The brain is one of our most complex body parts. Weighing just about three pounds, it comprises 100 billion cells that are responsible for every single human activity.
Most of these brain cells are called neurons. Just like the light switches in your home, neurons are either resting in the “off” position, or they are “on” and sending electrical impulses down axons. These axons send chemicals across a synapse, where they engage another neuron to send a message.
How do the messages get to the right place? The chemicals that the neurons release trigger other neurons. Different neurons use different chemicals.
Each part of the brain has its own function, yet all of these functions must work together in order for the brain to work properly.
Left and Right Brains
The brain is divided into left and right hemispheres, each of which does a different job. The right hemisphere takes visual information and puts it together, while the left hemisphere analyzes the information collected by the right hemisphere. The back can also be affected. If you have back pain you made need to find a back specialist NYC.
Area Functions
Different areas of the brain have different functions:
- Sight is handled by the areas at the back of the brain. Each hemisphere of the brain processes half the visual information. For example, visual information we see on the left is processed by the right side of the brain, and vice versa.
- Movement is controlled by a narrow strip in the brain – called the motor strip – that runs from the top of the head down along where the ear is located. If there is an injury to the right side of the brain, the left side of the body will have movement issues, and vice versa.
- Hearing and language is governed by the left temporal lobe for right-handed people, and in the right temporal lobe for left-handed people. There is an area of the brain where vision and hearing interact, and this part of the brain governs reading.
- Sensation is governed by a part of the brain that is located right next to the motor strip. Tactile information from the left side of the body goes to the right brain, while tactile information from the right side of the body goes to the left brain.
- Planning, organizing and controlling are governed by the frontal lobes of the brain. Damage to this part of the brain can cause lack of motivation, problems doing tasks that require multiple steps, and poor planning and organizational skills.
- The ability to control emotions is also located in the frontal lobes, while feeling emotions is located deep in the middle brain. When frontal lobes are damaged, more primitive emotions take over, and a lack of control is exhibited.