Kaitlynn Douglas

Marci Campbell
Psychology 1010-F16
September 24, 2016
Structure of the Brain
Introduction
The brain is simply stated as one of your bodies most vital organs. This organ, no larger
than your two fists put together, or heavier than three pounds, is one of the most complex
structure within the human body.(Gilber, 2014) Psychology is defined as, The scientific study of
the mind and behavior (Gilber, 2014) So what better way to get more understanding of
psychology then by studying the mind itself. When one understands the basic function that each
part of the brain possesses, it brings more of an understanding to the study of psychology. Just
one section of the brain could be a ten paged paper, however, that is not what this paper will
entail. Throughout this paper I will be splitting the brain into three large parts; hindbrain,
forebrain, and midbrain. In addition, I will be explaining the basic anatomy and function of each
part of the fascinating brain.
Literature Review
The brain is the organ the sits right under the hard outer shell that we call the cranium.
The brain sits upon the spinal column and is surround by a substance called myelin. The brain is
often referred to as the bodys control center (Gilber, 2014) The brain is broken up into several
parts. Every part has a different job.(Gilber, 2014) All these different parts contain very specific
jobs. With all of these specific jobs, they are all working simultaneously to keep your body,

thoughts, and actions in order. The brain is constantly at work interpreting all the million of
signals that are coming to and from the brain due to our five senses. The five senses include;
touch, smell, taste, hearing, and sight.(Gilber, 2014) This small three pound organ is running
around the clock and never turns off.(American Psychology Association, 1999) The fascinating
idea that your brain is in control of all parts, thoughts, and actions of the body is what makes this
organ the most interesting, most researched, and most complicated part of the body.(American
Psychology Association, 1999)
The first of the three sections that I will be discussing is the hindbrain. The hindbrain is
located at the back end of the brain close to the posterior of your neck. This part of the brain
includes the medulla, cerebellum and pons. The hind brain is in charge of the coordination
information that comes to and from the spinal cord. The hindbrain is interpreting these messages
from the spinal cord in a never ending cycle as long as the human is living. The hind brain then
sends these messages to the next part of the brain needed to interpret the message. The medulla is
in charge of coordinating with the heart. The medulla regulates heart rate, circulation and
respiration.(Gilber, 2014) Moving behind the medulla you will find the cerebellum. The
cerebellum is most commonly referred to as the little brain. This is because of the motor
functions that this part of the brain is in charge of. The cerebellum is a complex system in itself
constantly sending out stimulus to make the body behave and perform actions. Final anatomy of
the hindbrain includes pons. Pons is the cerebellums assistant. The pons assist with sending out
the constant messages coming from the cerebellum to make those rapid actions and behaviors
occur. (Gilbert, 2014)

From the hindbrain, we then move up to the midbrain. The midbrain sits right ago of the
hindbrain. The midbrain is more simply divided into two parts; tectum and tegmentum. The
tectum acts upon outside stimulus. The stimulus comes from the skin, ears, and eyes. For
example, when you touch something hot and your hand immediately retrieves from the hot
surface, that is a reminder that your tectum part of your brain is working properly. The second
section that is divided within the midbrain is the tegmentum. The tegmentum is where sexual
arousal and orgasms are stimulated. In addition to the neurotransmitters of arousal sent from the
tegtentum is movement.(Gilber, 2014
The third and final structure to be discussed is the forebrain. Again, moving up from the
hindbrain and midbrain is in fact the forebrain. The forebrain includes the cerebral cortex and
small structures that are called subcortical. The forebrain is the most intricate part of the brain as
a whole. The subcortical structures include the; thalamus, hypothalamus, and pituitary gland. The
forebrain is the most intricate because of the many structures that hold some of the biggest jobs
the brain has. In very short english, the thalamus is the filtering mechanism regarding sense
stimulus. The hypothalamus, located directly below the thalamus, is is charge of when we are
hungry, hot, or how we behave sexually. The third of the subcortical structures is the pituitary
gland. The pituitary gland is the home of hormone excretions. The hypothalamus and the
pituitary gland work together to send and receive these hormonal stimuli.
The final anatomy I will explore, is the lobes that are most commonly known when
regarding the brain. There are four lobes; occipital, frontal, temporal, and parietal. The occipital
lobe is in charge of sight. Frontal lobe is in charge of your deeper thoughts regarding memory,
judgment and abstract thoughts. Temporal, right above your ears, are unsurprisingly in charge of

your hearing. The final lobe is the parietal. The parietal lobe is in charge of your touch receptors
and interpretation of that received touch.(Gilbert)
Application
In January of this year I was in a head on collision and my head went through the
windshield. From the collision I got a severe concussion. The impact from the concussion
affected many parts of my everyday life that I did not expect. It was because of this that I wanted
to know more about the brain. What part of the brain was in charge of what actions, thoughts, or
reply to stimuli.
From the concussion I had learned that reaction time stimulated from the team work of
the cerebellum and the pons was not fast enough. From the impact my head when through the
windshield. From the rate at which my head hit the window, it rattled my brain so hard within the
cranial cavity that it bruised my brain.(Flaskerud, 2015) The bruising occurred on the frontal
lobe. The after effects of the concussion most definitely altered my frontal lobes ability to do its
normal actions. My abstract thinking ability was altered. As well as, some altered movements
and memory. I have documented video of me asking the same three questions tens of times. Then
when told that I had already asked that questions, I would have no memory of it.The effects of
the trauma I incurred on my brain was very short term. Extreme migraines were the only long
term effects.
Conclusion
There were many informational things I learned from the research done for this paper.
The basic anatomy and physiology that is centered around the brain. The actual explanation of
what the brain actually does is very surprising. I would love to go more in depth on the topic of

the brain more than just a four paged research paper. I would also love to see a brain in real life
and be able to apply the anatomy to the physical organ. The topic that I chose for the paper could
help me with others knowing that if one has ever undergone injury, or was born with a
complication from birth, to be patient and understanding. The brain is such a complicated organ
that has so many chemical reactions and neurotransmitters happening, that smallest of
abnormalities can cause huge effects. My feeling regarding the structure of the brain is that the
fact that this three pound organ is ultimately in charge of some of the most necessary and
complicated contributions to the entire body. The brain and the body is truly fascinating.

References

Flaskerud, J. H. (2015). Mental Health Implications of Concussion and Brain Injury. Issues In
Mental Health Nursing, 36(3), 239-242. doi:10.3109/01612840.2014.953279
Gilber, Daniel T., Daniel M. Wegner, and Matthew K. Nock. "Chapter 3 Neuroscience and
Behavior." Psychology. By Daniel L. Schacter. 3rd ed. New York City: Worth, 2014.
95-106. Print.
Nedergaard, M., & Goldman, S. A. (2016). BRAIN BRAIN. Scientific American, 314(3),
The Undiscovered Mind: How the human brain defies replication, medication, and explanation.
(1999). Psychological Science (0956-7976), 10(6), 470.