As well as the cerebrum, cerebellum and medulla oblongata, several smaller regions lie deep inside the brain. Each has a specific job.
The hypothalamus sits below the thalamus, just above the pituitary gland. It is the main control centre for homeostasis. It contains thermoreceptors and osmoreceptors that monitor the temperature and water potential of the blood, and it controls thermoregulation and osmoregulation. It also regulates hunger, thirst and sleep. It links the nervous and endocrine systems: it controls the pituitary gland, and neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus make hormones such as ADH, which are released from the posterior pituitary.The thalamus is a relay station. It receives sensory impulses (apart from those for smell) and passes them on to the correct area of the cerebral cortex.The hippocampus, in each temporal lobe, is involved in forming new long-term memories and in spatial memory (finding your way around). A person with a damaged hippocampus can often remember events from long ago but cannot lay down new memories.The basal ganglia are groups of neurones deep within the cerebral hemispheres. They help to select and start wanted movements and to suppress unwanted ones. In Parkinson's disease, dopamine-releasing neurones that connect to the basal ganglia die, so movements become slow, stiff and shaky.Together these regions allow the conscious activity of the cerebrum to work smoothly alongside the automatic, unconscious control of the body.
The hypothalamus sits below the thalamus, just above the pituitary gland. It is the main control centre for homeostasis. It contains thermoreceptors and osmoreceptors that monitor the temperature and water potential of the blood, and it controls thermoregulation and osmoregulation. It also regulates hunger, thirst and sleep. It links the nervous and endocrine systems: it controls the pituitary gland, and neurosecretory cells in the hypothalamus make hormones such as ADH, which are released from the posterior pituitary.The thalamus is a relay station. It receives sensory impulses (apart from those for smell) and passes them on to the correct area of the cerebral cortex.The hippocampus, in each temporal lobe, is involved in forming new long-term memories and in spatial memory (finding your way around). A person with a damaged hippocampus can often remember events from long ago but cannot lay down new memories.The basal ganglia are groups of neurones deep within the cerebral hemispheres. They help to select and start wanted movements and to suppress unwanted ones. In Parkinson's disease, dopamine-releasing neurones that connect to the basal ganglia die, so movements become slow, stiff and shaky.Together these regions allow the conscious activity of the cerebrum to work smoothly alongside the automatic, unconscious control of the body.