Psychology2016

The Biological Perspective 73

From the Bottom Up: The Structures of the Brain

Okay, now I understand a little more about how we look inside

the brain. What exactly IS inside the brain?

Now it’s time to look at the various structures of the brain, starting from the bottom
and working up to the top. The video Parts of the Brain describes the major parts of the
brain and their functions. This text won’t be discussing every single part of the brain,
only major areas of interest to psychologists as explorers of behavior. Many areas also
have multiple roles, but a full understanding of the brain is not possible within one
chapter of an introductory psychology text. Furthermore, while there may be brain and
behavior differences according to sex or gender, despite what you may have read in the
popular press, there is little evidence of people having a “female” versus a “male” brain
(Joel et al., 2015). Human brains can simply not be categorized that way.

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Watch the Video Parts of the Brain

The Hindbrain

2.10 Identify the different structures of the hindbrain and the function of each.

The brain can be divided into three main divisions early in our development that later
subdivide into smaller divisions. The three primary divisions are the forebrain, the mid-
brain, and the hindbrain. The forebrain includes the cortex, the basal ganglia, and the
limbic system. The midbrain is important for both sensory and motor functions. The
hindbrain includes the medulla, pons, and cerebellum.

MEDULLA The medulla is located at the top of the spinal column. In Figure 2. 12 , it is
the first “swelling” at the top of the spinal cord, just at the very bottom of the brain.
This is the part of the brain that a person would least want to have damaged, as it con-
trols life-sustaining functions such as heartbeat, breathing, and swallowing. It is in the
medulla that the sensory nerves coming from the left and right sides of the body cross
over, so that sensory information from the left side of the body goes to the right side of
the brain and vice versa.

medulla

the first large swelling at the top of

the spinal cord, forming the lowest

part of the brain, which is responsible

for life-sustaining functions such as

breathing, swallowing, and heart rate.