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The three main brain regions are the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, which controls balance, and the medulla. Free notes and 11 questions answered.
Structure and Functions of the Brain is part of The human nervous system in GCSE AQA Higher Biology.
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The three main brain regions are the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum, which controls balance, and the medulla. Free notes and 11 questions answered.
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Use this lesson to stay inside The human nervous system while connecting the detail back to the wider Homeostasis and response topic.
Read the core explanations from Structure and Functions of the Brain before testing yourself from memory.
Right now, as you read this, your brain is doing something extraordinary. It's processing these words, controlling your breathing, keeping your heart beating, and maintaining your balance - all at the same time. Your brain contains around 86 billion neurones, each connected to thousands of others, creating the most complex network in the known universe.
But here's what makes the brain fascinating for GCSE students: different regions have completely different jobs. Damage one area and you might lose your ability to speak. Damage another and you can't balance. Understanding these regions helps explain everything from why alcohol affects coordination to how strokes cause specific symptoms.
Trap: Many students think the cerebellum controls thinking because it looks like a mini-brain. Actually, it's all about movement and balance. The cerebral cortex handles the thinking.
Complex behaviour isn't controlled by just one brain region - it requires multiple areas working together through billions of interconnected neurones. When you catch a ball, your cerebral cortex processes what you see, your cerebellum coordinates your movements, and your medulla keeps your heart pumping faster to supply the energy.
These neurones communicate through electrical impulses and chemical signals. The more connections between neurones, the more complex the behaviour. This is why human brains, with their massive number of connections, can produce behaviours like language, art, and scientific thinking that other animals cannot.
Here's the key exam point: the brain's complexity comes from the connections between neurones, not just the number of neurones. A damaged connection can disrupt complex behaviours even if the neurones themselves are healthy.
Let's see how these brain regions work in real situations you can relate to. Understanding these examples will help you tackle any exam question about brain function.
Worked example: Analysing Brain Function During Exercise
Explain what happens in each brain region when someone starts running. [6 marks]
Answer: All three brain regions work together: cerebral cortex (decision and planning), cerebellum (coordination and balance), medulla (breathing and heart rate).
Notice how all three regions contribute to this single behaviour. This is why brain damage can have such complex effects - it disrupts the teamwork between regions.
Brain questions often catch students out because they mix up the functions. Here's how to avoid the common traps and secure those marks.
Exam depth extension: In structure and functions of the brain, connect your brain - the ultimate control centre to the three key brain regions you must know using clear cause-and-effect statements. When you explain biological processes, include what changes, why it changes, and the consequence for cells, organisms, or populations. If calculations appear, show each step, include units, and end with a sentence that interprets the result in biological context.
Common Exam Mistakes:
Mistake 1: Saying the cerebellum controls thinking. It doesn't - it controls movement and balance.
Mistake 2: Forgetting that the medulla controls unconscious functions. Students often say it controls 'movement' - that's the cerebellum.
Mistake 3: Not mentioning interconnected neurones when explaining complex behaviour. The connections are crucial for full marks.
Remember: in the exam, if you're asked to identify brain regions on a diagram, the cerebral cortex is always the largest, wrinkled outer part. The cerebellum looks like a smaller brain at the back. The medulla is the brain stem connecting to the spinal cord.
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Move to the related lessons or back to the topic page when you need the wider sequence before exam-style practice.
The cerebellum controls balance, posture, muscle coordination and fine motor skills. It is the 'little brain' at the back of the brain; it does not control thinking, which is the job of the cerebral cortex.
The cerebral cortex is the wrinkled outer layer of the brain responsible for consciousness, intelligence, memory, language and voluntary movement. On a brain diagram it is always the largest, wrinkled outer part.
The medulla is the brain stem region that controls vital unconscious functions, including breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure. During exercise it increases breathing rate and heart rate, keeping the body alive without conscious effort.
The three main brain regions are the cerebral cortex, the cerebellum and the medulla. The cerebral cortex is responsible for consciousness, intelligence, memory, language and voluntary movement; the cerebellum controls balance, posture and muscle coordination; and the medulla controls breathing rate, heart rate and blood pressure.
The brain controls complex behaviour through billions of interconnected neurones, around 86 billion, that communicate through electrical impulses and chemical signals. Complex behaviour needs multiple regions working together, and the brain's complexity comes from the connections between neurones, not just their number.
The brain contains around 86 billion neurones, each connected to thousands of others, creating the most complex network in the known universe. These interconnected neurones allow the brain to control complex behaviour.
The cerebellum does not control thinking; it controls movement and balance, including posture, muscle coordination and fine motor skills. Thinking is handled by the cerebral cortex.
On a brain diagram, the cerebral cortex is the largest, wrinkled outer part, the cerebellum looks like a smaller brain at the back, and the medulla is the brain stem connecting to the spinal cord.
When someone starts running, the cerebral cortex makes the decision and plans the movement, the cerebellum coordinates leg muscles and adjusts posture for balance, and the medulla increases breathing rate and heart rate to supply more oxygen.
Brain damage can cause specific symptoms because different brain regions have completely different jobs: damage one area and speech may be lost, damage another and balance is affected. Damage can also disrupt the connections between neurones and the teamwork between regions.
Connections between neurones matter because the brain's complexity comes from the connections, not just the number of neurones. A damaged connection can disrupt complex behaviours even if the neurones themselves are healthy, and more connections allow more complex behaviour such as language.