BRAINCAKEMajor Areas of the Brain
The human brain is part of the central nervous system (CNS). Three large regions are easy to identify on a side view of the brain: the cerebrum, the cerebellum and the medulla oblongata.
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain. It is divided into left and right cerebral hemispheres, joined by a band of nerve fibres called the corpus callosum. Its thin, highly folded outer layer, the cerebral cortex, is grey matter made of neurone cell bodies. The folding gives a large surface area for a great many neurones. The cerebrum controls conscious activities: thought, language, reasoning, memory, interpreting sensory information and starting voluntary movement. Each hemisphere mainly controls the opposite side of the body.
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All 38 lessons in Mammalian Nervous System · All Edexcel A-level Biology topics