The Anatomy of the brain: A Guide to the Anatomy of the Brain

The brain serves many important functions. It gives meaning to things that happen in the world surrounding us. Through the five senses of sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste, the brain receives messages, often many at the same time.

The brain controls thoughts, memory and speech, arm and leg movements and the function of many organs within the body. It also determines how people respond to stressful situations (i.e. writing of an exam, loss of a job, birth of a child, illness, etc.) by regulating heart and breathing rates. The brain is an organized structure, divided into many components that serve specific and important functions.

The weight of the brain changes from birth through adulthood. At birth, the average brain weighs about one pound, and grows to about two pounds during childhood. The average weight of an adult female brain is about 2.7 pounds, while the brain of an adult male weighs about three pounds.

The brain is made up of two types of cells: neurons and glial cells, also known as neuroglia or glia. The neuron is responsible for sending and receiving nerve impulses or signals. Glial cells are non-neuronal cells that provide support and nutrition, maintain homeostasis, form myelin and facilitate signal transmission in the nervous system. In the human brain, glial cells outnumber neurons by about 50 to one. Glial cells are the most common cells found in primary brain tumors.

When a person is diagnosed with a brain tumor, a biopsy may be done, in which tissue is removed from the tumor for identification purposes by a pathologist. Pathologists identify the type of cells that are present in this brain tissue, and brain tumors are named based on this association. The type of brain tumor and cells involved impact patient prognosis and treatment.