Four Main Cerebral Functions

There are many ways to describe the human brain and a plethora of metaphors. Naturally, there is a great deal of discussion about differences:  between genders, between individual brains, between the two cerebral hemispheres, and also between the cerebral cortex. James Zull PhD is Professor of Biology and Biochemistry and Director of UCITE research and author of The Art of Changing the Brain: Enriching the Practice of Teaching by Exploring the Biology of Learning. According to Dr. Zull, the biggest differences in brain function (after right-left hemisphere differences), involve the front and back cortical systems of the cerebrum. The cerebral cortex has four major functions and if any of those are missing, you are missing a nervous system. The four major functions are:

·         Sensing

·         Moving (motor)

·         Integrating (two types)

Integrating is one of the most crucial aspects of how brains learn and involves the interplay of the front and back cortex regions of the brain. The frontal cortex is involved in creating ideas, transforming ideas into actions, and then taking action, while the back cortex is involved with information, data, and memories.