BRAIN WORKING.

IN CHARGE 

The cerebral cortex is the largest part of your brain. It sits like a mushroom cap on the rest of your brain and takes up about two-thirds of the total mass. This is where you think and reason. It’s where you create the kind of movements you have to think about, like playing the piano or flipping your skateboard. Parts of the cerebral cortex also control seeing, hearing, and touching.

PLAN AND REASON

The prefrontal cortex helps you plan ahead. This is where you consider the consequences of your actions. This part of your brain doesn’t finish developing until you’re 20.

MOVE

When you think about moving your body, the motor cortex tells your muscles what to do. Precise moves, like typing, or playing an instrument, use lots of brain cells.

SENSE

The posterior parietal cortex is a processing center that makes sense of what you’re feeling, smelling, and hearing, and connects those sensations to memories and ideas.

IT'S-A HABIT

The cerebellum helps with everyday tasks you do over and over. Once you’ve learned how, you don’t really have to think about how to ride a bike, dribble a basketball, or comb your hair. There’s constant messaging between the cerebellum and parts of the cerebral cortex so you can adjust your actions when conditions change.

THE BASICS 

Your brain stem is the lowest part of your brain, just above your spinal cord. This structure takes care of basic functions such as the heartbeat, breathing, and digestion.

REMEMBER

The hippocampus, which is part of the limbic system, receives and stores long-term memories. So, if you remember your teachers’ names from last year, you’re using the hippocampus.

THE FEELINGS BRIDGE 

The limbic system is like a bridge between your thinking brain—the cerebral cortex—and the parts of your brain that control your body’s physical systems. This makes it easy for strong feelings—such as pleasure, fear, or attraction to other people—to cause reactions in your stomach, muscles, and heart.

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