It is covered with ridges (gyri) and folds (sulci). The cerebral cortex is divided into two halves, or hemispheres. The cortex has a large surface area due to its folds, and comprises about half of the brain’s weight. Cerebral CortexĬortex is Latin for “bark,” and describes the outer gray matter covering of the cerebrum. Other functions relate to vision, hearing, touch and other senses. Other areas of the cerebrum enable speech, judgment, thinking and reasoning, problem-solving, emotions and learning. The largest part of the brain, the cerebrum initiates and coordinates movement and regulates temperature. The cerebrum (front of brain) comprises gray matter (the cerebral cortex) and white matter at its center.

Main Parts of the Brain and Their FunctionsĪt a high level, the brain can be divided into the cerebrum, brainstem and cerebellum. To do this, the central nervous system relies on billions of neurons (nerve cells). Some messages are kept within the brain, while others are relayed through the spine and across the body’s vast network of nerves to distant extremities. Some make you feel tired, for example, while others make you feel pain. Different signals control different processes, and your brain interprets each. The brain sends and receives chemical and electrical signals throughout the body. Gray matter is primarily responsible for processing and interpreting information, while white matter transmits that information to other parts of the nervous system.

The different composition of neuron parts is why the two appear as separate shades on certain scans.Įach region serves a different role. Gray matter is primarily composed of neuron somas (the round central cell bodies), and white matter is mostly made of axons (the long stems that connects neurons together) wrapped in myelin (a protective coating). In the spinal cord, this order is reversed: The white matter is on the outside, and the gray matter sits within. In the brain, gray matter refers to the darker, outer portion, while white matter describes the lighter, inner section underneath. Gray and white matter are two different regions of the central nervous system. What is the gray matter and white matter? It contains blood vessels and nerves, including neurons and glial cells. The remaining 40% is a combination of water, protein, carbohydrates and salts. Weighing about 3 pounds in the average adult, the brain is about 60% fat. Together, the brain and spinal cord that extends from it make up the central nervous system, or CNS.

The brain is a complex organ that controls thought, memory, emotion, touch, motor skills, vision, breathing, temperature, hunger and every process that regulates our body.

Gray matter of spinal cord