The brain, in cahoots with the nervous and endocrine systems, controls our behavior, thoughts, and actions, involuntary and voluntary. Scientists have studied the brain and determined, to a reasonable extent, what regions of the brain control what skills. These studies of the brain have provided much valuable information about how injuries and any operations done to the brain can affect our behavior and ability to perform certain tasks.
The brain is divided into 3 main areas, the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The hindbrain, located at the bottom of the brain, controls very simple basic functions of life. The hindbrain consists of the cerebellum, medulla, and pons, and connects the brain to the spinal cord. The cerebellum, the large part of the hindbrain, is located at the far back of the brain, at the lowest point. The cerebellum assists in motor skills, including balance, voluntary movements, and adjustments in our posture to keep our balance. Another part of the hindbrain, the medulla, controls some of our involuntary movements, such as breathing and heart rate. The last main area of the hindbrain is the pons. The pons is involved in sleeping, and serves as the connection between the spinal cord and brain. The hindbrain, then, is mainly involved in simple processes that keep us upright and alive daily.
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The midbrain is the smallest section of the brain, located near the middle of the brain, lying right above the pons. The midbrain serves to take the sensory information and send it upward, into the forebrain. The midbrain also assists the pons and medulla in regulating our sleeping