OMAHA, Neb – There are six main portions of the human brain that control differing activities that enrich and fulfill our lives. The brainstem, cerebellum, frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, and temporal lobe each offer a different aspect to the various activities that you are performing when working, playing, sleeping, or even at this very moment. An injury to one location can be damaging to any number of the other regions, and sometimes injuries remained isolated. A great example of an individual who sustained an injury to a single location is a railroad worker named Phineas Gage (1823-1860). Gage was a well respected foreman on a railroad crew who suffered an unfortunate accident when a nearby blast impaled a large iron rod through his left frontal lobe changing his life forever. Gage’s accident would forever change the understanding of the human mind as he would become one of the first and best documented cases of a localized brain injury and its effects upon a human’s ability to function following such. Mr. Gage’s accident would leave him with a two month recovery period where he would carry a pulse of around 60, would be comatose for a period of about two weeks, and was susceptible to high fevers for a period of time as well. While Gage would never fully recover, he was quite highly functioning for the remainder of his life despite some physical trauma such as the loss of vision and some paralysis on his left side. Yet it would be Phineas Gage’s mental aspects that would become of most note to his physicians, family, and friends. Gage had always been considered a very respectable confident individual able to handle his self and others with the utmost respect. Yet in the months proceeding his accident Gage would become short tempered, unable to control his actions at times or his bodily functions. He would often be observed in a very depressed solemn state and was remarked by many to be “no longer Gage.” Twelve years after Gage’s accident he would succumb to his injury following a series of severe convulsions, he would pass on in May 1860. Today visitors to the Warren Anatomical Museum in Harvard’s Library of Medicine (Cambridge, Massachusetts) can view Phineas Gage’s skull and the rod which penetrated it. Gage’s example is merely a popular cultural recognition that in fact the brain is not one single organ, but in fact, several sub-organs so-to-speak, working cohesively and yet independently to allow us to perform our necessary functions and pursue our pleasures in daily life. The Brain Stem
Located in front of the cerebellum the brain stem is the relay point for which all of your actions are channeled in to and out of your brain. The brain stem connects to the cerebrum, the cerebellum, and the spinal cord making it one of the most vital portions of your brain. As one of the most vital portions of your brain, the stem controls your ability to breath, your ability to remain conscious, regulates your heart function, swallowing, movement of the eyes and mouth, and other involuntary muscle movements such as digestion and shivering. In accompany to these functions, the stem also aids in hunger and reception of sensory messages like pain, heat, noise and so forth. An injury to the brain stem can and will affect any number of these functions. Violent whiplash affects the brain stem in a manner that can create a more localized injury that can be much greater in severity as of such. The brain stem is one of the more developed regions of the brain with four subparts that assimilate to create the stem. The Pons measures about 2.5 centimeters in length and yet control sleep, facial movements, respiration, swallowing, bladder control, hearing, taste and movement. Lying underneath the main portion of the brain and behind your sinus canals, the Pons is quite exposed. The Cerebrum
Located on top of your skull is the location of the brain known as the cerebrum. The cerebrum is located behind the eyes and forehead and is responsible for movement, body temperature, touch, vision, hearing, judgment, reasoning, problem solving, emotions, and learning. Separated into two separate parts (the left and right cerebral hemispheres), the cerebrum‘s two halves are connected at the bottom containing a groove down the middle of each. The right cerebral hemisphere controls the left side of the body, while the left hand side controls the right hand side. What is significant is the interesting aspect of personality that each side controls. The left hand side of the cerebral hemisphere controls logic and reasoning while the right hemisphere controls artistic and other creative abilities. The cerebrum is divided into four regions controlling different aspects of your body’s everyday movements and activities. The frontal lobe is responsible for personality, speech, and motor development. Located at the very forward portion of your brain, the frontal lobe is the portion injured by Phineas Gage and is one of the most widely damaged portions of the brain in accidents. Sitting below the frontal lobe towards the middle of your brain is the Temporal lobe. The temporal lobe controls, memory, language, and speech functions and can be one of the most commonly affected areas by a stroke. The parietal lobe controls sensation and is located in the upper rear portion of the skull. Below the parietal lobe is the occipital lobe that controls vision. Lying at the back of your skull, the occipital lobe can be commonly injured effecting vision due to the way the human head falls when falling backwards to the ground. The Cerebellum
Located under the occipital lobe about the size of a peach is the cerebellum. In Latin cerebellum means “little brain.” Interestingly enough, despite its small stature, the cerebellum contains more nerve cells the both hemispheres combined. Controlling movement such as voluntary muscle skills, fine motor skills, and maintaining balance, posture and equilibrium, the cerebellum constitutes one’s ability to perform any movement skills needed through the day. Differing from the cerebrum, the left portion of the cerebellum controls the left hand side of the body while the right and cerebellum controls the body’s right side. Other Portions of Note
Differing from other organs, the brain is not a solid organ. In fact it has small fluid-filled cavities known as ventricles. These ventricles help nourish the brain as well as protect it creating a watery substance known as cerebrospinal fluid. This fluid surrounds the brain aiding in protection of it from constant bouncing and jarring. The brain contains twelve important nerves within it that performs special functions for the body. The olfactory nerve controls smell, the optic nerve controls vision, oculomotor nerve controls eye movements and the eyelid, the trochlear nerve controls eye movement as well, the trigmeninal nerve controls chewing and facial sensations, the abducens controls eye movement, the facial nerve controls taste and facial movements, the vestibulocochlear controls hearing and balance, the glossophyarngeal controls taste and swallowing, the vagus controls swallowing and taste, the accessory nerve controls the neck and shoulder muscles, and the hypoglossal controls the tongue movement. The pituitary gland is about the size of a dime and is located in the middle of the brain. Commonly referred to as the master gland due to its wide arrange of responsibilities such as producing hormones for the thyroid, adrenal glands, and sexual maturation, the pituitary gland is protected deep within the brain yet can still remain very susceptible to injury.
As one can clearly see, the brain is a highly developed organ with small portions taking on responsibility for different actions and needs. Yet despite the incredibly sophisticated development of this entity, the brain remains one of the poorest protected parts of the body. Superficial injuries impact deep within the skull as the brain and not the surface of the skull inherit more impact than previously thought. These impacts can and will have catastrophic results and as researchers are discovering today, may be permanent. The next step in our look into head injuries will be “The Anatomy of the Impact.” As we look through a few case studies and consider the point of impact and the results of the accident to the person in the immediate short term, and the long term. Each of these reviews will differ in complexity, severity, and region of the brain to consider how much, and how little each prospect matters in factoring the outcome of the suffering individual. As always you may contact me at the email listed below with questions and comments in regards to the subject matter of head injuries. If you missed our previous article please click on the provided link here . You may contact the author at: john.strathman@prohockeynews.com
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