Self And The Phenomenon Of Life: A Biologist Examines Life From Molecules To Humanity

The Animal Self: Neurobehavioral Correlates 141

“9x6” b2726 Self and the Phenomenon of Life: A Biologist Examines Life from Molecules to Humanity

Fig. 7.9. Prefrontal cortex (shaded area) in evolution. The prefrontal cortex is the
part of the frontal lobe minus the motor and speech areas, and is known for performing
executive functions. Orientation of the brains is toward the left. Drawings not to scale.
[See Note 35; permission Oxford Univ. Press.]

execute movements on command from the brain. The spinal cord is also
encased in a bony structure called the vertebral column. It is important
to remember that most of the fibers in the cord cross over the midline on
their way to and from the brain, so that sensory fibers from the right side
of the body end up on the left side of the brain; motor fibers, likewise,
activate muscles on the opposite side.
For convenience of study, the vertebrate brain is divided into
three sections: (1) the hindbrain, (2) the midbrain, and (3) the forebrain
(Fig. 7.10). The hindbrain comprises the medulla, pons and cerebellum,