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Brain Regions

In-depth articles on the anatomy, function, and associated conditions of every major structure in the NeuroMap atlas.

The Four Lobes

The wrinkled outer layer of the brain, the cerebral cortex, is divided into four lobes on each side, separated by deep grooves. Broadly, the frontal lobe plans and acts, the parietal lobe feels and locates, the temporal lobe hears and remembers, and the occipital lobe sees - though every complex task draws on several lobes at once.

Side view: Outer surface of the left hemisphere, front of the head to the left. Dashed outlines show deep structures as if seen through the surface. Highlighted: Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe.

Side view

Midline view: Inner surface of the left hemisphere, as if the brain were sliced down the middle, front of the head to the left. Highlighted: Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe.

Midline view

Hidden Cortex

Not all of the cortex is visible from outside. The insula is folded away deep inside the groove between the frontal and temporal lobes, and the cingulate cortex lines the inner surface of each hemisphere, wrapped around the corpus callosum. Both help link what the body feels with emotion and attention.

Side view: Outer surface of the left hemisphere, front of the head to the left. Dashed outlines show deep structures as if seen through the surface. Highlighted: Insula, Cingulate Cortex.

Side view

Midline view: Inner surface of the left hemisphere, as if the brain were sliced down the middle, front of the head to the left. Highlighted: Insula, Cingulate Cortex.

Midline view

Memory & Emotion

Tucked inside each temporal lobe, the hippocampus and the amygdala sit side by side. They're core parts of the limbic system - a loosely defined set of structures, also often taken to include the cingulate cortex and hypothalamus, that ties memory to emotion. It's why emotional events tend to be remembered so vividly.

Side view: Outer surface of the left hemisphere, front of the head to the left. Dashed outlines show deep structures as if seen through the surface. Highlighted: Hippocampus, Amygdala.

Side view

Deep Structures

Buried in the middle of the brain, these structures act as hubs and switches. The thalamus relays almost all incoming sensory information to the cortex, the hypothalamus links the brain to the body's hormone system, and the basal ganglia help select which movements and habits to switch on.

Side view: Outer surface of the left hemisphere, front of the head to the left. Dashed outlines show deep structures as if seen through the surface. Highlighted: Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Basal Ganglia.

Side view

Midline view: Inner surface of the left hemisphere, as if the brain were sliced down the middle, front of the head to the left. Highlighted: Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Basal Ganglia.

Midline view

Connecting the Hemispheres

The two halves of the brain are joined by around 200 million nerve fibres in the corpus callosum. This thick bridge of white matter lets each hemisphere share what it knows with the other - and studying people in whom it was cut revealed how differently the two sides can work.

Midline view: Inner surface of the left hemisphere, as if the brain were sliced down the middle, front of the head to the left. Highlighted: Corpus Callosum.

Midline view

Brain Stem & Cerebellum

At the base of the brain, the brain stem keeps you alive - controlling breathing, heart rate, and sleep - while carrying every signal between brain and body. Behind it, the cerebellum fine-tunes movement and balance, and holds most of the brain's neurons.

Side view: Outer surface of the left hemisphere, front of the head to the left. Dashed outlines show deep structures as if seen through the surface. Highlighted: Brain Stem, Cerebellum.

Side view

Midline view: Inner surface of the left hemisphere, as if the brain were sliced down the middle, front of the head to the left. Highlighted: Brain Stem, Cerebellum.

Midline view