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How do we study the brain? What are the parts of the hindbrain? What is the reticular formation? Parts of the forebrain? Parts of the limbic system? Lobes of the cerebral cortex? What is the sensory cortex? Motor cortex? What is the Sensory homunculus? 17 note cards
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How do we study the brain? • What are the parts of the hindbrain? • What is the reticular formation? • Parts of the forebrain? • Parts of the limbic system? • Lobes of the cerebral cortex? • What is the sensory cortex? Motor cortex? • What is the Sensory homunculus?17 note cards • What is the frontal lobe? • What is the occipital lobe? • What is the parietal lobe? • What is the temporal lobe? • Right vs. left hemisphere? • What is Broca’s area and Wernike’s area? • What is the corpus callosum? • What is split brain? • What is brain plasticity?
The Brain Thanks to KAP at www.appsychology.com! Major changes by Mr. C.
Ways we Study the Brain • Accidents • Lesions • EEG • CAT Scan • PET Scan • MRI • Functional MRI
Accidents Phineas Gage Story • Personality changed after the accident. What this this tell us? • That different part of the brain control different aspects of who we are.
Lesions • Purposeful removal or destruction of some part of the brain. • Frontal Lobotomy
Electroencephalogram • EEG • Detects brain waves through their electrical output. • Used mainly in sleep research.
Computerized Axial Tomography • CAT Scan • 3D X-Ray of the brain. • Good for tumor locating, but tells us nothing about function.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging • MRI • More detailed picture of brain using magnetic field to knock electrons off axis. • Takes many still pictures and turns images into a movie like production. • Does not study function!
MRI example • Notice the tumor…
Positron Emission Tomography • PET Scan • Measures how much of a chemical the brain is using (usually glucose consumption). • Good for studying function.
PET scan • Depression
Functional MRI • Combination of PET and MRI • fMRI is good for function, hence the f.
f MRI example • Amygdala activation • Primary Visual Cortex activation
Dr. Jones, a brain researcher, is investigating the connection between certain environmental stimuli and brain processes. Which types of brain scans is she most likely to use? • A. MRI and CAT • B. CAT and EKG • C. PET and fMRI • D. EKG and CAT • E. lesioning and MRI
The answer was C. The CAT and the MRI give insight into brain structure, not function.
Brain Structures • Hindbrain • Midbrain • Forebrain Cerebral Cortex is part of forebrain Don’t write this down
The brain was built like a house, bottom to top. The hindbrain controls basic functions like breathing. The forebrain is the most complex
What is the hindbrain? Most basic structures of the brain Medulla (breathing, heart rate, blood pressure) Pons (facial expressions) Cerebellum (balance and muscle coordination)
Hindbrain • Structures on top of our spinal cord. • Controls basic biological structures. • All animals have hindbrains! The brain in purple makes up the hindbrain.
Medulla Oblongata • Located just above the spinal cord. Involved in control of • blood pressure • heart rate • breathing. (basic stuff!)
Pons • Located just above the medulla. • Connects hindbrain with midbrain and forebrain. • Involved in facial expressions. (Pons = yawns)
Cerebellum • Bottom rear of the brain. • Means “little brain” • Coordinates fine muscle movements and balance.
What is reticular formation? • Part of brain – affects consciousness. Sleep meds affect this part of the brain. Damage leads to a coma.
Midbrain If stimulated • Coordinates simple movements with sensory information. • Most important structure in Midbrain is the Reticular Formation: controls arousal and ability to focus our attention. If Destroyed
Forebrain • What makes us human, not homo erectus! • Largest part of the brain. • Made up of the Thalamus, Limbic System and Cerebral Cortex.
Thalamus • Switchboard “relay station” of the brain. • Receives sensory signals from the spinal cord and sends them to other parts of the forebrain. • Every sense except smell.
Hypothalamus • Maybe most important structure in the brain. Controls and regulates the 4 F’s Fighting Fleeing Feeding An ahmm . . . Mating Controls the endocrine system. The most powerful structure in the brain.
Rat with an Implanted Electrode in pleasure center of Hypothalamus
The Ventromedial Nuclei gives a signal when to stop eating. The lateral hypothalamus tell your body you’re full.
Hippocampus • Involved in the processing and storage of memories. • Its proximity to your emotional centers explains why memories and emotions are so linked!
Amygdala • Brain part involved in telling your body to produce norepinephrine (adrenaline) • More involved in volatile emotions like anger. The emotion of anger has not changed much throughout evolution.
The hindbrain consists of the: • A. endocrine stystem and the limbic system. • B. reticular formation • C. thalamus, hypothalamus, and cerebrum • D. cerebellum, the medulla, and the pons
The thalamus can be characterized as • A. a regulatory mechanism • B. the consciousness switch of the brain • C. a relay system • D. a bridge between the 2 cerebral hemispheres
The Cerebral Cortex • Made up of densely packed neurons we call “gray matter” • Glial Cells: support brain cells. • Wrinkles are called fissures. • If you lay brain out it would be as big as a large pizza. • It’s divided into 2 hemispheres and 4 lobes!
The Cerebral Cortex is made up of four Lobes. Draw this on your note card!
What are Frontal Lobes? • Abstract thought and emotional control and planning. • Contains Motor Cortex, Broca’s area. • Lobotomies damage this. • Suppresses the Amygdala.
What is the motor cortex? • Part of the brain in the frontal lobe that tells my body how to move (like typing this).
What is the sensory cortex? It’s the part that deals with touch sensations. It’s In the parietal lobe.
What are Motor and Sensory Cortexes? The wires are switched! Right controls left! The motor cortex is in which lobe?
Sensory homunculus A visual representation of how much space your brain needs to operate parts of your body. Notice how big the face and hands are. How small everything else is!
Motor strip and homunculus Motor strip