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The Brain (Study Methods (Stimulation (Electrodes to make neurons fire, i…
The Brain
Study Methods
Stimulation
Electrodes to make neurons fire
i.e Apply current to temporal lobe may cause you to hear a familiar song
Also can be used to relieve pain in cancer patients and control violent behavior
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Detects bran waves through voltage of neural communication
Frequently used for sleep research
Lesions
Removal/destruction of some part of the brain
i.e Rhesus Monkey - aggression and fear lessens when amygdala is removed
Computerized Axial Tompgraphy
(CAT Scan)
3D x-ray of the brain
Good for finding tumors and brain deterioration
Cannot determine function
Accidents/Injuries
i.e Phineas Gage - Showed us that the frontal lobe controls personality
Tells us that different parts of the brain control different aspects of us
Positron Emission Tomography
(PET Scan)
Involves radioactive glucose solution and tracking the radiation absorbed by cells
Determines which brain area is used in a certain activity
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI)
Uses magnetic field to knock electrons off axis to take detailed pictures
Takes many photos: turns images into a video
Functional MRI
(fMRI)
Combination of PET scan and MRI
Brain Parts
Midbrain
Reticular Formation
Controls arousal and ability to focus attention
Screens incoming information
Hindbrain
Brain Stem:
Oldest part of the brain
Pons
Located above the medulla
Coordinates movement and controls sleep
Involved in facial expressions
Cerebellum:
the "little brain"
Located at the bottom rear of the brain
Coordinates fine muscle movement
Receives sensory information from all over the body
Medulla Oblongata
Located just above the spinal cord
Involved in the control of involuntary functions like...
Heart rate
Blood pressure
Breathing
Reticular Formation
Forebrain:
part of the brain that makes us human
Cerebral Cortex:
Ultimate control and information processing center of the brain
Ultimate control and information processing center of the brain
Made up of gray matter
Divided into hemispheres:
Contralateral control
Left Hemisphere
Logic and sequential tasks
Right Hemisphere
Spatial and creative tasks
Divided into 4 lobes
Frontal Lobe
Motor Cortex: Voluntary movement
Broca's Area: Responsible for speech
-discovered by Paul Broca
Prefrontal Cortex
Impulse control
Long term planning
Parietal Lobe
Somatosensory Cortex: Receives all sensory information
Association areas
Connects sensory and motor areas
Occipital Lobe
Visual Cortex: Vision
-interprets images from eyes
Temporal Lobe
Auditory Cortex: Hearing
-interprets sounds from ears
Wernicke's Area: interprets written and spoken speech
-discovered by Carl Wernicke
Brain Plasticity/Neurogenesis
Brain plasticity is the idea that the brain will find a way to reroute messages when damaged
Neurogenesis is the idea that humans brain cells may be able to regenerate
Limbic System
Hippocampus:
Memory
Processing and storage of memories
Amygdala:
Emotions
How we process memory
In charge of volatile emotions such as anger and fear
Hypothalamus:
Regulation of the body: 4 Fs
(Fight, Flight, Feeding, Fornication) and...
Thirst
Endocrine system
Body temperature
Reward Center
Thalamus
Receives sensory signals from the spinal cord and relays them to the rest of the forebrain
Corpus Callosum
Connects the 2 hemispheres:
-allows information to be passed between them
Split-Brain:
Severing of corpus callosum
Reduces epileptic seizures
Studied by Michael Gazzinga and Roger Sperry