Central Nervous System: Brain Analysis

The first main system is the central nervous system which consists of the brain and the spinal cord. There are three main sections of the brain; the forebrain which contains the cerebrum and the parts of the diencephalon (the thalamus, hypothalamus, and epithalamus most importantly), the midbrain which is a part of the brain stem, and the hindbrain which consists of the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the cerebellum. The cerebrum, the picture on the right hemisphere of the model’s brain, is the largest part of the brain and consists of four lobes; the frontal lobe (in purple) which is responsible for reasoning and planning, movement, emotion, and parts of speech, the parietal lobe (in blue) which is associated with movement and the processing …show more content…
When looking at the left hemisphere of the model’s brain, the thalamus is in dark blue next to the ganglia and in front of the pineal gland. The thalamus serves as the last relay site where axons synapse before sensory signals are sent to the cerebrum. Additionally, the thalamus regulates motor functions and consciousness due to its role in sensory information regulation. The basal ganglia (in light green) are collections of nuclei found on both sides of the …show more content…
In terms of the spinal cord, however, white matter is found on the outside where it can link the CNS and the PNS more efficiently. Cerebrospinal fluid also plays an important role in protection and proficient functioning of the brain and spinal cord. This cerebrospinal fluid surrounds and cushions the brain while also regulating the blood flow. This fluid is important in the function of the brain because it also provides a flow to the blood, meaning that wastes from the brain can be brought to the veins and nutrients can be brought to the brain. Additionally, this fluid can bring hormones to other parts of the brain where they may not have been able to travel but are needed to regulate normal function. In the spinal cord, this cerebrospinal fluid is contained within the central canal that provides the spinal cord with nutrients and cushions it to prevent damage. The cerebrospinal fluid runs the whole length of the spinal cord and branches into the ventricles that are found in the brain. The spinal cord is also dependent on the nerves that run throughout the entire body and facilitate the movement of signals to and from the