Gray’s Anatomy, a standard medical textbook used in chiropractic and medical schools states the following;

“The Nervous System includes the central nervous system, which is composed of the brain and spinal cord, the peripheral nervous system, which is composed of nerves and ganglia and the sense organs such as the ear.  Its function is to control and coordinate all organs and structures and to relate the individual to his/her environment.”

The Brain monitors and regulates unconscious bodily processes like breathing and heart rate as well as coordinates most voluntary movement. The Brain is also the site of consciousness, thought and creativity. Think of the Brain as a central computer that controls all bodily functions then the nervous system is like a network that relays messages back and forth from the Brain to different parts of the body. The Brain accomplishes this via the spinal cord which runs from the Brain down through the back and contains threadlike nerves that branch out to every organ and body part. When a message comes into the Brain from anywhere in the body, the Brain tells the body how to react.

The Brain is incredibly compact weighing three (3) pounds. Its many folds and grooves provide the Brain with the additional surface area necessary for storing all of the body’s important information. The Brain is made up of three (3) main sections;

1)  The Forebrain.

2)  The Midbrain.

3)  The Hindbrain.

The Forebrain is responsible for a variety of functions including receiving and processing sensory information, thinking, perceiving, producing and understanding language and controlling motor function. There are two (2) major divisions of the forebrain;

A)    Diencephalon.

The Diencephalon contains structures such as the thalamus and hypothalamus which are responsible for such functions as motor control, relaying sensory information and controlling autonomic functions.

B)    Telencephalon.

The Telencephalon contains the largest part of the Brain the cerebral cortex. Most of the actual information processing in the Brain takes place in the cerebral cortex.

The Midbrain acts as a master coordinator for all the messages going in and out of the Brain to the spinal cord. The Midbrain is located underneath the middle of the forebrain.

The Hindbrain is responsible for balance, movement and coordination. The Hindbrain sits underneath the back end of the cerebrum and it consists of the;

A)    Cerebellum aka “Little Brain”.

B)    Pons.

C)    Medulla.

 The Brainstem main function is to take in, send out and coordinates all of the Brain’s messages. The Brainstem also controls many of the body’s automatic functions such as blinking, blood pressure, breathing, digestion, heart rate and swallowing. The Brainstem consists of the following;

        1) Midbrain.

        2) Medulla.

        3) Pons.

The Cerebrun which is the thinking part of the brain is divided into two (2) halves or two (2) hemispheres;

        1) The Left Hemisphere likes to do things in step by step order. The analytical side.

        2) The Right Hemisphere likes art, music and creating new ideas. The emotional side.