Not any more. Over the last 15 years, the methods used to study
the brain have advanced significantly, and with this so has our
understanding. Which makes the task of explaining the most
complex organ in the body, well, complex. Back to basics The
structural anatomy of the brain is certainly well defined and
the more basic of our functions have been generally well mapped.
The “lower levels,” such as the brainstem, regulate functions
such as heart rate, breathing, and maintaining consciousness.
And the cerebellum is critical for the control and regulation of
movement. While it was thought that this was its sole function,
more recently the cerebellum has also been shown to have a role
in so-called “higher functions” such as cognition and emotion.
As we move to the “higher levels” of the brain, namely the
cerebral cortex, where more complex functions come into play,
the assignment of function to structure becomes decidedly less
distinct. The cortex is structurally divided into two
hemispheres (left and right) ea