General Brain Anatomy

The central nervous system is broken into six main components [32]:

Spinal cord

Center for reflex action, routing station for all nerves to the trunk and limbs.

Medulla oblongata

Controls automatic functions such as digestion and breathing.

Pons and Cerebellum

The pons conveys movement information from the cerebral hemispheres to the cerebellum; the cerebellum modulates motions and takes part in motor learning.

Midbrain

Controls various sensory and motor functions.

Diencephalon

Contains the thalamus and the hypothalamus. The thalamus is the interface from the rest of the central nervous system to the cerebral cortex; the hypothalamus regulates autonomic, endocrine, and visceral function.

Cerebral hemispheres

Contains the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia, the hippocampus, and the amygdaloid nucleus. The basal ganglia are involved with motor performance; the hippocampus, with memory; and the amygdaloid nucleus with autonomic and endocrine responses as they relate to emotional states.

The medulla oblongata, the pons, and the midbrain, which form a ``stem'' connecting the brain hemispheres to the spinal column, are often lumped together under the term ``brain stem'' [78].