Braverman’s introduction to how the brain works continues:
The Electrochemical Brain – “Each cell on the neuronal highway is programmed to produce, send and receive a specific chemical, whose job is to activate brain cells to fire messages at each other by moving to various receptor sites with the brain’s synapses.” p 5
Braverman explains the four major chemical systems in this first chapter. Then, he talks of the Anatomy of the Brain (p. 8-12):
Cerebrum – made up of lobes:
Frontal Lobes – personality, emotions, problem solving, reasoning, motor
Parietal Lobes – sensory, sound, smell, taste, visiospatial processing
Temporal Lobes – story memory and language, speech, hearing
Occipital Lobes – vision
Corpus Callosum – “The corpus callosum is like the Internet of the brain: It’s the place where every brain cell has to connect so that the brain can work as a whole. This band of neuronal fibers is the electrical network between the right and left hemispheres, allowing the two sides of the brain to coordinate their tasks.”
The Brain Stem – the place where electricity connects the brain and the body.
The Cerebellum – balance and coordinated movements (legs and arms)
Cerebrospinal Fluid – “A healthy brain and spinal cord float in and drink from cerebrospinal fluid – what I call the ocean of life.” p. 12
Even for those of us who have studied the brain’s anatomy before, review impacts our understanding.