Neuroscience and Behavior Your brain…and other stuff!

Last time we thought about… The shift from INTROSPECTIVE psychology to SCIENTIFIC psychology Wait…what are the differences again? Ways to effectively design an experiment Wait…how did those work again? Common mistakes made in the analysis of data Wait…what were some of those again?

We also talked about… The Placebo Effect!Placebo Effect Question! What is the Placebo Effect? What causes it?

Neuroscience: Foundations Paul Broca (1861): describes patient who cannot produce spoken language The problem? Damage in a small area in her left FRONTAL lobe Broca’s Aphasia Carl Wernicke ( ): describes patient who cannot comprehend language but CAN produce it Damage to an area in the left TEMPORAL lobe Wernicke’s Aphasia

Visuals!

Question! What do both Broca’s Aphasia and Wernicke’s Aphasia have in common? What can we learn about the brain (and maybe the mind) from both afflictions?

Brains! Your brain is made up of over 100 BILLION neurons! Neurons: cells in the nervous system that communicate with one another to perform information-processing tasks. Question: Are you reducible to your nervous system? Are you just a brain? Are all of your actions, thoughts, and feelings reducible to a bunch of neurons inside your skull?

Neurons: They’re Funny Looking Neurons are made up of three parts Cell body The largest part of the neuron Houses the cell nucleus Nucleus houses DNA Keeps cell alive Dendrites RECEIVE information from other neurons, muscles, or glands and send information to the cell body Axons SEND information from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands Axons are long and creepy

Neurons: Close Up!

Oh Syn-APSE! Synapse: the gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of another Terminal Buttons: knoblike structures that branch out from an axon Neurotransmitter: chemicals that transmit information across the synapse to a receiving neuron’s dendrites Receptors: parts of the dendrite that receive neurotransmitters and initiate a new electric signal

Neurotransmitters & Disease Acetylcholine (Ach) Dopamine Glutamate GABA Norepinephrine Serotonin Endorphins Alzheimers (ACH-producing neurons deteriorate) Schizophrenia (high), Parkinson’s (low) Migraines, seizures (high) Seizures, tremors, insomnia (low) Depression (low) “Runner’s high” (high)

Dopamine! Awkward Lecture Ahoy!

But Remember… Neurotransmitter levels aren’t the only thing that matters: It’s all about the LOCATION of the receptor sites!

This Is Your Brain on Drugs… Drugs act like neurotransmitters, tricking your brain into acting in abnormal ways Agonists: drugs that increase the action of a neurotransmitter Antagonists: drugs that block the function of a neurotransmitter L-dopa: agonist for dopamine, helps fight Parkinson’s symptoms Amphetamines: stimulates release of norepinephrine and dopamine Amphetamines Prozac: blocks the reuptake of serotonin

Nervous System: Peripheral vs. Central

Split Brain Syndrome The brain is split into two hemispheres The two hemispheres are connected by commissures (bundles of axons that allow the hemispheres to communicate with each other) Corpus callosum: the largest commissure; connects large areas of the cerebral cortex on each side of the brain and supports communication of information across hemispheres

Parts of the Brain Gratuitous Video from Someone Knowledgeable!

Hindbrain & Midbrain

Forebrain: Subcortical Structures

Forebrain: the Most Evolved Part of YOU Occiptal Lobe: processes visual information Parietal Lobe: processes information about touch, contains the somatosensory cortex Temporal Lobe: located at the lower side of each hemisphere, responsible for hearing and language Frontal Lobe: specialized areas for movement abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgment

Cerebral Cortex, One More Time

Cerebellum vs. Frontal Lobes Why do zombies shuffle?

Your Brain is Plastic Plasticity: functions that are assigned to certain areas of the brain may be capable of being reassigned to toher areas of the brain to accomodtate changing input from the environemnt Sensory inputs “compete” for representation in each area The Woman Without a Cerebellum

But Not THAT Plastic… Phineas Gage!

What Happens When… You cut the corpus callosum?corpus callosum