The difference between the brain and spinal cord is easy to understand as they both have different structure and function. These both are part of the nervous system. Before discussing ‘what is the difference between the brain and spinal cord?’, let us have some basic details about the spinal cord and brain. Both play a very important role in sensing and sending a command to different parts of the human body.
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Brain
The brain is the main controlling center of the body. All thoughts, beliefs, memories, and behavior arise from the brain. The brain has mainly three parts i.e. Cerebrum, Brain stem, and Cerebellum. Each part of the brain occupies smaller areas which perform a specific function of the brain.
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Cerebrum: This is the largest part of the brain which contains, Cerebral cortex, White matter, Subcortical structures. The cerebrum is divided into two parts: left cerebral hemisphere and right cerebral hemisphere.
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Brain stem: The main function of the brain stem is to connect the cerebrum with the spinal cord with the help of a system of nerve cells and fibers located in the upper part of the brain stem.
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Cerebellum: It is located in between the cerebrum and brainstem. The cerebellum helps in balancing the body with the help of balancing liquid in the ear. It helps in movement (walking, running) by receiving the information from the body.
Spinal Cord
The spinal cord is a long, thin, and tube-like structure made up of nervous tissue. The spinal cord starts from the brain stem and continues till the lumbar legion of the vertebral column. The main function of the spinal cord is to send and receive information from the brain to the rest of the body. It is divided into different segments mixing sensory and motor nerves.
Functions of the Spinal Cord
Some of the important functions are:
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Spinal cord helps in Electro-chemical communication by sending and receiving signals from the brain to the different parts of the body.
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It helps in walking by constantly contracting and relaxing the leg muscles.
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It helps in reflexes (Involuntary responses).
Now, as we have basic details of the brain and spinal cord, let us discuss the difference between Spinal cord and Brain.
What is the Difference between the Brain and Spinal Cord?
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Sr.no |
Brain |
Spinal Cord |
|
1. |
The brain is the center for thinking, sensing, remembering, and reasoning. |
Spinal cord helps to perform Reflexive actions. |
|
2. |
The brain is the portion CNS ( Central Nervous System) that is located inside the skull. |
It is a long thin tube-like structure |
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3. |
The brain sends the command to different parts of the body. |
It helps in transferring the signal of motion from the brain to different parts of the body. |
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4. |
The brain is protected by the Skull. |
It is protected by the Vertebral column. |
Definition of the Brain vs. the Spinal Cord
The brain can be defined as the major controlling unit of the body. All the bodies’ actions which are required to maintain the body are done by the brain. The brain has 3 parts which are brain stem, cerebrum and cerebellum and each of these parts have specific functions and occupy smaller areas. The cerebrum is the largest one that is composed of the cerebral cortex, subcortical structures and white matter. Cerebrum is further divided into two parts which are called the right cerebral hemisphere and the left cerebral hemisphere. The brain stem has the main function in connecting the cerebrum with the spinal cord. This is done with the help of nerve cells and fibers which arise from the upper part of the brain stem. The last part of the brain is cerebellum which is situated between the brainstem and cerebrum. This helps in balancing the body with the fluid present in the ear which helps in body equilibrium. Cerebellum helps in movement of the body when it receives signals from the body.
The spinal cord is thin, long and tube-like. It is made up of nervous tissues and starts from the brain stem. This continues till the lumbar region part of the vertebral column. Spinal cord has the main function to send and receive signals from the brain to the rest of the body. The spinal cord is divided into different segments of motor and sensory nerves.