1. Brain Structure and Function

2. “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t”
-Emerson Pugh, The Biological Origin of Human Values (1977)

3. Parts of the Brain BRAINSTEM  Heart rate and breathing THALAMUS
 Relays
messages
amygdala
hippocampus
pituitary
CEREBELLUM
 Coordination
and balance
BRAINSTEM  Heart rate and breathing

4. The Brain Brainstem Medulla
responsible for automatic survival functions
Medulla
controls heartbeat and breathing
Brainstem
the central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull
responsible for automatic survival functions
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

5. Reticular Formation Widespread connections
Arousal of the brain as a whole
Reticular activating system (RAS)
Maintains consciousness and alertness
Functions in sleep and arousal from sleep
Reticular formation The brainstem also contains networks of neurons,
known collectively as the reticular formation, that project up into the cerebral
cortex and basal ganglia and affect general arousal. The reticular formation is also
involved in inducing and terminating the different stages of sleep. The autonomy
of the brain stem can be dramatically illustrated by severing an animal’s brain
stem from the entire brain above it, including its entire cerebral cortex. Cats that
receive this treatment can still walk around and direct attacks at noises; if they
then find themselves holding on to food, they will eat it. Some cases have been reported
of humans born without cerebral cortices, and their behaviors are extremely
basic and reflexive. Such infants tend not to develop normally and also do
not tend to survive

6. The Cerebellum helps coordinate voluntary movement and balance
the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem, cerebellum actually means little brain.
Also helps involved in nonverbal learning and memory (will discuss in later chapters), if you injured your cerebellum you would have difficulty walking, keeping your balance, shaking hands.
Note: these lower brain functions occur without any conscious effort.

7. The Limbic System
Hypothalamus, pituitary, amygdala, and hippocampus all deal with basic drives, emotions, and memory
Hippocampus  Memory processing
Amygdala  Aggression (fight) and fear (flight)
Hypothalamus  Hunger, thirst, body temperature, pleasure; regulates pituitary gland (hormones)
The limbic system is an older term for a group of subcortical structures dealing with basic drives, emotions and memory
The diencefpahlon (or between brain) the hypothalamus and thalamus
The hippocampus and amygdala
The basal ganglia
The dreebral cortex

8. The Limbic System Hypothalamus
neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities
eating
drinking
body temperature
helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
linked to emotion
(show video)

9. The Limbic System Amygdala
two almond-shaped neural clusters that are components of the limbic system and are linked to emotion and fear
Researchers began to find evidence that the amygdala was involved in the emotion of fear in the late 1930s. Monkeys with damage to the brain cluster and surrounding areas had a dramatic drop of fearfulness.
Later, studies showed that rats with targeted amygdala damage would snuggle up to cats.
But if you electrically stimulate the amygdala in a normally placid domestic animal such as a cat, the cat prepares to attach by hissing, arching its back, pupils dilate, and its hair stands up on end.
Accumulating revelations about this fear system led researchers recently to examine the human brain's response to fear with imaging studies. One study showed that pictures of frightening faces initiate a quick rise and fall of activity in the amygdala.
In the future, scientists believe imaging techniques may help determine the course of treatment for disorders involving a malfunction in fear processing. For example, a person with an extreme fear of germs who continuously washes, known as an obsessive-compulsive disorder,

10. The Brain
Thalamus
the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem
it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
Thalamus- located on top of the brainstem, a joined pair of egg-shaped structures,
Receives sensory info, routes it to higher brain regions that deal with seeing, tasting, touching etc.
directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

11. The Cerebral Cortex Cerebral Cortex
the body’s ultimate control and information processing center
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres

12. The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres
Figure page 110
The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres: parietal, occipital, temporal, and frontal.

