1 HOW THE BRAIN WORKS

CEREBRUM, CEREBELLUM AND BRAIN STEM

The brain

Your brain¹ is the boss of your body and controls everything you do, even when you are asleep.
These are some of its different parts that work together:

cerebrum
cerebellum
brain stem and medulla oblongata.

DO

¹ How much does the human brain weigh? Use the internet to find out or ask your teacher.

The cerebrum

The front part of the brain and its biggest part is the cerebrum. It is the thinking part of the brain and controls:

your voluntary muscles which move when you want them to;
you need your cerebrum to dance or kick a football, to solve maths problems, play a video game, and draw a picture;
your memory, both short-term memory (what you ate for dinner last night) and long-term memory (the name of that song you listened to two summers ago). The cerebrum also helps you to reason.

The cerebrum has two halves, one on each side of the head.
Scientists think that the right half helps you think about abstract things like music, colours, and shapes. The left half is more analytical, helping you with maths, logic, and speech. The right half of the cerebrum controls the left side of your body, and the left half controls the right side.

What does the picture below mean to you?

The cerebellum

The cerebellum is at the back of the brain, below the cerebrum. It is a lot smaller than the cerebrum but it is a very important part of the brain. It controls balance, movement and coordination (how your muscles work together).

Because of your cerebellum, you can stand upright, keep your balance, and move around.

The brain stem

Another brain part that is small but powerful is the brain stem. The brain stem is under the cerebrum and in front of the cerebellum. It connects the rest of the brain to the spinal cord, which runs down your neck and back. The brain stem is in charge of all the functions your body needs to carry out in order to stay alive, like breathing air, digesting food, and circulating blood. Part of the brain stem’s job is to control your involuntary muscles. The medulla oblongata is part of the brain stem and helps transfer messages between parts of the brain and the spinal cord.¹

¹ Brain 101 posted by National Geographic