BRAIN: its organization
| Collection | International Encyclopedia of Systems and Cybernetics |
|---|---|
| Year | 2004 |
| Vol. (num.) | 2(1) |
| ID | ◀ 331 ▶ |
| Object type | Discipline oriented, General information |
The main parts of the brain are the following (for locations see fig.)
The definitions are from J. ECCLES (J.E.)(1977), or from the American Heritage Dictionary (AHD), (1978 ed.)
- Archicortex: the ancient part of the cerebral cortex; it includes the hippocampus (J.E. p. 234)
- Cerebellum: the brain structure responsible for regulation and coordination of complex voluntary movements (AHD, p. 219)
- Cerebral cortex: the extensive outer layer of gray tissue of the cerebral hemispheres, largely responsable for higher nervous functions
- Cerebro-cerebellar pathways: the complex pathways linking the cerebral cortex and the cerebellum in both directions (J.E. p. 234)
- Cerebrum: the main structure of the brain occupying most of the cranial cavity and divided into two cerebral hemisphers (AHD, p. 219)
- Corpus callosum: the tract of nerve fibers connecting the cerebral hemispheres (J.E. p. 235)
- Hippocampus: one of two ridges along each lateral ventricle of the brain (AHD, p. 624)
- Hypothalamus: a deep laying part of the cerebral cortex, concerned in visceral control, f. ex. in relation to temperature, salt, water, food, endocrines, and mood (J.E. p. 238)
- Medulla oblongata: the nervous tissue at the bottom of the brain that controls respiration, circulation and certain other bodily functions (AHD, p. 816)
- Neo-cortex: the most recently developed part of the cerebral cortex, composing the cerebral hemispheres (J.E., p. 236) The neo-cortex includes an enormous array of interconnected neurons
- Thalamus: the massive collection of nerve cells deep to the cerebral cortex, in part concerned with transmission of cutaneous sense to the cerebrum.
- Ventricle: a small anatomical cavity in the brain (AHD, p.1421)
A part of the thalamus (called ventrolateral) is specially concerned by the transmission from the cerebrum to the cerebellum (J.E. p. 243)
This is of course a very simplified and sketchy description of the brain's structures.
For much better information see f. ex. J. ECCLES ( 1978), J.Z. YOUNG (1978) here also used, or some more recent work, as for ex. R. CARTER (1998)