Telencephalon: parts and functions of this part of the brain.

This is one of the most important components of the human encephalon, and the one that gives it its rough shape.

The human brain can be divided into a large number of subcomponents.It is by far the most complex organ at our disposal.

However, this "breaking down into pieces" does not always occur in the same way. Sometimes we will simply look at the larger, more general structures, such as the diencephalon, and at other times we will be more thorough and focus on the smaller components that together form larger ones, such as the subthalamus (which is part of the diencephalon).

Focusing on the smallest parts of the central nervous system can be very useful to understand how the neural networks of a particular individual work, but at other times it is more interesting to maintain a more global vision of the organ of thought and focus on its more general structures. In this case we will see one of these last ones: the telencephalon..

What is the telencephalon?

The telencephalon is the largest part of the encephalon, and is the structure in which the integration of information transmitted by neurons reaches its most complex stage. It is located just above the diencephalon, which it covers like a helmet, and does not border any other part of the central nervous system above it: it forms the folded surface that characterizes the human brain.

Technically speaking, the term "telencephalon" is used to designate one of the three main formations that are created at the end of the neural tube to grow into the to grow and eventually develop into the encephalon. Thus, in an adult brain, the telencephalon is the set of parts of the central nervous system that in the earliest stage of development emerged from this bulging structure.

As the telencephalon is the most superficial part of the encephalonSince the telencephalon is the most superficial part of the brain, most of the data that reach it have already been worked before by other groups of neurons located in subcortical areas, i.e., closer to the lower part of the organ.

In addition, the telencephalon is divided into two cerebral lobes, each located on the left and right side of the head and separated from each other by the interhemispheric fissure.

Parts of the telencephalon

The main components into which the telencephalon can be divided are the following.

Cerebral cortex

It is the surface full of folds and fissures. that characterize the most visible part of the brain. It is composed mainly of gray matter and several layers of neurons coordinated with each other.

2. Hippocampus

The hippocampus is involved in several processes, but one of the main ones is the consolidation of memories belonging to the consolidation of memories belonging to declarative memory, as well as their evocation in theas well as their evocation in the future. Damage in this region frequently produces disorders linked to amnesia.

3. Cerebral amygdala

The cerebral amygdala is a structure found on both sides of the brain, that is, one per hemisphere, within the so-called temporal lobes. It is part of the limbic systemThe amygdala is a network of cells in charge of managing the appearance and regulation of emotional states, so it plays an important role in learning thanks to the possibility of associating actions with consequences.

The amygdala is also involved in emotional memory, that is, it does something similar to what the hypothalamus does with "cold data" about what we are experiencing, although in this case the memory itself is simply an emotional reaction partially dissociated from the rest of the memory.

4. Striatum

The striatum is also an important component of the telencephalon, since it is the main input pathway for is the main input pathway for data to the basal gangliaIt also receives afferences from the cerebral cortex.

Thus, it is involved in the process of enabling highly automated movements, among other things, since it is related to the basal ganglia.

5. Olfactory bulb

It is one of the oldest parts of the brain, having been in use for many tens of millions of years. It is a structure located below the lower part of the cerebral cortex, and it receives the olfactory olfactory information arriving from outside the body. the body.

In addition, the olfactory bulb has the particularity that it is the entry point for a type of information that does not have to pass through the thalamus before being distributed throughout the brain.

6. Basal ganglia

The basal ganglia are collections of gray matter involved in different processes, normally related to the control of voluntary movements and with the "automation" of these so that attention can be directed to other things.

How are their structures coordinated?

As we have seen, the telencephalon has different more or less specialized structures. To what extent do these parts of the telencephalon work in parallel?

In reality, it would be too simplistic to assume that these regions barely communicate with each other and focus only on their area of specialization.

Neuroscience research shows that they are all intimately synchronized, and none of them is self-sufficient by itself. Therefore, they are only relatively specialized structures, in the sense that some are more important than others with regard to a particular function, but they all need each other.

Their functions

As we have seen, the functions of the telencephalon depend largely on which of its components we look at. However, if we take into account the fact that most of it is composed of the cerebral cortex, we could say that it is mainly responsible for integrate all kinds of information about what is happening about what is happening outside and about actions to be taken at some point in the future.

This is why the cerebral cortex has different areas of association in which information is processed together to result in more complete and meaningful units of information. For example, thanks to it we can recognize someone from the integration of information related to the reliefs of each part of his face, the sound of his voice, his posture, etc.