Medicine: The Anatomy of the Brain

Growing out of the spinal cord like the crown of a tree out of its trunk, the brain has several major components (see diagram page 52). The limbic system, an area that surrounds the head of the brain stem and includes such structures as the amygdala, part of the thalamus, hypothalamus and hippocampus, regulates the emotions. The pituitary, which hangs down from the brain stem like an olive from the tree, produces the hormones that influence growth and development. The cerebellum, a fist-sized structure at the rear of the brain that controls movements...

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