Human Brain

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

1
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
• The human brain is composed of neurons,
gilial cells, and blood vessels.
• The number of neurons, are about 200 billion
neurons in the human brain with 125 trillion
synapses in the cerebral cortex alone.
• Brain is  protected by the thick bones of the
skull, suspended in cerebrospinal fluid. 

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

2
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Cerebral Cortex
• The human cerebral cortex is a thick layer of  neural
tissue that covers most of the brain.
• This layer is folded in a way that increases the amount
of surface that can fit into the volume available. The
pattern of folds is similar across individuals, although
there are many small variations. The cortex is divided
into four "lobes", called the frontal lobe, parietal lobe,
temporal and occipital lobe.
• Within each lobe are numerous  cortical areas, each
associated with a particular function such as vision,
motor control, language, etc. The left and right sides of
the cortex are broadly similar in shape, and most
cortical areas are replicated on both sides.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

3
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Frontal lobe
• The frontal lobe is an area in the  brain of 
mammals, located at the front of each
cerebral hemisphere and positioned anterior
to (in front of) the  parietal lobe  and superior
and anterior to the  temporal lobes.
• It is separated from the parietal lobe by a
space between tissues called the central
sulcus, and from the temporal lobe by a deep
fold called the lateral (Sylvian) sulcus.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

4
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Parietal Lobe
• The parietal lobe is a part of the
brain positioned above (superior to) the 
occipital lobe and behind (posterior to) the
frontal lobe.
• It integrates  sensory  information from
different  modalities, particularly determining
spatial sense and navigation.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

5
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Occipital Lobe
• The occipital lobe is the  visual processing
center of the mammalian brain containing
most of the anatomical region of the  visual
cortex.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

6
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Temporal Lobe
• The temporal lobe is a region of the  cerebral
cortex that is located beneath the  lateral
fissure on both cerebral hemispheres of the
mammalian  brain.
• The left and right temporal lobe provide a
process of communication called lateralization.
• This allows communication between the left and
right temporal lobe, as well as between the
occipital, parietal and frontal lobes of the brain.
prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,
7
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Cerebellum
• The  cerebellum modulates the outputs of
other brain systems to make them precise.
• Removal of the cerebellum does not prevent
an animal from doing anything in particular,
but it makes actions hesitant and clumsy.
• This precision is not built-in, but learned by
trial and error

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

8
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Medulla
• The medulla along with the spinal cord,
contains many small nuclei involved in a wide
variety of sensory and motor functions.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

9
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Pons
• The ponslies in the brainstem directly above
the medulla.
• Among other things, it contains nuclei that
control sleep, respiration, swallowing, bladder
function, equilibrium, eye movement, facial
expressions, and posture.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

10
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Hypothalamus
• The hypothalamus is a small region at the
base of the forebrain, whose complexity and
importance belies its size.
• It is composed of numerous small nuclei, each
with distinct connections and neurochemistry.
• The hypothalamus regulates sleep and wake
cycles, eating and drinking, hormone release,
and many other critical biological functions.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

11
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Thalamus
• The thalamus is another collection of nuclei
with diverse functions.
• Some are involved in relaying information to
and from the cerebral hemispheres.
• Others are involved in motivation.
• The subthalamic area seems to contain action-
generating systems for several types of
"consummatory" behaviors, including eating,
drinking, defecation, and copulation.
prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,
12
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Hippocampus
• The hippocampus is found only in mammals.
However, the area it derives from, the medial
pallium, has counterparts in all vertebrates.
• There is evidence that this part of the brain is
involved in spatial memory and navigation in
fishes, birds, reptiles, and mammals.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

13
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Basal Ganglia
• The basal ganglia are a group of
interconnected structures in the forebrain.
• The primary function of the basal ganglia
appears to be action selection.
• They send inhibitory signals to all parts of the
brain that can generate motor behaviors, and
in the right circumstances can release the
inhibition, so that the action-generating
systems are able to execute their actions.
prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,
14
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Olfatory bulb
• The olfatry bulb is a special structure that
processes olfactory sensory signals and sends
its output to the olfactory part of the pallium.
• It is a major brain component in many
vertebrates, but is greatly reduced in
primates.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

15
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
 Facts of Human Brain
• The brain is much more active at night than
during the day.
• Brain uses 20% of the oxygen that enters your
bloodstream.

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

16
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.
• Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel as fast
as 170 miles per hour. 
• Neurons continue to grow throughout human life.
• Information travels at different speeds within
different types of neurons. 
• 80% of the brain is water. 
• The brain itself cannot feel pain. 

prepared by A.Devasena Asso.Prof./ECE,

17
Dhanalakshmi College of Engg.