Five Major Structures of the Brain

“In order to understand what the brain does, it is first necessary to understand what it is – to know the names and locations of its major parts and how they are connected to one another” (Pinel, 2011. p. 51). The five major structures that compose the brain are labeled as myelencephalon, metencephalon, mesencephalon, diencephalon, and telencephalon. These major structures are what create the adult forebrain, midbrain, and the hindbrain.
First, the myelencephalon is also known as the medulla. The myelencephalon carries signals between the brain and the body through tracts that compose the posterior division of the brain. In addition, in the latter part of the myelncephalon to the front part of the midbrain is where the reticular formation is located. The reticular formation is composed of a “…complex network of about 100 tiny nuclei…” (Pinel, 2011. p. 64). Furthermore, the reticular formation has many functions that include sleep, movement, attention, the maintenance of muscle tone, and a number of cardiac, circulatory, and respiratory reflexes.
Next, the metencephalon is similar to the myelencephalon, where it “…houses many ascending and descending tracts and part of the reticular formation” (Pinel, 2011. p. 65). The tracts located in the metencephalon make up the pons – a bulge located on the ventral surface of the brain stem. Along with the pons, the cerebellum, also known as the little brain, is a large structure located on the dorsal surface of the brain stem. The cerebellum is an important sensorimotor structure, however is not limited to sensorimotor control.
Following the metencephalon is the mesencephalon, which has two different divisions described as the tectum and the tegmentum. The tectum, also known as the optic tectum, is the division on the dorsal surface of the midbrain, and is composed of two pairs of colliculi. First, inferior colliculi at the posterior, are for auditory functions. Next, the superior colliculi, at the anterior,