Brain, Body and Behavior

The Neuron Neuron = nerve cell; transmit electrical & chemical info throughout the body Dendrites = parts of neurons that receive information from the axons of other neurons. Axon = part of the neuron that carries messages away from the cell to the dendrites on another neuron.

How nerve cells communicate Electric impulses travel down a neuron’s axon to the synapse When impulses reach axon terminal, neurotransmitters are released, cross the synaptic gap The sending neuron normally reasorbes excess neurotransmitter molecules called uptake

Or you can think of it as like the flushing of a toilet… See handout 

Nervous Systems Somatic Nervous System = all nerves outside the brain and spinal cord Voluntary control of skeletal muscles Peripheral Nervous System = sensory and motor nerves Autonomic Nervous System = the automatic control system of the body Breathing, heart rate, digestion, etc…

Nervous systems Sympathetic Nervous System Gets you ready for “fight or flight” Mobilizes energy in a stressful situation Parasympathetic nervous system Calms you down Acts like a parachute

Endocrine System Glands that secret hormones Master gland = pituitary gland

Why study the brain? It controls EVERYTHING! It uses energy, sugar, produces current and has 100 billion nerve endings Scientists have only mapped about 11% of the brain. Left to wonder, what else can it do…

Cerebral Cortex Controls the higher level functions of the brain. The nerve endings can grow and connect at random here This is what starts the process of forming intelligence If unwound, it would be about 9 square feet in size

The Brain’s Hemispheres The right side of the brain controls muscles on the left side of the body The left side of the brain controls muscles on the right side of the body. People who are right handed are better in “logical” settings People who are left handed are better in arts.

The Hemispheres The brain is divided into 2 halves What connects the two sides is the Corpus Callosum The nerve bundle that connects the 2 halves

The Hemispheres People who had damage to a particular area on the left side of the brain had speech and language problems. People with damage to these areas on the right side usually did not have any language problems

Frontal Lobe Play am important part in: Impulse control Judgment Language production Working memory Motor function Problem solving Sexual behavior Socialization and spontaneity Assists in planning, coordinating, controlling & executing behavior.

Frontal Lobe Self-Realization is located here Motor Strip and Sensory Strip are located here Damage to this area can make is so someone does not “piece together” the results of their actions.

The Lobes Parietal Lobe The parietal lobe integrates sensory information from different modalities, particularly determining spatial sense and navigation can be divided into two functional regions. One involves sensation and perception the other is concerned with integrating sensory input, primarily with the visual system. Individuals with damage to the parietal lobes often show striking deficits, such as abnormalities in body image and spatial relations

Occipital Lobe The occipital lobes are the center of our visual perception system. Disorders of the occipital lobe can cause visual hallucinations and illusions.

Temporal Lobe The temporal lobes are highly associated with memory skills The temporal lobes are involved in the primary organization of sensory input, mostly hearing and speech

What If…? What if there was no Corpus Callosum? - In an experiment, a women blushed when she saw a nude women; however, when asked why she blushed, she did not know.

Phineas Gage