Introduction
The brain is a complex organ composed of lobes, ventricles, and systems that are organized into specialized regions. These regions are responsible for functions such as speech, emotion, and memory as well as vision, hearing, and taste. Other regions of the brain control involuntary functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature. The central nervous system (CNS) consists of the brain and spinal cord and is the processing center for the nervous system.
In the previous activities you investigated the five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing. Senses such as sight and smell are processed by the brain after signals are sent through specialized nerves such as the optic nerve. Alternately, sensory neurons in the skin send signals through the spinal cord in order for the brain to interpret sensations of touch, pain, heat, and cold throughout the body. A specialized structure within the brain is the thalamus. With the exception of smell, the thalamus acts as a relay station for all the senses. The thalamus sorts the important information from the insignificant before sending information to the cerebral cortex of the brain.
In this activity you will explore a computer animation to learn about the structure and functions of the human brain.
Equipment
· Laboratory Journal
· Pencil
· Colored pencils or crayons
· Computer with Internet access
Procedure
1. Access and explore the PBS website, 3-D Brain Anatomy, at http://www.pbs.org/wnet/brain/3d/index.html
2. Label and color the following structures on the exterior of the brain
· Cerebrum, made of 4 lobes:
o Frontal lobe (purple)
o Parietal lobe (red)
o Occipital lobe (orange)
o Temporal lobe (brown)
· Cerebellum (green)
· Brain Stem (yellow)
3. Label and color the following structures on the interior of the brain
· Cerebrum, made of 4 lobes:
o Frontal lobe (purple)
o Parietal lobe (red)
o Occipital lobe (orange)
o Temporal lobe (brown)
· Cerebellum (green)
· Brain Stem (yellow)
· Corpus Callosum (blue)
· Limbic System (label)
o Pineal Gland
o Hypothalamus
o Amygdala
o Hippocampus
· Thalamus (pink)
Free images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
4. In previous activities you investigated the five senses. Use the PBS website to locate the part(s) of the brain responsible for:
Vision
Hearing
Smell
Touch _____
Taste
5. What structure acts as a relay station for all senses except smell?
6. Identify the part(s) of the brain involved with:
Short-term memory
Long-term memory
Movement
7. What part of the brain controls essential survival functions such as breathing and heart beat?
Conclusion
1. What region of the brain is responsible for complex thinking such as memory, speech, emotion, planning, and reasoning? Explain.
2. Why is the brain stem sometimes called the “reptilian brain”?
3. Why do you “see stars” when you hit the back of your head?
© 2013 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
GTT-MD Activity 8.2.4 Brain Anatomy – Page 1