A Journey Into the Brain 1. The brain's right and left sides each take on different responsibilities. A closer look at the brain's surface reveals divisions into four lobes, the temporal, occipital, parietal, and frontal. Vast networks of interconnected neurons receive and process information using electrical and chemical signals. Like all body tissue, brain tissue is made up of cells, but these brain cells are special.
Specialized communication gateways allow neurons to communicate extremely rapidly.
The brain's capacity for learning and memory give us a clue to its plastic properties. The structure inherent in every language provide rules for expressing complex thoughts. Individual words possess meaning, and we give words new meanings by using them in different contexts. Every language has its own inventory of sounds, which we combine to produce thousands of different words and sentences. Spoken language skills provide the critical foundation on which reading skills are built.