The Brain and Nervous System - Mr. Conzen
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Transcript The Brain and Nervous System - Mr. Conzen
The Brain and
Nervous System
How do we function?
People are made up of billions of
cells - in Psychology we focus on
the nervous system.
Nervous system sends messages
throughout the body that encompass
thought, perception, emotion, etc.
Neuron = Nerve Cell
Nerve cells pass
messages along to
others.
All or none
principle of nerve
cells.
What we feel is
dependent on the
amount of
neurons that fire.
Neuron Communication
Neuron “firing” is the
release of
neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters
are chemical
messengers - those
chemicals can
influence mental
abilities and
emotion.
Nervous System
Nervous system has three
types of neurons:
Sensory neurons - send info
from tissues and organs
toward CNS
Motor neurons - how the
CNS sends instructions out
to body tissues.
Interneurons - processes
internal commincation in
the CNS
Parts of a Neuron
Dendrite - receives
messages from neurons.
Axon - passes messages
along neuron.
Terminal Branches
“buttons” - push
messages to other
neurons.
Synapse - space
between 2 neurons,
chemicals pass between
So how do we feel?
Nervous System
Brain and spinal cord
form the Central
Nervous System.
Peripheral Nervous
System connects the
CNS with body sense
receptors, muscles,
and glands.
Somatic and Autonomic Nervous System
Make up the PNS
Somatic NS allows
voluntary control of
muscles.
Autonomic NS controls
glands and organs.
Sympathetic NS arouses a person.
Parasympathetic NS conserves energy and
calms.
The Brain
Big mass of gray
tissue…that
ultimately defines
who we are.
Brain control
unconscious
functions, and also
contains our
thoughts.
Reading the Brain
Now we can record
brainwaves through
EEG.
PET scans show areas of
brain activity.
MRI and fMRI show the
brain and blood flow.
Brainstem
Oldest part of the
brain - includes the
spinal cord.
Medulla - controls
breathing and
heartbeat.
Reticular Formation
filters nerve messages
to parts of the brain,
also has to do with
arousal.
Thalamus - like a
sensory switchboard.
Cerebellum
Coordinates
voluntary
movement.
No conscious
effort.
LIMBIC SYSTEM
Influencing emotions and motives
Hippocampus processes memory.
Amygdala influence fear and
aggression.
Hypothalamus influences motives
for hunger, thirst, sex
- releases hormones
by controlling the
pituitary gland.
Cerebral Cortex
Covers the
cerebral lobes, is
the control/info
processing part of
our brain.
Our conscious
mind.
Motor Cortex
Part of our cerebral
cortex that controls
movement.
Right hemisphere
controls left side of
body and vice versa.
Sensory Cortex is
similar, it reports
senses around your
body.
Neural Prosthetics
Frontal Lobe
Frontal lobe has to do with
decision making, thinking,
personality.
Phineas Gage was a
railroad working in 1848
that had a spike go through
his brain. He could think
and had memories, but his
personality was total
different.
Hemispheres of
the Brain
Corpus Callosum - wide
band of axon fibers
connects the hemispheres.
Left and Right
Hemispheres have largely
different functions:
affect movement on different
sides of the body
Language - left, spatial
thinking - right
Split Brain
Purpose of the corpus
callosum is to send
information to the
other hemisphere severed patients have
difficulty.
Patients brain
hemispheres will
interpret events
differently, and not
communicate.