13. The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres
Planning, decision making speech
Sensory
Figure page 110
The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres: parietal, occipital, temporal, and frontal.
Vision
Auditory

14. The Cerebral Cortex Frontal Lobes Parietal Lobes
involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments
the “executive”
Parietal Lobes
include the sensory cortex
The cerebral cortex is organized or divided into 4 regions or lobes.
frontal lobe- behind your forehead, executive functions.
-parietal lobe- at the top and to the rear of the head

15. The Cerebral Cortex Occipital Lobes Temporal Lobes
include the visual areas, which receive visual information from the opposite visual field
Temporal Lobes
include the auditory areas, each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear
Occipital lobe- at the back of your head
-Temporal lobe- just above your ears; receives auditory info primarily from the opposite ear.
The lobes are separated by prominent fissures or folds. Important to note that although each lobe carries out different functions, many of our functions require the interplay or involvement of several lobes.
Temporal lobes -- each of which receives auditory information primarily from the opposite ear

16. The Cerebral Cortex Frontal (Forehead to top)  Motor Cortex
Parietal (Top to rear)  Sensory Cortex
Occipital (Back)  Visual Cortex
Temporal (Above ears)  Auditory Cortex

17. Brain Lateralization

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

19. Hemispheric Specialization
LEFT
Symbolic thinking
(Language)
Detail
Literal meaning
RIGHT
Spatial perception
Overall picture
Context, metaphor

20. Contra-lateral division of labor
Right hemisphere controls left side of body and visual field
Left hemisphere controls right side of body and visual field

21. Split Brain Patients
Epileptic patients had corpus callosum cut to reduce seizures in the brain
Lives largely unaffected, seizures reduced
Affected abilities related to naming objects in the left visual field
left and right brain differences in learning.m4v

22. Brain Plasticity

23. Brain Plasticity
The ability of the brain to reorganize neural pathways based on new experiences
Persistent functional changes in the brain represent new knowledge
Age dependent component
Brain injuries

24. Environmental influences on neuroplasticity
Impoverished environment
Enriched environment

25. Phineas Gage September 13th, 1848 Phineas 25 years old
Rutland & Burlington Railroad, Cavendish, VT
Paving the way for new RR tracks
“Tamping Iron”
1.25in x 3ft

27. Phineas Gage Accident Months later: “No longer Gage”
Quick Recovery
Months later: “No longer Gage”
Before: capable, efficient, best foreman, well-balanced mind
After: extravagant, anti-social, liar, grossly profane
Stint with P.T Barnum
Died 12 years later
Watch Clip:

28. The Nervous System
The nervous system is made up of neurons, nerve cells that transmit signals or “messages” throughout the body.
Dendrites – The rootlike structures at the ends of neurons that receive messages from other neurons.
Axon – The long, thin part of a neuron along which nerve impulses travel.
© 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

29. © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Nervous System
Terminals – The small branching structures at the tips of axons.
Neurotransmitters – Chemical substances that transmit messages from one neuron to another.
Synapse – The junction between one neuron and another across which neurotransmitters pass.
Receptor site – A part of a dendrite on a receiving neuron that is structured to receive a neurotransmitter.
© 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

30. © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Anatomy of a Neuron
© 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

31. Transmission of Neural Impulses
© 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

32. Neurotransmitter Functions and Relationships
© 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.

33. The Brain's Inner Workings - Part 1 - Structure and Function
Neural Transmission
The Brain's Inner Workings - Part 1 - Structure and Function
The Brain's Inner Workings - Part 2 – Cognition
Neurons and how they work

34. Steps in Neural Transmission Class Challenge Goal: gain a hands-on idea of how electrical information is passed along an axon for neural transmission to occur.
1 Facilitator and 12 students.
Facilitator- Assign the following roles to each student in your group: electrical stimulus, dendrite, cell body, axon, myelin sheath (use four students for this one), positive ion, negative ion, terminal button, and neighboring neuron. (use the text to help you understand what each role does)
Group – Students line up in the correct order of neural transmission.
Facilitator – Orchestrate the group to ‘act out’ each of the steps and have each student act out their parts as you are going through the steps. Do this a couple of times until you think they have the hang of it. Next, allow the students to run through the steps by themselves. (Extra points for creativity)

35. Neural Transmission Act 1
electrical stimulus
dendrite
cell body
axon
myelin sheath (use four students for this one)
positive ion
negative ion
terminal button
neighboring neuron.

36. The Brain – History Channel

37. Introductory Psychology Concepts
The Brain - Major Structures and Their Function
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Cerebrum
Thalamus
Corpus callosum
Hypothalamus
Pituitary gland
Pons
Cerebellum
Medulla
Brain stem
Reticular formation
Spinal cord