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The brain

The controls complex behaviour. It is made of billions of interconnected and has different regions that carry out different functions.

Labelled diagram of the brain

There are four main areas in the brain:

  • The cerebrum (the outer layer is called the cerebral cortex), which is split into two hemispheres and is highly folded. It controls intelligence, personality, conscious thought and high-level functions, such as language and verbal memory.
  • The cerebellum, which controls balance, co-ordination of movement and muscular activity.
  • The medulla, which controls unconscious activities such as heart rate and breathing rate,
  • The , which is the regulating centre for temperature and water balance within the body.

Learn more about the brain with Dr Alex Lathbridge.

Dr Alex Lathbridge breaks down the structure of the brain and the eyes.