The largest portion of the human brain fills most of the skull and is responsible for the capacities that feel most distinctly human. The cerebrum includes the cerebral cortex and underlying white matter, plus deep structures such as the basal ganglia and hippocampus.

It is divided into two hemispheres connected by the corpus callosum. Each hemisphere is further parceled into lobes that handle vision, audition, somatosensation, movement, language, and executive control. White-matter tracts link distant cortical areas into functional networks that support complex cognition.

Damage to the cerebrum can impair almost any higher function while leaving basic life-support systems intact if the brainstem is spared. Developmental expansion of the cerebrum relative to other brain regions is a hallmark of human evolution. Modern neuroimaging has revealed that even simple tasks recruit widely distributed cerebral networks rather than single isolated centers.

In everyday language “brain” often refers mainly to this dominant structure.