The Rough Guide to Psychology An Introduction to Human Behaviour and the Mind (Rough Guides)

YOUR BRAIN

A guided tour

As a general rule, the brain is rather like the body in its symmetry. Most
structures are duplicated, with one instance on each side of the midline.
The brain (and spine) also has its own shock absorption system. It’s
surrounded by a layer of cerebrospinal fluid, and also contains several
large fluid-filled reservoirs known as ventricles. This system helps give
the brain buoyancy and provides some protection if we suffer a blow to
the head, or we’re violently thrown about.
The images of the brain that we’re used to seeing show only the wrin-
kled outer structure – the giant hemispheres of the cerebral cortex, placed
together like two halves of a walnut. This six-layered, undulating forma-
tion is the human brain’s most distinguishing feature, as it is so enlarged
compared with the cortices of most other animals. The wrinkled look
comes from the fact that the cortex is intricately folded, possibly a side
effect of the space constraints imposed by the skull. The parts that bulge
out are known as the gyri and the valleys are known as sulci. Psychologists
use these features to help navigate the brain. Pick up an academic article
on the brain and you’ll find it littered with references to these landmarks

• the post-central sulcus, say, or the inferior temporal gyrus.
  The cerebral cortex supports what’s often termed “higher” mental
  functioning: conscious thought, planning and memory. More than any
  other animal, we also have large swathes of so-called “association cortex”

occipital lobe

cerebellum

temporal lobe

frontal lobe

parietal lobe