Components
Cerebral Cortex - Controls conscious thought, memory and language. Outer part of the brain. Cerebellum - Controls fine movement of muscles. Bottom/back of the brain. Medulla - Controls unconscious actions such as breathing and heart rate. Found in brain stem in front of cerebellum.
Investigating Brain Function
Investigating brain function is hard because the brain is:
- Complex and delicate.
- Easily damaged.
- Drugs can’t always reach it.
- Not fully understood what each part of the brain does.
We can study the brain by:
- Studying patients with brain damage. Seeing what roles are affected by which damaged areas.
- Electrically stimulating the brain with in a electrode.
- Using MRIs.