Brain Activity in Memory Positron emission tomography (PET) scans reveal brain regions involved in memory.

Left, an encoding task (the initial processing of information into memory) activates the left prefrontal cortex. Right, an attempt to retrieve memories activates the right prefrontal cortex. Courtesy of Dr. Shitij Kapur, MD, PhD; University of Toronto

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Human Brain The human brain has three major structural components: the large dome-shaped cerebrum (top), the smaller somewhat spherical cerebellum (lower right), and the brainstem (center). Prominent in the brainstem are the medulla oblongata (the egg-shaped enlargement at center) and the thalamus (between the medulla and the cerebrum). The cerebrum is responsible for intelligence and reasoning. The cerebellum helps to maintain balance and posture. The medulla is involved in maintaining involuntary functions such as respiration, and the thalamus acts as a relay center for electrical impulses traveling to and from the cerebral cortex. London Scientific Films/Oxford Scientific Films

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Human Skull, Front View Inside the familiar features of the skull lie some of the most important and vulnerable parts of the body. The bones of the cranial region enclose the center of all intellectual, emotional, and vital activityabout 1500 cc of brain tissue, the consistency and sturdiness of which resembles jelly. Bony orbits protect our delicate eyeballs, and the fragile organs and bones of the inner ear lie deep within the skull. The sense of smell, less well protected than hearing and sight, relies on nasal passages that protrude on a cartilaginous frame from the center of the face. Dorling Kindersley

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Surface of the Brain A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the human brain reveals the contours of one of the brains hemispheres. The gyri, or ridges, appear in red, while the sulci, or valleys, are shown in blue. Each person has slightly different patterns of gyri and sulci, which reflect individual differences in brain development. Nancy C. Andreasen M.D., PHD

Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.

Brain, portion of the central nervous system contained within the skull. The brain is the control center for movement, sleep, hunger, thirst, and virtually every other vital activity necessary to survival. All human emotionsincluding love, hate, fear, anger, elation, and

sadnessare controlled by the brain. It also receives and interprets the countless signals that are sent to it from other parts of the body and from the external environment. The brain makes us conscious, emotional, and intelligent. II. ANATOMY

The adult human brain is a 1.3-kg (3-lb) mass of pinkish-gray jellylike tissue made up of approximately 100 billion nerve cells, or neurons; neuroglia (supporting-tissue) cells; and vascular (blood-carrying) and other tissues. Between the brain and the craniumthe part of the skull that directly covers the brainare three protective membranes, or meninges. The outermost membrane, the dura mater, is the toughest and thickest. Below the dura mater is a middle membrane, called the arachnoid layer. The innermost membrane, the pia mater, consists mainly of small blood vessels and follows the contours of the surface of the brain. A clear liquid, the cerebrospinal fluid, bathes the entire brain and fills a series of four cavities, called ventricles, near the center of the brain. The cerebrospinal fluid protects the internal portion of the brain from varying pressures and transports chemical substances within the nervous system. From the outside, the brain appears as three distinct but connected parts: the cerebrum (the Latin word for brain)two large, almost symmetrical hemispheres; the cerebellum (little brain)two smaller hemispheres located at the back of the cerebrum; and the brain stema central core that gradually becomes the spinal cord, exiting the skull through an opening at its base called the foramen magnum. Two other major parts of the brain, the thalamus and the hypothalamus, lie in the midline above the brain stem underneath the cerebellum. The brain and the spinal cord together make up the central nervous system, which communicates with the rest of the body through the peripheral nervous system. The peripheral nervous system consists of 12 pairs of cranial nerves extending from the cerebrum and brain stem; a system of other nerves branching throughout the body from the spinal cord; and the autonomic nervous system, which regulates vital functions not under conscious control, such as the activity of the heart muscle, smooth muscle (involuntary muscle found in the skin, blood vessels, and internal organs), and glands Microsoft Encarta 2009. 1993-2008 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.