Your brain is a complex organ that regulates everything you do, like your senses, emotions, thoughts, memories, movement and behavior. It even controls body processes you don’t have to think about, like your breathing, body temperature and your heart rate.
This fact sheet is a basic introduction to the human brain. It can help you understand how the healthy brain works, how to keep your brain healthy, and what happens when the brain doesn't work like it should.
The brain contains billions of nerve cells arranged in patterns that coordinate thought, emotion, behavior, movement and sensation. A complicated highway system of nerves connects the brain to the rest of your body, so communication can occur in seconds.