Marlene Hazelton, age 10, of Bethlehem, Pa., for her question:
WHERE DOES THE BRAIN STORE INFORMATION?
Largest and most complex part of your nervous system is your brain. It is located in your skull and is extremely well protected. The brain and the spinal cord make up the central nervous system. We can learn, remember and think because the brain can select messages that are taken from the senses and combine them with memories to form thoughts and reactions.
Taking messages from our eyes, ears, nose and skin, our brain tells us what is going on around us. The brain also takes messages from all of the body organs, and it regulates and controls the life process. The beating of our hearts and the blinking of our eyes are triggered by messages from our brains. And our emotions of anger, fear, hate and love begin in the brain.
Information from our past experiences is stored in our brains, and this is the reason we are able to think, remember and learn. We can speak, solve tough problems and come up with lots of creative ideas because of the development of our brains.
Largest and most important part of the brain is called the cerebrum. It makes up about 85 percent of the brain weight and accounts for man's intelligence.
The cerebral cortex is a thin layer of nerve cells called gray matter. About an eighth of an inch thick, the cerebral cortex covers the entire cerebrum and falls into folds to form grooves or fissures. This folding lets the large surface area of cerebral cortex lie within the limited space of the skull.
Under the cortex is the brain's white matter. Its nerve fibers connect the cortex with the brain stem and connect one part of the cortex with another.
The largest part of the cerebral cortex is concerned with the complex mental processes of memory, speech and thought. The temporal lobes have to do with certain memories. In various parts of the cortex are the cells that store memory for music, speech and sights.
A strip of the cerebral cortex behind the central fissure receives sensory signals from different parts o£ the body. The messages include touch, pressure and sensations of position and movement. ,
One of the most important parts of the brain is the sensorimotor area of the cerebral cortex. From here are sent nerve impulses used for such skilled movements as playing the piano or tossing a ball.
An important network of nerve cells called the reticular system is located between the nerve centers of the medulla oblongata, an extension of the spinal cord where it connects to the brain. The reticular system helps keep the brain alert and also works to regulate and coordinate many brain fuctions that are needed to bring together information from the cerebellum and other parts of the brain; and from the sense organs.