IF YOU KNOW MY NAME, THEN YOU’VE GOT A BRAIN
by Arthur W. Siebens, Ph.D., Copyright 2001
to the tune of “Tears in Heaven,” by Eric Clapton and Will Jennings

If you know my name, then you’ve got a brain
If you’re feeling pain, then you’ve got a brain
Each part has a role, so info flows
And to know what parts control
Let’s go to the brain stem (medulla oblongata, pons, midbrain)
What controls heartbeat, makes you vomit when you gotta?
And how fast you breathe? The medulla oblongata!
Gotta integrate, radiate,
So the pons and midbrain
Relay data
The thalamus relays and integrates
So cerebral signals go to and from the right place, the right place
If you want to skate straight, you need a cerebellum
It coordinates—so muscles do what you tell ‘em
Hones hand-eye talents, keeps your balance
If you do Kung Fu, you use your cerebellum
Key homeostatic centers are in the hypothalamus
Temperature, hunger, thirst, (and is involved in) pleasure and lust (mating behavior)
The cerebral cortex, highly complex
Lets you sense (sensory cortex) or flex (motor cortex)
Yes, control is from the cortex
When you bend down, when you bend your knees
The motor cortex signals your muscles
Through acetyl choline release (the neurotransmitter at the neuromuscular junction)
How do you know my name? It’s full of complications
It’s many scientists’ aim, to explain the brain’s relations
There’s areas and maps, but it’s no snap
Explanation of cogitation takes years of exploration
But your exploration of cogitation may yield some explanations
Yes, your exploration of cogitation may yield some explanations