English Regionalized Text

The Human Brain: The Forebrain

Objective: To learn about the structure and

functions of the forebrain

Learning Outcomes

Students will be able to:

 Indicate the divisions of the human brain

 State the main parts of the forebrain and

their functions

 Describe the lobes of the cerebral

hemisphere and their functions

The human brain is the control centre of the

body and is situated in the cranium of the skull.

Let’s look inside the cranium and observe the

brain closely.
The brain is covered on the outside by three
membranes called meninges.
The space between the meninges is filled with a
shock-proof fluid called cerebrospinal fluid.
The cerebrospinal fluid, the meninges, and the
cranium together help to protect the brain from
any injury.

The human brain has three main regions. (OST:

Regions of the human brain)
The forebrain
The midbrain
The hindbrain
Let’s study the forebrain in detail.
The forebrain is in the anterior region of the
brain and comprises the cerebrum, the
diencephalon, and the olfactory lobes.

The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain.

It is marked by numerous infoldings on its

surface.

A deep medial longitudinal groove divides the

cerebrum into the right and the left cerebral
hemispheres.(OST: Right cerebral hemisphere,
Left cerebral hemisphere)

Each cerebral hemisphere is divided by fissures

into four lobes. These are the anterior frontal
lobe which controls muscular activities, like
movement and speech; the middle parietal lobe
which controls physical sensations, like touch,
temperature, and pain; the posterior occipital lobe
which controls visual reception and allows the brain
to process light and objects; and

the lateral temporal lobe which controls

auditory reception, and allows us to distinguish
sounds.

In addition to all these activities, the cerebrum

also governs mental abilities like

thinking and reasoning,

learning, memorizing, and intelligence.

It also controls the feelings of love, admiration,

and hatred.

Let’s now study the next part of the forebrain

which is the diencephalon.

The diencephalon is the structure present just

below the cerebrum.

It consists of the thalamus, the hypothalamus,

the pineal gland, and the pituitary gland.

All these parts of the diencephalon are together

responsible for controlling hunger, thirst, and
sleep.

Looking at the ventral side of the brain, there is

another part of the forebrain which is a pair of
club-shaped bodies called the olfactory lobes.

Each lobe consists of an anterior swollen part

called the olfactory bulb and a posterior stalk
called the olfactory tract.

The olfactory lobes control the olfactory

reception and allow us to distinguish various
smells.

To Summarise:

The forebrain comprises the cerebrum, the

diencephalon, and the olfactory lobes.

The different lobes of the cerebrum are

responsible for speech, movement, pain, sight,
hearing, thinking, and memorizing

The diencephalon consists of the thalamus, the

hypothalamus, the pineal gland, and the
pituitary gland.

All these parts of the diencephalon are together

responsible for controlling hunger, thirst, and
sleep.

The olfactory lobes control the olfactory

reception which allows us to distinguish various
smells.