Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 1
Brain Structure
Introduction
In order to go into the field of neurocircuits and neurosystems it is important to have
a basic vocabulary for the physical parts of a brain. This is true even if one is mainly
interested in the logical and system aspects of brain functioning, partly because
there is a need to communicate with others who are not specialists in circuits and
systems, but who are familiar with brain organs. Beyond a need to talk to others, it
is important to appreciate the complexity of a brain with the goal of understanding
how it works. In particular, specific areas seem to be involved in intelligence and
consciousness, which a student ought to be aware of, such as the cerebral cortex,
the hippocampus, the amygdala, the cingulated gyrus, and the corpus callosum [
1
].
It is wise to be aware of these and all other major areas.
This chapter not only introduces basic brain anatomy but also neurons, about 100
billion of them, each capable of realizing significant logic. The logical abilities of a
neuron may be verified by simulation experiments as suggested in an appendix to
this topic. These amazing neural abilities will be built up later in this topic to
produce an intelligent stream of consciousness that, for self-preservation, avoids
mental blocks and avoids becoming confused by multiple recalls.
Brain Structure
The four major lobes of the brain and their locations are shown in Fig.
1.1
. Note that
the boundaries of the lobes are not distinct but rather are named after the bones of
the skull that overlie them. The cerebrum is the general volume of the right and left
hemisphere regions in the upper forebrain. It contains the cerebral cortex, a layer of
neural gray matter, and the underlying connections, or white matter. Within this
mass of neurons is nature's implementation of higher intelligence and all that goes
