Brain: Parts, Processes and
Functions
Understanding the brain parts, its processes
and its functions
• The Forebrain is located in the uppermost region of the brain. It
includes the cerebrum, thalamus, hypothalamus, and the limbic
system.
• Cerebrum is the largest part of the brain covered by the cerebral
cortex. Cerebrum regulates senses, memory, emotions, intellectual
activities, and body movement
• Cerebral Cortex is responsible for processing information that is
divided into two hemispheres:
• right cerebral hemisphere controls the left side of the body
• left cerebral hemisphere controls the right side of the body.
• Each cerebral hemisphere contains four lobes that shares complex
relationships together to function.
• Frontal Lobe is situated at the front part of the brain which controls
memory, emotion, stress response, speech, decision making, and
planning.
• Parietal lobe is situated near the back of the frontal lobe which
regulates sensory perception.
• Temporal Lobe is located at the side of the head which regulates
memory, hearing, and comprehension.
• Occipital Lobe is situated at the back of the head which regulates sight.
• Thalamus is connected to the cerebral cortex
that sends, receives, and organize information
• Hypothalamus is located below the thalamus
and above the brainstem which links the
nervous system with the endocrine system
that regulates digestive process and is also
responsible for growth and development.
• Limbic System composes parts of cerebral
cortex and hypothalamus which regulates
various types of emotions that affect blood
temperature and blood pressure facilitated by
the hypothalamus.
• Midbrain is located between the
forebrain and hindbrain It is responsible
for motor movements particularly the
visual and auditory processing.
• Hindbrain is situated at the back of the
head which includes Cerebellum that
receives information from the sensory
system and the spinal cord to regulate
balance, postures, and coordinate
movement.
• midbrain and hindbrain form the
brainstem.
• Brainstem is located at the lower part
of the brain which leads to spinal cord.
• brainstem connects the cerebrum and
cerebellum to the spinal cord. It
composes nerve fibers that carry
signals to and from all parts of the
body.
• Basically, its functions are for safety
and survival as it regulates breathing,
consciousness, heart rate, body
temperature, blood pressure, digestion,
and wake and sleep cycles.
• This is a partial view of how brain works for you.
• Again, cerebrum and cortex have something to do with your ability to
think. The limbic system has something to do with your feelings, while
the brainstem has something to do with your behaving safely to
survive. These are all important for personal development.
quiz
Ways to Improve your Brain Function for
Personal Development
• The brain is responsible for our way of thinking, feeling, and behaving.
Still, it is important to observe and exercise ways to improve your
brain functions as a maturing adolescent.
• Here are some useful tips to improve your brain power that will help
you activate your brain functions for personal development:
• Exercise- benefits your brain health and cognition, improves your
memory and even protects your brain from degeneration. Aerobic
exercise is particularly good for the brain. Activities that keep your
blood pumping is good for your heart and great for your brain.
• Meditate- taking 10-15 minutes of meditation a day could help to
extend your cognitive longevity.
• Sleep – enough sleep is required to consolidate memory learning. If you
do not get enough sleep, you will have a less healthy brain.
• Food Intake- Just as the body needs fuel, so does the brain. Eat a brain
boosting diet such as food rich in omega-3, antioxidants, amino acids,
and vitamin E. Eat more vegetables, limit calorie and saturated fat
intake. Drink green tea and wine, or grape juice in moderation.
• Sunlight- sunlight and exercise can sometimes go hand in hand. Getting
too little sunlight is not good for your brain. Higher levels of vitamin D in
your system allow you to perform better and can even slow down the
aging of your brain.
• Good Relationship- make time for friends. Building a strong support
system around you will enable you to stay healthy mentally and
psychologically over the long term. This is called the ultimate brain
booster.
• Do not smoke- smoking can cause brain disorder called dementia.
Those people who smoked more than two packs of cigarettes a day had
twice the rate of dementia when they were older.
• Be creative - when something is broken, find creative repair solutions
using common objects.
• Classical music- listening to calm music can improve to brain functions.
• Drink coffee- drinking coffee in moderation increases your brain
performance and speed and will even boost your intelligence, including
your reaction time and reasoning.
How to Improve your mental focus?
• 1. Assessment - begin by assessing just how strong your mental focus
is at the present moment before you start working.
• 2. Eliminate distractions- request to be left alone and set aside a
specific time and place, seek out a calm or quite place where you can
work undisturbed. The library, a private room in your house, or even a
quiet coffee shop might all be good spots to try.
• 3. Limit focus- Part of improving your mental focus is all about making
the most of the resources you have available. Stop multitasking and
instead give your full attention to one thing at a time.
• 4. Live in the moment- It is hard to stay mentally focused when you
are ruminating about the past, worrying about the future, or tuned
out of the present moment for some other reason. It may take some
time but work on learning to truly live in the moment. You cannot
change the past and the future has not happened yet, but what you
do today can help you avoid repeating past mistakes and pave a path
for a more successful future.
• 5. Practice mindfulness- Practicing mindfulness can involve learning
how to meditate, but it can also be as simple as trying a quick and
easy deep breathing exercise.
• 6. Take a short break- Shift your attention to something unrelated to the
task at hand, even if it is only for a few moments. These short moments
might mean that you are able to keep your mental focus sharp and your
performance high when you really need it.
• 7. Build your mental focus- it is not something that will happen
overnight. it requires plenty of time and practice to strengthen
concentration skills. By building your mental focus, you will find that you
are able to accomplish more and concentrate on the things in life that
truly bring you success, joy, and satisfaction.
• 8. Brainstorm- A mind map is an easy way to brainstorm thoughts
organically without worrying about order and structure. It allows you to
visually represent the structure your ideas to help with analysis and
recall.
