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Brynne Nicholas
PSY 300: Biopsychology
Southern New Hampshire University
Dr. Lisa M. Lancaster
July 10, 2022
2-1 Journal: The Role of the Brain
Every morning at 7:30 a.m., my day begins with my alarm clock waking me up. The
brainstem which is composed of four sections (diencephalon, mid brain, pons, and medulla
oblongata) connects the cerebrum of the brain to the spinal cord and cerebellum and is
responsible for my breathing, consciousness, blood pressure, heart rate, and sleep (Basinger, H.,
& Hogg, J. P., 2022). In the very moment that I am waking up to my alarm clock, the brainstem
is partly controlling the process of me waking up by sending signals to the cerebral cortex and
communicating with the hypothalamus which is controlling the transition between my waking
and sleep (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services).
Once I am awake, I then begin getting ready for the day as I brush my teeth, get dressed,
eat a quick breakfast, and begin to discuss the day’s plans for work with my boyfriend. The
movements involved in brushing my teeth and getting dressed are controlled by both the cerebral
cortex and cerebellum (Johnson, J., 2020).
As I am deciding what I can quickly make and eat before leaving for work, my hunger
regulation and desire for food is linked to the amygdala, hypothalamus, and the orbital cortex
(Farr, O. M., Li, C. R., & Mantzoros, C. S., 2016). The reward and motivational aspects of the
breakfast that I eat are conciliated by the neuronal circuits in the limbic system. And the
hypothalamus and brainstem are where the "neurons involved in the homeostatic regulation of
