Advanced Behavioral Neuroscience PSY 525 Lecture 1

Neuroscience Scientific study of the nervous system Interdisciplinary Chemistry Physics Genetics Physiological Psychology ~

Behavioral Neuroscience Alternate names: Physiological Psychology, Biopsychology, Psychobiology, etc. Controlled manipulation of nervous system of animal subjects Focus on behavior ~

The Mind/Body Problem Nature of their relationship DONOR OR RECIPIENT? in a heart transplant operation? in a brain transplant operation? ~

The Mind/Brain Problem Prehistoric psychosurgery Evidence from 10,000 years ago Trepanation Deliberate opening of skull ~

The Mind/Brain Problem DUALISM mind & brain fundamentally different mind (soul?) is extra corporeal Rene Descartes interactionism pineal gland ~

The Mind/Brain Problem: Dualism Sir John Eccles Nobel Prize (1963) Neuroscientist supplemental motor area Fundamental problem... How do physical and nonphysical systems interact? ~

The Mind/Brain Problem MONISM operations of brain ---> mental events Fundamental problem How can a physical system produce mental states? ~

The Mind/Brain Problem Consciousness unique property of brains? Or could it exist in other entities? Livers? Computers? ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Descartes Mechanical statues reflexes Luigi Galvani electrically stimulated frog leg ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Aggregate field view brain acts a single unit Cellular connectionism individual neurons organized in functional groups have specific connections specialized function of brain regions ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Francis Gall phrenology localized functions ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Pierre Flourens brain ablation studied effects on behavior aggregate field view ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Broca’s Aphasia Left frontal lobe damage Fluency deficits Wernicke’s Aphasia left temporal lobe damage impaired comprehension Distributed processing ~

Relationship Between Brain & Behavior Fritsch & Hitzig Electrical stimulation of brain muscle movements Hermann von Helmholtz speed of conduction of nerve impulse Golgi & Ramon y Cajal Synctium vs. Neuron Doctrine ~

Experimental Methods

Experimental Ablation Remove part of brain Observe effect on behavior Karl Lashley search for the ingram Clinical Neuropsychology Paul Broca studied patients with brain damage ~

New Experimental Techniques Invasive Electrical Stimulation of the Brain (ESB) Noninvasive imaging anatomy physiology Genetic Techniques ~

CAT Scan Computerized Axial Tomography anatomy x-rays computer assembles ~

MRI Magnetic Resonance Imaging anatomy higher resolution than CAT spinning H atoms ~

PET Scan Positron Emission Tomography metabolic activity 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) radioactive regional Cerebral Blood Flow rCBF ~

Brain Imaging: fMRI Functional MRI detects increases in oxygen use much better resolution spatial & temporal ~

Knock-out Mice Genes: blueprint for proteins Disable gene ---> no protein evaluate effect on behavior ~

IF THE HUMAN BRAIN WERE SO SIMPLE THAT WE COULD UNDERSTAND IT, WE WOULD BE SO SIMPLE THAT WE COULDN’T.