forebrain

noun

fore·brain | \ ˈfȯr-ˌbrān

Definition of forebrain

: the anterior of the three primary divisions of the developing vertebrate brain or the corresponding part of the adult brain that includes especially the cerebral hemispheres, the thalamus, and the hypothalamus and that especially in higher vertebrates is the main control center for sensory and associative information processing, visceral functions, and voluntary motor functions

— called also prosencephalon

— compare diencephalon, telencephalon

Examples of forebrain in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web During development, the eyes are part of the embryonic forebrain. — Jessica Wapner, Scientific American, "Vision and Breathing May Be the Secrets to Surviving 2020," 16 Nov. 2020 Paşca and his colleagues have now used organoid models of parts of the human forebrain—the seat of higher cognitive abilities such as complex thought, perception and voluntary movement—to peer into how gene activity drives brain development. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "“Organoids” Reveal How Human Forebrain Develops," 24 Jan. 2020 In the study, published Thursday in Science, Paşca’s team coaxed human induced pluripotent stem cells into 3-D cultures mimicking the earliest stage of two parts of the forebrain. — Simon Makin, Scientific American, "“Organoids” Reveal How Human Forebrain Develops," 24 Jan. 2020 Once through the plate, N. fowleri gets into the olfactory bulb—the structure in the forebrain involved in smell. — Beth Mole, Ars Technica, "Brain-eating amoeba kills again—here’s how it kills and how to avoid it," 26 July 2019 Located in the forebrain, this bulb is directly connected to the olfactory receptor neurons that line the inside the nose. — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian, "In Some Ways, Your Sense of Smell Is Actually Better Than a Dog’s," 22 May 2017 But all that is the product of our forebrains — where cool, dispassionate reason lives. — Time, "Carl Sagan's Widow Ann Druyan on the 'Mythic, Biblical Power' of a Solar Eclipse," 15 Aug. 2017 Instead, their biological key to success lies in a section of their forebrain called the hyperstriatum, which allows them to perform similar tasks. — National Geographic, "Watch a Problem-Solving Raven Outsmart a Trash Can," 16 May 2017 As suggested by earlier studies, Tessmar-Raible found light-sensitive neurons in the worms’ forebrains. — Ferris Jabr, Smithsonian, "How Moonlight Sets Nature’s Rhythms," 22 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'forebrain.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.