Jonathan Leonor
Exercise Physiology
Extra Credit Essay
Dr. Peter Pribis
Essay on the Brain from Chapter 11
For many years neurobiologists have been studying the brain at every level possible, yet they still haven’t figure out the whole brain. Only recently have scientists been able to learn how the neural network of the brain forms. Beginning in the womb and throughout life this vast network continues to expand, adapt, and learn. In chapter eleven of the Essentials of Exercise Physiology book the authors do talk about the neuromotor system organization and proprioceptors in muscles, joints and tendons. However, they left out my favorite part about the brain and some other subdivisions and functions that I believe should never be left out. The parts the book left out are some very useful and important information. As it says in the book the brain is composed of three main parts which are like the three kings of a castle, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and brain stem.
The cerebrum is composed of the frontal lobe, occipital lobe, parietal lobe and temporal lobe. Each of these lobes is responsible for certain activities in the brain. The frontal lobe, briefly, is responsible for behavior,abstract thought processes,Problem solving, attention, creative thought, some emotion, intellect, reflection, judgment, initiative, inhibition, coordination of movements, generalized and mass movements, some eye movements, sense of smell, muscle movements, skilled movements, some motor skills, physical reaction, and libido (sexual urges). The occipital lobe is responsible, also briefly, for vision and reading. The parietal lobe is responsible for sense of touch (tactile senstation), appreciation of form through touch (stereognosis), response to internal stimuli (proprioception), sensory combination and comprehension, some language and reading functions and some visual functions. The temporal lobe is responsible for auditory memories, some hearing, visual memories, some vision pathways, other memory, music, fear, some language, some speech, some behavior and emotions and sense of identity.[1]All together the brain has two hemispheres, the right hemisphere (which controls the left side of the body) and the left hemisphere (which controls the right side of the body). These hemispheres then communicate with each other by the corpus callosum.
The Cerebellum is the second “king” of the castle and it is mainly responsible for balance, posture, cardiac, respiratory, vasomotor centers. Finally but not least is the brain stem which is responsible for motor and sensory pathways to the body and face as well as vital centers.
These facts are just a brief explanation compared to the details of each subdivision. However, it should never be left out when talking about the brain and its network of neurotransmitters. The brain is one of the most complex organs of the human body and it most be learned no information should be left out when talking about it, at least most of the parts and functions should be mention.
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