Which part of the brain maintains posture and equilibrium of the body?

Kumudinee, Subject Matter Expert at Edumarz Solution: Cerebellum is the part of the brain involved in maintenance of body posture and equilibrium. Different areas of the brain are involved in different functions and their structural composition is also dependent upon function. • Cerebellum is a separate structure distinct from the rest of the brain. • It is located just below the cerebrum , made of two different cerebral hemispheres. • It is commonly called a little brain. • It receives response from sensory organs, the spinal cord and other brain parts. • It regulates motor learning and movement. • Cerebellum is consisting of two main parts- A ) cerebellar cortex and B) cerebellar nuclei . • Cerebellar cortex: it is a layer of folded cerebellar neural tissue consisting of most of the neurons. • Cerebellar nuclei: it is an innermost part of the cerebellum containing nerve cells which communicate information from the cerebrum.

Brain: The brain is the largest organ that acts as the main coordinating centre of the body. It is one of the two parts of the central nervous system and is located in the cranial cavity. The brain is divided into three parts: • Forebrain: It constitutes the anterior part of the brain and is the main thinking part of the body. It consists of the olfactory lobes, cerebrum, and diencephalon. • Midbrain: It is a smaller part of the brain located between the forebrain and pons region of the hindbrain. • Hindbrain: The hindbrain consists of the cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata. Body posture and equilibrium: • The part of the brain which maintains the posture and equilibrium of the body is the cerebellum. • The cerebellum is the second-largest portion of the brain, whose function is to balance the body and coordinate muscular activities. • Hence, it maintains posture and equilibrium.

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 Nervous System The nervous system is commonly divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain, its cranial nerves and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is composed of the spinal nerves that branch from the spinal cord and the autonomous nervous system (divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system). The Cell Structure of the Brain The brain is made up of two types of cells: neurons and glial cells, also known as neuroglia or glia. The neuron is respo...

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Describe the means of mechanoreception for hearing. The Vestibular System (Equilibrium) Along with audition, the inner ear is responsible for encoding information about equilibrium, the sense of balance. A similar mechanoreceptor—a hair cell with stereocilia—senses head position, head movement, and whether our bodies are in motion. These cells are located within the vestibule of the inner ear. Head position is sensed by the utricle and saccule, whereas head movement is sensed by the semicircular canals. The neural signals generated in the vestibular ganglion are transmitted through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brain stem and cerebellum. The utricle and saccule are both largely composed of macula tissue (plural = maculae). The macula is composed of hair cells surrounded by support cells. The stereocilia of the hair cells extend into a viscous gel called the otolithic membrane ( Figure 15.4.1 – Linear Acceleration Coding by Maculae: The maculae are specialized for sensing linear acceleration, such as when gravity acts on the tilting head, or if the head starts moving in a straight line. The difference in inertia between the hair cell stereocilia and the otolithic membrane in which they are embedded leads to a shearing force that causes the stereocilia to bend in the direction of that linear acceleration. The semicircular canals are three ring-like extensions of the vestibule. One is oriented in the ...

Kumudinee, Subject Matter Expert at Edumarz Solution: Cerebellum is the part of the brain involved in maintenance of body posture and equilibrium. Different areas of the brain are involved in different functions and their structural composition is also dependent upon function. • Cerebellum is a separate structure distinct from the rest of the brain. • It is located just below the cerebrum , made of two different cerebral hemispheres. • It is commonly called a little brain. • It receives response from sensory organs, the spinal cord and other brain parts. • It regulates motor learning and movement. • Cerebellum is consisting of two main parts- A ) cerebellar cortex and B) cerebellar nuclei . • Cerebellar cortex: it is a layer of folded cerebellar neural tissue consisting of most of the neurons. • Cerebellar nuclei: it is an innermost part of the cerebellum containing nerve cells which communicate information from the cerebrum.

Brain: The brain is the largest organ that acts as the main coordinating centre of the body. It is one of the two parts of the central nervous system and is located in the cranial cavity. The brain is divided into three parts: • Forebrain: It constitutes the anterior part of the brain and is the main thinking part of the body. It consists of the olfactory lobes, cerebrum, and diencephalon. • Midbrain: It is a smaller part of the brain located between the forebrain and pons region of the hindbrain. • Hindbrain: The hindbrain consists of the cerebellum, pons, and medulla oblongata. Body posture and equilibrium: • The part of the brain which maintains the posture and equilibrium of the body is the cerebellum. • The cerebellum is the second-largest portion of the brain, whose function is to balance the body and coordinate muscular activities. • Hence, it maintains posture and equilibrium.

Learning Objectives By the end of this section, you will be able to: • Describe the means of mechanoreception for hearing. The Vestibular System (Equilibrium) Along with audition, the inner ear is responsible for encoding information about equilibrium, the sense of balance. A similar mechanoreceptor—a hair cell with stereocilia—senses head position, head movement, and whether our bodies are in motion. These cells are located within the vestibule of the inner ear. Head position is sensed by the utricle and saccule, whereas head movement is sensed by the semicircular canals. The neural signals generated in the vestibular ganglion are transmitted through the vestibulocochlear nerve to the brain stem and cerebellum. The utricle and saccule are both largely composed of macula tissue (plural = maculae). The macula is composed of hair cells surrounded by support cells. The stereocilia of the hair cells extend into a viscous gel called the otolithic membrane ( Figure 15.4.1 – Linear Acceleration Coding by Maculae: The maculae are specialized for sensing linear acceleration, such as when gravity acts on the tilting head, or if the head starts moving in a straight line. The difference in inertia between the hair cell stereocilia and the otolithic membrane in which they are embedded leads to a shearing force that causes the stereocilia to bend in the direction of that linear acceleration. The semicircular canals are three ring-like extensions of the vestibule. One is oriented in the ...

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 Nervous System The nervous system is commonly divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is made up of the brain, its cranial nerves and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system is composed of the spinal nerves that branch from the spinal cord and the autonomous nervous system (divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system). The Cell Structure of the Brain The brain is made up of two types of cells: neurons and glial cells, also known as neuroglia or glia. The neuron is respo...