The Brain Dissection

cerebrum- the main and most anterior portion of the brain in vertebrates, it is  located in the front region of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right, which is separated by a tissue. It is responsible for the integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary activity in the body.

cerebellum- the part of the brain at the back of the skull in vertebrates. Its function is to coordinate and regulate muscular activity.

brain steam- the central trunk of the mammalian brain, consisting of the medulla oblongata, pons, and midbrain, and continuing downward to form the spinal cord.

The Function of myelin in a neuron is to increase the speed in which many impulses travel along the myelinated fiber.  

Thalamus-controls the motor systems of the brain which are responsible for voluntary bodily movement and coordination, as well as helping with smell 

optic nerve- helps transfer visual information from the retina to the vision centers of the brain via electrical impulses

medulla oblongata-  the continuation of the spinal cord within the skull, forming the lowest part of the brainstem and containing control centers for the heart and lungs.

pons- It is a bridge between various parts of the nervous system, including the cerebellum and cerebrum, which are both parts of the brain.

midbrain- is a portion of the central nervous system associated with vision, hearing, motor control, sleep/wake, arousal (alertness), and temperature regulation.

corpus callosum- is to integrate motor, sensory, and cognitive performances between the cerebral cortex on one side of the brain to the same region on the other side.

hypothalamus- to link the nervous system to the endocrine system via the pituitary gland

In this dissection we dissected a sheep brain. The brain looked similar to a human brain except it was a lot smaller. It had almost all the same parts as a human brain and each part that was similar to the human brain functions the same way. We learned that gray matter is darker in color is gray/tan color where white matter is lighter in color and looks more ivory. White matter gets its color from the presence of high numbers of myelinated nerve fibers, where gray matter is darker because it consists of more cell bodies with unmyelinated fibers.It was a little challenging to located the different areas of the brain however with a little help and refresher we soon learned them better.