Human Biology

http://www.ck12.org Chapter 1. Human Biology

TABLE1.7:Cerebrum Lobe Functions

Lobe Main Function(s)

Frontal Speech, thinking, touch

Parietal Speech, taste, reading

Temporal Hearing, smell

Occipital Sight

The Spinal Cord

The spinal cord is a long, tube-shaped bundle of neurons, protected by the vertebrae. It runs from the brain stem
to the lower back. The main job of the spinal cord is to carry nerve impulses back and forth between the body and
brain. The spinal cord is like a two-way highway. Messages about the body, both inside and out, pass through the
spinal cord to the brain. Messages from the brain pass in the other direction through the spinal cord to tell the body
what to do.

Vocabulary

• brain: Control center of the nervous system.


• brain stem: Part of the brain that controls unconscious functions such as heart rate, breathing, and digestion.


• central nervous system: Main part of the nervous system; includes the brain and spinal cord.


• cerebellum: Part of the brain that controls body position, coordination, and balance.


• cerebrum: Largest part of the brain; controls conscious functions such as reasoning and voluntary movements.


• corpus callosum: Thick bundle of axons that lies deep inside the brain and carries messages back and forth
  between the two hemispheres.


• spinal cord: Long, tube-shaped bundle of neurons that runs from the brain stem to the lower back; carries
  nerve impulses back and forth between the body and brain.


• vertebrae: Bones forming the spinal column.

Summary

• The central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord.


• The brain consists of three main parts: the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the brain stem.

Practice

Use the resources below to answer the questions that follow.

• The Human Brainat http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gVjpfPNpoGA (1:36)

MEDIA

Click image to the left for more content.

1. What are two components of the central nervous system?