The Mind Boggling Brain

Written by: Anna Pafenberg

Have you ever wondered how you remembered what happened yesterday? Or even wondered how your body knows how to walk and talk? It’s all thanks to your brain. Your brain is made of many components that all work together to keep your body functioning. From basic body commands like blinking to thinking, your brain is responsible for your whole life.

Brain Anatomy

One of the most important parts of your brain is the cerebellum. It’s located at the back of the brain and has the adorable nickname ‘little brain’! This is because it looks like a smaller version of your brain, and is responsible for many things such as balance and movement. Have you ever wondered what’s controlling your muscles? It’s your cerebellum! Another important part of your brain is the hypothalamus. It is responsible for homeostasis. Homeostasis is how your brain regulates your body's temperature and other functions. It’s basically a little thermostat located in the very middle of your brain. 

Another necessary part of the brain is your nervous system. There are two types, the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS). The CNS is simply just your brain and your spine, which connects to the PNS which is all throughout your body. Both of these systems are made of nerves, which are clusters of cells that send signals throughout your body. Think of your body as a smart phone. Your body sends ‘texts’ to your brain to relay information. The brain then sends a ‘text’ back to that part of the body to tell it what to do. An example of this is when someone taps you on the shoulder. Your shoulder tells your brain through your nervous system that someone tapped you, and then your brain tells your shoulder to turn around and greet them. 

Memory

Your brain is responsible for your memories as well. There are two types of memory, long term memory and short term memory. Short term memories are things that happened very recently, a matter of minutes. Your hippocampus, another part of the brain located in the center, decides what information from your body should be stored to long term memory. This helps you remember important information, and forget minor things. Everyone is born with the same memory, but your memory can be improved! By learning memory tactics called mnemonics, your brain learns to remember things better. Mnemonics can be a song, rhyme, or anything that helps you remember information. Try and remember as much as you can from this article, by making a song about the brain for yourself. 

All in all, your brain does some pretty amazing things. It has a lot of different parts that make it a strong whole so your body can be better overall!