Introduction to the Brain

Phineas Gage Phineas Gage some how managed to survive an iron rod going through his head. In September of 1848, Phineas was working on a crew that was blasting rock to lay down railroad tracks. He was tamping down explosive powder into a deep hole and the rod must have created a spark that launched the tamping rod up through his jaw, into his left cheek, behind his left eye, and right out through his skull landing a few feet away. He was able to talk and walk just a few minutes after the accident. What happened to Mr. Gage is still a scientific and medical anomaly.

How the Brain Works

Our Divided Brains Corpus collosum – large bundle of neural fibers (myelinated axons, or white matter) connecting the two hemispheres

The Primitive Region Breathing Blood circulation Swallowing Urination Brainstem the central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull responsible for automatic survival functions This part of the brain works unconsciously Medulla [muh-DUL-uh] base of the brainstem controls heartbeat and breathing Brainstem, controls for heartbeat and breathing—swell is called the medulla. Vital Functions : Breathing Blood circulation Swallowing Urination

The Cerebral Cortex Thinking and Feeling Region The cerebral cortex is made up of a thin layer of gray matter that is responsible for the body’s ultimate control and information processing center The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres: frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal.

Sensory, perception, making sense of the world, arithmetic, spelling Planning, decision making, organizing, speech, problem solving, muscle movement Vision, part of the brain where dreams originate Figure 4.14 page 110 The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres: parietal, occipital, temporal, and frontal. Each lobe has a specific task to help the brain work as one. Auditory, memory, emotions, understanding, language

Neuroplasticity