Brain and its parts: forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain

1. Submitted By: Areeba Aftab
b- Brain and its Major Parts
Brain
Brain is the focal part of our central nervous system. It is made up of a large mass of neurons,
glia and other nerve tissues. Brain is protected by a rigid bony structure called skull. It governs all
the major functions of our body. All functions ranging from sensation of a mild feeling of touch
to the complicated phenomenon of supreme thoughts and crucial decision-making capabilities are
controlled by brain.
Diagram
Following diagram can give an insight of important parts of brain that perform principal functions:
Three Major Parts of Brain
Brain can be divided into three major parts: The Forebrain, The Midbrain and The Hindbrain.

2. 1. The Forebrain
Forebrain is the largest part of the brain. Because of this part human beings are intellectually
advanced than all the other animals. Forebrain deals with conscious movements, sensations,
emotions and social behavior.
Parts of Forebrain
The foremost parts of Forebrain can be seen in the following figure:
Forebrain
Cerebral
hemisphere
Left
hemisphere
Right
hemisphere
Cerebral
Cortex
Lobes
Frontal
Lobe
Parietal
Lobe
Occipital
Lobe
Temporal
Lobe
Limbic
System
Thalamus
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus
Amygdala
Cingulate gyrus

3. Cerebral hemisphere:
 The Cerebral hemisphere has a command over muscle functions and also controls speech,
thought, emotions, reading, writing and learning.
 It is further divided into: Left hemisphere and Right hemisphere.
 Left hemisphere controls the muscles on the right side of the body. It is dominant with
regard to language and logical processing.
 Right hemisphere controls the muscles on the left side of the body. It is responsible for
handling spatial perception.
Cerebral cortex:
 The cerebral cortex surrounds the cerebral hemisphere and is greatly convoluted. These
convolutions consist of gyri that further create deep furrows called sulci.
 Cerebral cortex is involved in several functions such as: determining intelligence and
personality, motor function, touch sensation and processing sensory information.
Lobes of Brain:
A brain consists of four lobes:
Limbic System:
Limbic system is the portion of brain that deals with three key functions: emotions, memories
and arousal. This system consists of several parts:
 Thalamus: Its main function is to relay motor and sensory glands to the cerebral cortex.
It also regulates sleep and wakefulness.
 Hypothalamus: It is a small structure containing several small nuclei. This structure
plays a vital role in nervous as well as endocrine system. It is also connected to pituitary
gland and controls the release of eight major hormones.
 Hippocampus: It resembles a seahorse in shape. Hippocampus forms episodic
memories and associates them with various senses. It is also crucial for spatial
orientation and our ability to navigate with the world.
 Amygdala: It is responsible for perception of emotions such as anger, fear and sadness.
 Cingulate Gyrus: It is vital as it focuses attention on emotionally significant events,
and for associating memories to smell and pain.
Frontal Lobe
• It is located at the
front of brain and
is related with
motor skills and
higher level
cognition.
Parietal Lobe
• It is located in the
middle portion of
brain and is
associated with
processing
sensory
information.
Temporal Lobe
• It is located on
the bottom of
brain and is
responsible for
interpreting
sounds and the
language we hear.
Occipital Lobe
• It is located at the
back of the brain
and is cruital for
visual stimulus
and information.

4. 2. Midbrain
Mid brain is also known as mesencephalon. It serves important functions in motor movement,
particularly movement of eye, and in auditory and visual processing. It is located within the
brainstem and between forebrain and hindbrain.
Parts of Midbrain
Mid brain if further divided into two parts: tectum and tegmentum.
Tectum: It is the dorsal part of the midbrain and is responsible for auditory and visual reflexes.
Tegmentum: Its major function is to control sleep, walk and eye movement.
3. Hindbrain
The hindbrain is also known as rhombencephalon. It coordinates functions that are necessary for
survival including respiratory rhythm, motor function and sleep.
Parts of Hindbrain
Hindbrain consists of: cerebellum, pons and medulla oblangata.
Midbrain
Tectum Tegmentum
Hindbrain
Cerebellum Pons Medulla
Oblongata

5. Cerebellum: It coordinates and regulate muscle activity. Any damage to the cerebellum may lead
to impair walking or standing.
Pons: Pons affects activities such as sleeping, walking and dreaming.
Medulla oblangata: Medulla oblangata regulates vital functions such as respiration and
cardiovascular system.