Transcript psychology - Eagan High School

PSYCHOLOGY
THE BRAIN
Neuron
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Neuron- a nerve cell, the foundation of the nervous system.
(All different shapes and sizes, but all have the same
functions.)
Dendrite- receive messages and conduct impulses toward
the cell body (soma).
Axon- passes messages away from the cell body to other
neurons, muscles or glands.
Synapse- fluid-filled gap between the axon terminal of one
neuron and the dendrite of another.
Myelin Sheath- fatty insulation that may surround an axon
or neuron.
Fun Facts on Neurons
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There are 1,000 to 10,000 synapses for a "typical"
neuron.
There are about 13,500,000 neurons in the human
spinal cord.
Neurons multiply at a rate 250,000
neurons/minute during early pregnancy.
Average number of neurons in the human brain=
100 billion
Average number of neurons in an octopus brain=
300 billion
Parts of the Neuron - Terminals
Axon terminals – The endpoint of a neuron where neurotransmitters
are stored
Neurotransmitter
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Neurotransmitter- a chemical messenger
that travels across the synapse from one
neuron to another.
Neurotransmitters serve different functions,
depending on the type of receptors and the
place they are released in the brain.
Neurotransmitters
Resting Potential
Video Central Nervous System
Types of Neurotransmitters
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Acetylcholine- triggers muscle contraction
and affects learning and memory.
Dopamine- affects learning, attention and
emotion. (excess dopamine is associated
with schizophrenia)
Serotonin- affects hunger, sleep, arousal,
and mood. (low levels of serotonin is
associated with depression)
A Neural Chain
Fun Facts on Neurotransmitters
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Your brain generates 25 watts of power
while you're awake---enough to illuminate
a light bulb.
Neurotransmitters can be drastically
effected by drugs such as marijuana,
cocaine etc.
Fun Brain Facts
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The brain has no pain, because there are no
nerves that register pain within the brain itself,
neurosurgeons can probe the brain while a patient
is conscious. They can then use feedback from
the patient to identify important regions, such as
those used for speech.
The brain has the largest area of uncommitted
cortex of any species on earth.
Frontal Lobe
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Area around your
forehead. It’s
involved in
judgment,
creativity, problem
solving and
planning.Some
areas control
movement of
muscle groups.
Phineas Gage
Parietal Lobe
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Top back area of the brain.
Different sections of this area
receive signals from different
regions of the body.
Responsible for touch.
Duties include processing
higher sensory and language
functions.
Involved in integrating visual
input and in monitoring the
body’s position in space.
Temporal Lobe
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Left and right sides of the
brain.
Responsible for hearing,
memory, meaning and
language.
There is some overlap in
the functions of the lobes.
Damage to an area on the left
side can impair the
comprehension of speech and
language.
Occipital Lobe
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Located middle
back of the brain.
Primarily
responsible for
vision.
Visual signals are
sent here and
processing begins.
Brainstem
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The oldest part and central
core of the brain;
It begins where the spinal
cord swells as it enters the
skull
Is responsible for
automatic survival
functions
Medulla
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Located at the base
of the brainstem
Controls lifesupporting
functions like
heartbeat and
breathing
Damage to this
area can lead to
death.
Thalamus and Olfactory Bulb
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Thalamus- A brain
structure that relays all
sensory messages, except
smell, to the cerebral
cortex.
Olfactory Bulb- Where
the sense of smell
messages come into the
brain. It lies near areas
involved in emotion.
Hypothalamus & Pituitary Gland
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Hypothalamus- A
brain structure
involved in emotions
and drives vital to
survival, such as fear,
hunger, thirst, and
reproduction.
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Pituitary Gland- A
small gland at the
base of the brain,
which releases many
hormones and
regulates other
glands.
DIAGRAM
Amygdala & Cerebellum
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Amygdala- Involved
in the arousal and
regulation of emotion
and the initial
emotional response to
sensory information.
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CerebellumRegulates movement
and balance, and it is
involved in the
learning of certain
kinds of simple
responses.
DIAGRAM
CORPUS CALLOSUM
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The brain consists of 2
cerebral hemispheres (left and
right), they are connected by
nerve fibers.
The largest of these fibers is
the corpus callosum. It has
about 250 million nerve
fibers.
The exchange of information
is made freely between these
spheres.
BrainVideo (10 minutes) Brain
BRAIN TEST 
RIGHT BRAIN 
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Remember Faces
Responds well to
demonstrated
instructions
Spontaneous,
random
Responds best to
movement, action
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Prefers drawing
and manipulating
objects
More free with
feelings
Good at
interpreting body
language
LEFT BRAIN 
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Prefers problem solving, logic
Remembers names
Planned, structured, prefers control
Prefers talking, writing
Controls feelings
Responds to verbal instructions