the main part of the brain is divided into two symmetrical halves called left and right hemisphere

some of our physical and psychological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere - called lateralisation

the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for specific behaviours, processes or activities

left side of the body is controlled by the right hemisphere, right side of the body is controlled by the left hemisphere = contralateral

each lobe is separate from the rest and associated with different functions

in the back of the frontal lobe in both hemispheres is the motor cortex which controls voluntary movement in the opposite side of the body

the cerebral cortex is the outer layer of both hemispheres. the cortex is subdivided into four centres (lobes) - frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and temporal lobe

this is where sensory information from the skin (eg touch, heat, pressure)

the amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity - receptors for our face and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory area

each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and vice versa.

the visual cortex contains several different areas, with each of these areas processing different types of visual information, such as colour, shape and movement