The cervical plexus forms many connections between the brain and the skin and muscles of the head and neck, similar to the cranial nerves. Eight spinal nerves branch off from the spinal cord in the neck to form a network of nerves called the cervical plexus. In the neck, the spinal cord passes through the vertebral foramen of the cervical vertebrae, which surround and protect its delicate nervous tissue. The spinal nerve extends from the inferior end of the brain stem and passes through the foramen magnum of the skull into the neck. The spinal cord is a thick nerve trunk that forms the brain’s most important connection to the body and carries all signals to and from the brain that are not provided by the cranial nerves. Wandering through the neck and torso, the vagus nerve communicates vital information from the brain to the heart and intestines. The muscles of the head and neck are also controlled by various cranial nerves including the facial nerve (facial expression) and accessory nerve (head and neck movements). The sensory organs of the head use the cranial nerves for signal transmission, including smell (olfactory nerve), vision (optic, oculomotor, abducens, and trochlear nerves), taste (facial and glossopharyngeal nerves) and hearing (vestibulocochlear nerve). A large crease splits the cerebrum into left and right hemispheres, which monitor and control opposite sides of the body and maintain slightly varied but parallel functions within the brain.Įxtending from many different regions on the inferior side of the brain, twelve pairs of cranial nerves provide direct connections between the brain and important structures of the head, neck, and trunk. All of the voluntary functions of the body, along with memory, creativity, and emotions are products of the neurons in the gray matter of the cerebrum. The largest, most superior, and highest functioning region of the brain is the cerebrum.Superior to the brain stem is the diencephalon, which controls the endocrine system, relays messages to and from the higher regions of the brain, and regulates feelings of hunger and thirst.The cerebellum is a round, wrinkled mass of neurons posterior to the brain stem that controls coordination and balance.Lower brain functions related to breathing, heart rate, and reflexes are controlled by the brain stem. The base of the brain that connects to the spinal cord is the brain stem. ![]() Yet being an extremely complex organ, the brain can be further divided into many anatomically distinct regions with distinct functions. The interior of the brain contains mostly white matter that connects the processing areas of gray matter to each other and to all of the muscles and sensory receptors in the body. ![]() ![]() Around 100 billion neurons in the gray matter of the brain control almost all of the body’s activities, including the conscious activities of the mind and the subconscious activities that control the organs and lower bodily processes. The brain weighs in at around three pounds on average, making it one of the most massive organs in the human body.
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