1. Our Incredible Nervous System
Module 4
Our Incredible Nervous System

3. Development and Functioning
What influences our brains?
Evolution
Birth defects
Brain Damage
Genetic defects

4. Study of the Living Brain
MRI (magnetic resonance) highlights different areas of the brain
fMRI (functional MRI) highlights the active neurons as the brain thinks
PET (positron emmission tomography)
These allow us to understand what parts of the brains have different functions, and where damage has occured

5. Organization of the nervous system
Central Nervous System:
Brain and spinal cord
Carries information between the brain and the body
Peripheral Nervous System:
Nerves that extend from the spinal cord to carry messages to and from the muscles, glands and sense organs

6. Subdivisions of the Peripheral nervous system
Somatic Nervous System:
Nerves connected to sensory receptors or voluntary muscles (ie neck, back, limbs)
Afferent (sensory): nerve fibers carry information to the spinal cord/brain from sensory receptors
Efferent (motor): nerve fibers carry information from the brain/spinal cord to the muscles

7. Subdivisions of the Peripheral nervous system (con’t)
Autonomic Nervous System:
Regulates heart, breathing, blood pressure, digestion, mostly involuntary actions
2 parts: Sympathetic and Parasympathetic

8. Subdivisions of the Peripheral nervous system (con’t)
Sympathetic Nervous System
Triggered by threatening/challenging stimuli, increases physiological arousal and prepares body for action
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Returns body to calmer, relaxed state and is involved with digestion
Homeostasis means these two systems work together to keep arousal balanced for optimal functioning

9. Comparing the Systems Sympathetic Parasympathetic
Pupils dilated/dry Eyes
Dry Mouth
Goosebumps Skin
Sweaty Palms
Increased rate heart
Pupils constricted/moist
Salivation
Smooth
Dry
Decreased rate

10. Igor - where is my brain????
Get into your head …

11. Major parts of the brain
Forebrain - hemispheres involved in thinking,learning,memory, spoeech and language, emotions,sensations, voluntary movement, planning and decisions
Midbrain - reward/pleasure centre stimulatedby food, sex, money, music, attractive faces and drugs: visual and auditory reflaxes, and reticular formation to process sensory information
Hindbrain - Pons, Medulla and Cerebellum

12. Major brain stuff, continued
Pons: bridge for messages from the spinal cord to brain, also makes sleep chemicals
Medulla: controls vital reflexes such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure
Cerebellum: coordinates motor movements (but does not initiate them), timed motor movements, and reflexive learning

13. The Cortex and 4 Lobes of the brain

14. The Cortex Wrinkled surface of the brain
Majority of neurons found here
Wrinkled to fit many many cells into a small space (paper analogy)
Has four different functional lobes

15. Frontal Lobe Huge area of cortex
Interprets and performs emotional behaviour, dictates social behaviour,basis of personality,makes decisions, plans and pays attention to environment
Contains motor cortex, which controls voluntary movements
Executive control: like boss of a company

16. Parietal Lobe
Processes sensory information from body parts: touch, location of body in space,temperature sensing and pain, and cognitive functions such as attention to and perception of objects. Also involved in language abilities
Includes somatosensory cortex, which processes sensory information from the body: found next to the motor cortex

17. Temporal Lobe - 4 parts
Involved in hearing, speaking coherently, understanding verbal and written material
Primary Auditory Cortex transforms info from ears into sound sensations
Auditory Association Area takes those sensations and makes them recognizable (ie words/music)
Broca’s Area combines sound into words and arranges them meaningfully (actually in frontal lobe)
Wernicke’s Area is necessary from speaking coherent sentences and understanding speech

18. Occipital Lobe
processes visual information including seeing colour and perceiving and recognizing animals, people and objects
Primary Visual Cortex is at the very back, receives electrcal signals from receptors in the eye and changes them to basic visual sensation (ie light, shadow, texture)
Visual Association Cortex interprets the basic sensations into complete meaningful perceptions such as people, objects or animals

19. -
Broca’s Asphasia
Wernicke’s Asphasia
Visual Agnosia
Neglect Syndrome

20. The Limbic System (old!)
Core of the forebrain
Regulates motivational behaviour such as obtaining food drink and sex; stores memories; also organizes emotional behaviours such as fear, anger and aggression

21. Endocrine System

22. Endocrine System
This system is made up of many glands throughout the body, which secrete various chemicals called hormones which affect organs, muscles, and other glands.
The Hypothalamus controls much of this system by regulating the pituitary gland

23. Are Men and Women Really Different?
men & women
Problem Solving
Emotional Memories
Movement and Coordination

24. Parts of Limbic System
Hypothalamus: regulates motivational behaviour, emotional behaviour and secretion of hormones
Amygdala: evaluates emotional significance of stimuli and facial expression
Thalamus:receives sensory information and relays it to different areas of the cortex
Hippocampus: puts fleeting memories into permanent storage in different areas of the brain

25. Functions of Hemispheres
Verbal – left
Mathematical – left
Analytic – left
Self recognition – left
Nonverbal – right
Spatial – right
Holistic – right
Other recognition - right