An Introduction to the Brain
This chapter emphasizes that human brains are the most complicated animate or inanimate system in the universe. It begins with a discussion of the definition of life and consciousness and the transition from life to consciousness. It is proposed that consciousness began with the ability to learn associatively (classical and operant conditioning) during the Cambrian period. There is a discussion of the four cell-building principles of the brain: cell proliferation, cell differentiation, cell migration, and programmed cell death. The multiple naming systems for the brain are presented: (1) Brodmann’s areas, (2) presumed function, (3) people’s names (4) regional location, (5) location and nature of the structure, and (6) gross anatomical name. The chapter reviews the four major brain lobes and their functions. It covers major structures of the limbic system and emphasizes the functional role of the brain’s fasciculi, the major connections for neural transmission, which reflects the concerted evolution of various brain regions.