The human brain contains a hypothalamus.
The human brain is the central organ of the human nervous system .. organ. organ ( anatomy ). nervous system. nervous system. The human brain , with the spinal cord , makes up the central nervous system .. nervous system. nervous system. spinal cord. spinal cord. central nervous system. central nervous system. The brain consists of the cerebrum , the brainstem and the cerebellum .. cerebrum. cerebrum. brainstem. brainstem. cerebellum. cerebellum. The brain is the organ that controls most of the activities of the body .. organ. organ ( anatomy ). body. human body. The brain processes , integrates , and coordinates all of the information it receives from the sense organs .. sense organs. Sensory nervous system. Sensory information is interpreted and analysed , and decisions are made as to the instructions transmitted to the rest of the body .. body. human body. The brain is contained in , and protected by , the skull bones of the head .. skull bones. neurocranium. head. human head. skull. skull. The cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain .. cerebrum. cerebrum. It is divided into two cerebral hemispheres which are covered by the cerebral cortex .. cerebral cortex. cerebral cortex. The cortex is an outer layer of grey matter , that covers the core of white matter .. grey matter. grey matter. white matter. white matter. The cortex is split into the neocortex and the much smaller allocortex .. neocortex. neocortex. allocortex. allocortex. The neocortex is made up of six neuronal layers , and the allocortex has three or four such layers .. neocortex. neocortex. allocortex. allocortex. Each hemisphere is conventionally divided into four lobes -- the frontal , temporal , parietal , and occipital lobes .. lobes. lobes of the brain. frontal. frontal lobe. temporal. temporal lobe. parietal. parietal lobe. The frontal lobe is associated with executive functions including self-control , planning , reasoning , and abstract thought , while the occipital lobe is dedicated to vision .. frontal lobe. frontal lobe. occipital lobe. occipital lobe. frontal. frontal lobe. executive functions. executive functions. self-control. self-control. planning. planning. abstract thought. abstraction. Within each lobe , there are also cortical areas associated with specific functions , such as the sensory , a motor and association regions .. sensory. sensory cortex. motor. motor cortex. association. Cerebral cortex#Association areas. Although the left and right hemispheres are broadly similar in shape and function , some functions are associated with a particular side of the brain , such as language in the left and visual-spatial ability in the right .. associated with a particular side of the brain. lateralization of brain function. language. language. visual-spatial ability. spatial visualization ability. The hemispheres are connected by nerve tracts known as commisures , the largest being the corpus callosum .. connected. Commissural fiber. commisures. commissure. corpus callosum. corpus callosum. The cerebrum is connected by the brainstem to the spinal cord .. spinal cord. spinal cord. cerebrum. cerebrum. brainstem. brainstem. connected. Commissural fiber. The brainstem consists of the midbrain , the pons , and the medulla oblongata .. brainstem. brainstem. midbrain. midbrain. pons. pons. medulla oblongata. medulla oblongata. The cerebellum is connected to the brainstem by pairs of tracts known as peduncles .. brainstem. brainstem. cerebellum. cerebellum. connected. Commissural fiber. peduncles. cerebellar peduncle. Within the cerebrum is the ventricular system of the brain , which consists of four interconnected ventricles in which cerebrospinal fluid is produced and circulated .. cerebrum. cerebrum. ventricular system. ventricular system. ventricles. Ventricular system#Structure. cerebrospinal fluid. cerebrospinal fluid. Underneath the cerebral cortex , several important structures are located , including the thalamus , the epithalamus , the pineal gland , the hypothalamus , the pituitary gland , and the subthalamus ; the limbic structures , including the amygdala and the hippocampus ; the claustrum , the various nuclei of the basal ganglia ; the basal forebrain structures , and the three circumventricular organs .. cerebral cortex. cerebral cortex. thalamus. thalamus. epithalamus. epithalamus. pineal gland. pineal gland. hypothalamus. hypothalamus. pituitary gland. pituitary gland. subthalamus. subthalamus. limbic structures. limbic system. amygdala. amygdala. hippocampus. hippocampus. claustrum. claustrum. nuclei. Nucleus ( neuroanatomy ). basal ganglia. basal ganglia. basal forebrain. basal forebrain. The cells of the brain include neurons and supportive glial cells .. cells. Cell ( biology ). glial cells. neuroglia. There are more than 86 billion neurons in the brain and a more or less equal number of other cells .. cells. Cell ( biology ). Brain activity is made possible by the interconnections of neurons that are linked together to reach their targets .. Brain. Brain. These connections form various neural networks of neural pathways and circuits .. neural networks. Biological neural network. The whole circuitry of the brain is driven by the process of neurotransmission .. neurotransmission. neurotransmission. The brain is protected by the skull , suspended in cerebrospinal fluid , and isolated from the bloodstream by the blood -- brain barrier .. cerebrospinal fluid. cerebrospinal fluid. skull. skull. bloodstream. circulatory system. However , the brain is still susceptible to damage , disease , and infection .. damage. brain damage. disease. Central nervous system disease. infection. infection. Damage can be caused by trauma , or a loss of blood supply known as a stroke .. trauma. closed head injury. stroke. stroke. The brain is also susceptible to degenerative disorders , such as Parkinson 's disease , forms of dementia including Alzheimer 's disease , and multiple sclerosis .. disease. Central nervous system disease. degenerative disorders. neurodegeneration. dementia. dementia. multiple sclerosis. multiple sclerosis. A number of psychiatric conditions , including schizophrenia and clinical depression , are thought to be associated with brain dysfunctions , although the nature of these is not well understood .. schizophrenia. schizophrenia. clinical depression. major depressive disorder. The brain can also be the site of tumours , both benign and malignant .. tumours. brain tumors. benign. benign tumour. malignant. cancer. Malignant tumours mostly originate from sites outside the brain .. tumours. brain tumors. originate from sites outside the brain. metastasis. The study of the anatomy of the brain is neuroanatomy , while the study of its function is neuroscience .. neuroanatomy. neuroanatomy. neuroscience. neuroscience. A number of different techniques are used to study the brain .. Brain specimens from other animals , which may be examined microscopically , have been a traditional source of much information .. Brain. Brain. specimens. biological specimen. examined microscopically. histology. Medical imaging technologies such as functional neuroimaging and electroencephalography -LRB- EEG -RRB- recordings are important techniques in studying the brain .. Medical imaging. Medical imaging. functional neuroimaging. functional neuroimaging. electroencephalography. electroencephalography. Examining the medical history of people with brain injury has also provided great insight into the function of each part of the brain .. medical history. medical history