The brain uses 20 – 30% of all the blood and oxygen that the body uses.

Every brain cell makes connections with around 10 000 other brain cells.

The average brain weighs 1.4kg and is around 15cm long.

Brain Facts

The brain contains cells, called neurons, that send messages. There are 100 billion neurons in the human brain, which is about the same number of stars estimated to be in the Milky Way galaxy.

Scientists are constantly working to understand the brain better and we still don’t fully understand everything about it!

The right side of the brain is also responsible for creativity, the arts, music and imagination. This is why left-handed people are often more creative.

The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.

The left side of the brain is also used for logical and academic areas, such as maths, language, science and problem-solving. You’ll find more right-handed people working in these areas.

The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body.

The Hemispheres

Three Main Areas

The brain stem is the part of the brain which is linked, by the spinal cord, to the rest of the body. A little like a superhighway, it is responsible for all

the unconscious activities, such as breathing.

The smaller and back part of the brain is called the cerebellum and is mainly responsible for motor control (your movements) and balance.

The cerebrum is responsible for the senses, thinking and memory.

The front and larger part of the brain is called the cerebrum and a human cerebrum is the largest of all animals.

The Cerebrum Lobes

Each of the different lobes perform different functions and are linked to different senses.

The Frontal Lobe

The Temporal Lobe The Occipital Lobe

The Parietal Lobe

The cerebrum is split into different areas called ‘lobes’.

It also controls your language and memory.

This area of the brain is where your spontaneity, judgement and impulse comes from.

The frontal lobe (lobus frontalis) is the control panel for your personality and the way you communicate.

The Frontal Lobe

This is where you do your problem-solving and conscious motor control (movements).

It is also responsible for object recognition.

This part of the brain is where you process things you hear, into things that make sense, including language.

The temporal lobe (lobus temporalis) is located at either side of the brain and is linked closely to your hearing (it’s close to the ears after all).

The Temporal Lobe

The temporal lobe is also where long-term memories are processed.

The part is also responsible for your spatial awareness and navigational skills (proprioception).

This is also the place for visual interpretation and the processing of language and maths.

The parietal lobe (lubus parietalis) is all about the senses and interpreting things.

The Parietal Lobe

The sense of touch is processed here, including being able to recognise a word someone is ‘writing’ on your skin through the sense of touch.

‘Occipital’ is Latin for ‘back of the head’.

Different areas of the occipital lobe look after spatial perception, colour and movement.

The occipital lobe (lubus occipitalis) is all about visual processing and it gets its information from the eyes.

The Occipital Lobe

The Language and Reading Area

This is because there are so many different skills involved in both these things. Think how long it took you to learn to read and write!

There are a few different lobes that are involved in language and reading..

The Cerebellum

This part of the brain helps your motor skills (some movements) by controlling coordination, balance and timing.

The cerebellum is the Latin word meaning ‘little brain’.

The Brain Stem The brain stem (medulla spinalis) is the central part of the brain (like the apple core) and goes to form the spinal cord. It is made up of three different parts: the medulla oblongata, the pons and the midbrain.

The brain stem does three jobs: 1. It links the cerebrum to the

cerebellum. 2. It’s in control of the nerves

going to the face and neck. 3. It’s in charge of all the things

you are not doing on purpose, such as breathing, your sleep cycle and circulating blood.

Click here to look inside

The brain and the spinal cord together form the central nervous system.

It runs from the brain to the bottom of your spine and is protected by the spinal column.

The spinal cord (truncus encephali) is the information superhighway of the nerves, connecting the brain to the rest of the body.

The Spinal Cord

In adults, it is around 44cm long and can range from 6.4mm – 13mm wide at different points along the way.

If you have a suitable phone, scan this code to see a 3D model of the brain.

You will need a twinkl account. Visit the school website (useful websites section)

for details on how to get this.

Activity

Using the information you have just read, please complete the school worksheet that is on the website. You can just copy the information into your books if you don’t want/are unable to print it.

Here are some brain exercises to try: