (Elston, 2003). Some other unique types are basket cells, double bouquet cells, spiny neurons, chandelier neurons, and Purkinje cells. Some of those unique types of cells are neurons while others aid in the passing of information similarly to interneurons (Purves, 2008) (Woodruff and Yuste, 2008)
The brain is one of the most important part of our body , and it is one of the human body’s vital organs that are innate for survival, responsible for receiving and sending signals throughout our nervous system, also it is responsible for what we feel, what we hear, and how we perceive. In other words, it is the body’s control center. However, when our brain is not functioning properly, there’s nothing we can do even the smallest or simplest tasks or worse the body will be paralyze.