After the carnage has been taken care of, we finally get what we came for. The understanding of the inside of the brain. The first gaping difference we notice is the obvious presence of ventricles; specifically the third, fourth and lateral. All of them contain cerebrospinal fluid while also protecting the brain from trauma, the third and fourth connected by the cerebral aqueduct. The close proximity of these ventricles to certain parts of the brain can't help but raise the question; does the proximity of a part of the brain to one of the ventricles measure the importance as they seem to have been given priority? It's definitely possible. The third ventricle is close to the brain stem gang we met last time, starting from the spinal cord and ending at the cerebellum and pons. That part of the brain having importance is really no surprise, as damage to these would stop basic functions such as breathing. It appears the thalamus and corpus callosum have also been betsowed with the honor of being near ventricles. The thalamus is responsible consciousness, sleep and sensory interpretation, all undeniably important. If the thalamus is damaged, sensory stimuli that should be interpreted as harmless, such as a gentle touch may be interpreted incorrectly as severe pain. So this particular location appears justified. Next we have the corpus callosum, responsible for allowing the two hemispheres to intercommunicate, snugly placed near the lateral ventricle. Once again, understandably protected as without it, the two hemispheres of the brain would function as entirely incapable of communicating which is a dangerous implication. The others left are not located near a ventricle although still interesting to study; the hypothalamus is responsible for controlling the pineal gland which explains its close proximity to it. The septum pellucidum does not perform any function itself but when it isn’t there, it can cause seizures, problems with coordination and dysfunction of the hypothalamus. After the first cut was made, three more parts were visible. The caudate nucleus plays an important role in storing memories and works as a feedback processor, important to development and use of language. The internal capsule is a massive layer of white matter separating caudate nucleus and thalamus from the lentiform nucleus while connecting grey matter and insulates nerve impulses. The putamen aids movements of limbs. All of these don't seem to have any relation with each other, despite close proximity.
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