Brain and Behavior

The Brain – The Central Core Medulla Controls breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure Pons Maintains the sleep-wake cycle Cerebellum Coordinates body’s movements Balance

The Brain – The Central Core Thalamus Relays information from sensory receptors to the brain Except smell Hypothalamus Influences motivated behavior Regulates hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual drive. Directly involved in emotional behavior 4 F’s

The brain and behavior (Con’t) Right Brain – Left hand touch Music Art Dance Sculpture Perception Fantasy The brain and behavior (Con’t)

The brain and behavior (Con’t) Left Brain – Right hand touch Math Language Science Writing Logic Broca’s Area – “Boca” – Word production Wernicke’s Area – Word comprehension The brain and behavior (Con’t)

The brain and behavior (Con’t) The Limbic System: includes parts of the thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, amygdala regulation of emotion, memory, and motivation Hippocampus - role in memory processes Amygdala – learning of fear response (parts of the brain are needed for learning); semantic memories The brain and behavior (Con’t)

The Brain – The Limbic System Ring of structures located between the central core and the cerebral hemispheres Important to learning and emotional behavior Hippocampus essential in formation of new memories Amygdala, together with the hippocampus, is important for regulating emotions

The brain and behavior (Con’t) Cerebral Hemispheres – right and left halves of the cerebrum Occipital – back of head – visual signals are sent and visual processing begins – Primary Visual Cortex Parietal – forward of the occipital – registers sense of touch – Primary Somatosensory Cortex. Temporal – below the parietal – auditory processing – Primary Auditory Cortex Frontal – continuing forward – principle areas that control the movement of muscles – Primary Motor Cortex Corpus Callosum – structure that connects the two cerebral hemispheres The brain and behavior (Con’t)

The Cerebral Cortex Occipital lobe Temporal lobe Receives and processes visual information Temporal lobe Complex visual tasks such as face recognition Receives and processed auditory information Involved in balance, some emotions and motivations Some language processing

The Cerebral Cortex Parietal lobe Frontal lobe Receives sensory information from body Involved in spatial abilities Frontal lobe Coordinated information from other lobes Controls voluntary movement, attention, setting goals, and expression of appropriate emotions

Where Are Memories Stored?

Hemispheric Specialization Corpus Callosum Fibers that connect the two hemispheres Allow close communication between left and right hemishphere Each hemisphere appears to specialize in certain functions

Neural Plasticity The brain can be changed, both structurally and chemically, by experience Rat studies show that an “enriched” environment leads to larger neurons with more connections Has also been shown in humans Recent research has uncovered evidence of neurogenesis, or the production of new brain cells, in human brains

Tools for Studying the Nervous System

Microelectrode Techniques Very small electrodes inserted into individual neurons Used to study activity of a single neuron

Macroelectrode Techniques Used to get a picture of overall activity in the brain An example is an EEG, which uses electrodes placed on a person’s scalp to measure brain activity

Structural Imaging Computerized Axial Tomography (CT-scan) Uses X-rays to create a 3-dimensional image of the brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) Uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce images

Functional Imaging EEG imaging electrical activity on the scalp from millions of neurons is used to produce a continuous picture of activity in the brain Magentoencephalography (MEG) and Magnetic source imaging (MSI) Can localize activity more precisely than EEG

Functional Imaging Positron Emission Tomography (PET) and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) Use radioactive glucose to determine location of greatest brain activity Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) Shows function and structure by measuring movement of blood molecules within the brain

The Endocrine System

Endocrine System – glands that secrete chemicals into the bloodstream/help control bodily functioning Hormones Controlled by the nervous system through the hypothalamus Connection with the Pituitary gland – “Master Gland” Hypothalamus > ANS > Pituitary Gland > Adrenal Gland Endocrine System

The Endocrine System Helps coordinate and integrate complex psychological reactions Endocrine glands secrete hormones into the bloodstream Hormones serve to organize the nervous system and body Hormones also activate behavior, such as sexual behavior

Secretes hormones (primarily thyroxin) that control metabolism The Endocrine System Thyroid gland Secretes hormones (primarily thyroxin) that control metabolism Parathyroid glands Control levels of calcium and phosphate which in turn controls levels of excitability

The Endocrine System Pineal gland Pancreas Secretes melatonin which regulates the sleep-wake cycle Pons Pancreas Regulates blood-sugar levels Secretes insulin and glucagon

The Endocrine System Pituitary gland Gonads Adrenal glands Referred to as the “master gland” because it regulates many other glands Gonads Ovaries and testes secrete estrogens and androgens Adrenal glands Secretes hormones in reaction to stress