Sheep Brain Dissection

Valentina Gutierrez

Brain Dissection Lab Report Valentina Gutierrez John Horton

Biology 9 Introduction At first glance, the human brain may look like a wrinkly piece of mush. However, the human brain is the most complex piece of matter in the universe. It is split up into two hemispheres and it is made up of four lobes, the brain stem, and many other very important structures. The question we are trying to answer is, How can learning about the brain, make you a better student? We answered this question by learning the brain rules. For example, sleeping and exercising both promote neuron growth and decrease stress. We also made posters of the brain that had visual representatives for the function of each structure. Finally, we dissected a sheep brain in order to clearly understand the structures and functions in a brain and to recognize the differences between sheep brains and human brains. The dissection was completed by first labeling the structures visible on the dorsal view with toothpicks. Second, we labeled the structures visible from the ventral view. Then finally, we carefully cut the sheep brain and labeled the various structures of the medial view.

Materials Sheep Brain Dissecting Tray Scalpel

Tweezers Gloves Pointer Scissors

Method Put the gloves on and avoid touching eyes and face during the procedure. Place the sheep brain on the dissecting tray, dorsal side up. Identify the Left Hemisphere, the Right Hemisphere, the Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, the Cerebellum, the Spinal Cord, the Sulcus, and the Gyrus. Label these structures with toothpicks. Pick up the brain and place it on the dissecting tray, ventral side up. Note that the Brain Stem is horizontal to the ground, where instead in a human brain the Brain Stem would be perpendicular to the ground. Identify the Midbrain, the Pons, the Medulla, Olfactory Bulbs, and the Optic Chiasm. Label these structures with toothpicks. Use the tweezers to lift away any unnecessary matter and use the scissors to cut it off. Remove all of the toothpicks and place the brain on the dissecting tray dorsal side up. Gently widen the gay in between the Right and Left Hemispheres. Use the scalpel and carefully cut through the Corpus Callosum. Continue to cleanly cut the brain into two halves. In both halves the Frontal Lobe, the Parietal Lobe, the Occipital Lobe, and the Corpus Callosum will be identifiable. The Corpus Callosum will be the easiest structure to identify because of its arched appearance. Label all of these structures with toothpicks. Next, identify and label the Gray Matter and the White Matter. The Gray Matter makes up the outermost area of the Cerebral Cortex. The White Matter makes up the area underneath the Gray Matter. Identify and label the Pituitary Gland, the Thalamus, the Hypothalamus, Midbrain, Pons, the Medulla, and the Cerebellum.

Analysis In conclusion, I believe I did complete the objective of using a sheep brain to learn more about the structures and functions of the human brain. I now understand the difference between

Gray Matter and White Matter. Gray Matter is responsible for making connections. However, since Gray Matter has unmyelinated axons, connections are made at a slower pace. Therefore, there are more connections. White Matter, on the other hand, consists of bundles of myelinated axons. Myelin makes nerve impulses react faster and this leads to faster but fewer connections in the White Matter. Gray Matter is also towards the surface of the Cerebral Cortex and and has more folds than the White Matter, which is toward the inside of the Cerebral Cortex. Dissecting a sheep brain helped us familiarize ourselves with the structure of the human brain. However, it is also important to the learn the functions of these structures. The human brain as well as the sheep brain has four lobes: the Frontal Lobe, the Occipital Lobe, the Parietal Lobe, and the Temporal Lobe. The Frontal Lobe is responsible for decision making, judgement, planning skills, and self awareness. When you put your hand on a hot stove and it burns, your Parietal Lobe is doing a good job of relaying your sense of touch. In math class when youre trying to recognize a pattern, your Occipital Lobe is working hard. The Temporal Lobe is responsible for memory, speech, and hearing.

Other important structures are the: Cerebellum - responsible for balance, coordination, and skill memory Pons - regulates breathing Brain Stem - in charge of heart activity, swallowing, and breathing Hippocampus - responsible for long term memory Corpus Callosum - connects the Left and Right Hemispheres Pituitary Gland - releases hormones Cerebrum - responsible for thinking and memory Amygdala - emotional processing Hypothalamus - regulates homeostasis and basic survival habits

Although a sheep brain and a human brain are very similar in structure, it is obvious we are very different. For one, we dont have wool or live on farms. However, there are bigger differences

than this. For example, we are smarter than sheep. We are smarter than sheep because our brains have more developed Cerebral Cortex. A human brain has more surface area because of the many folds. This means that there is more Gray Matter and therefore, we have more connections. On the other hand, sheep, have less Cerebral Cortex, leading to less Gray Matter and the lack of ability to reason.