Human brain. Computer artwork of a human brain in a cutaway head. The brain is the nerve centre controlling bodily function and thought. It interprets nerve signals received from the rest of the body and initiates the appropriate responses. Most of the visible surface consists of the folds of the cerebral cortex, the region responsible for intelligent thought, language, conscious movement and memory. The more primitive, but still vital, regions of the brain are not seen, being further down at the base of the brain.