Q.Briefly describe the structure of human brain.

This covers the standard fore-, mid-, and hind-brain subdivisions and their principal functions as described in the Neural Control and Coordination chapter. …

[!TLDR]

The human brain is enclosed within the cranial box of the skull and protected by three membranes called meninges (duramater, arachnoid and piamater), with cerebrospinal fluid providing a protective, shock-absorbing cushion. It is divisible into three major parts: (1) Forebrain - comprises the cerebrum (the largest part, divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres by a longitudinal fissure and connected internally by the corpus callosum; its outer convoluted layer, the cerebral cortex, is responsible for higher mental functions such as thinking, memory and voluntary action), the thalamus (a relay/coordinating centre for sensory and motor signals) and the hypothalamus (controls body temperature, hunger, thirst, and secretes several releasing and inhibiting hormones that regulate the pituitary gland). (2) Midbrain - a short segment between the thalamus/hypothalamus and the pons, connecting the forebrain and hindbrain; it controls certain visual and auditory reflexes (e.g., the pupillary reflex). (3) Hindbrain - comprises the cerebellum (coordinates voluntary movements, balance, and posture), the pons (a relay centre connecting different parts of the brain) and the medulla oblongata (controls vital involuntary functions such as heart rate, respiration, and gastric secretions, and connects the brain to the spinal cord).

Method …