How are we we?
The influence of the Body on Behavior
The Phinneus P. Gage Story- Back in the 1800’s, there was a man
named Phinneus P. Gage who was working on a railroad. His job was to use explosives to blow away ground so that they could lay track. He was generally considered a kind and gentle man. One day an accident happened and the tamping rod was blown clean through his head. Surprisingly he did not die, but he did show a complete personality change. He became a drunk, was violent, and completely irresponsible. This led to an interest in how the brain controls behavior and personality.
How can we scientifically answer that question?
What is the difference between the mind and the
brain?
So, because Gage’s “mind” had changed AND his brain had changed…people
started to investigate the connection between
the 2.
Physiological Psychology This field of study
has been called physiological psychology but is now more frequently called Psychobiology, biopsychology, or neuroscience. The focus of study is generally how the brain controls all aspects of our behavior.
The Nervous System is what processes information about
“reality” The Nervous System is never at rest…It is
always regulating your body functions. There are 2 primary parts to the structure
of the Nervous System: 1.) Central Nervous System (CNS): The
Brain and Spinal Cord. Note: The spinal cord is comprised of nerves that run up and down the length of the back and transmit most messages between the body and the brain.
2.) Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): Nerves branching out from the spinal cord.
Peripheral Nervous System has 2 parts
Somatic NS- control’s skeletal muscles
Autonomic NS- controls glands and muscles of internal organs (breathing, blood pressure and digestive) Sympathetic- “fight of flight” Parasympathetic – calms you down.
The Nervous System
How the Nervous System Works
Messages to and from the brain travel along the nerves, which are long, thin cells called neurons.
Neurons: The long, thin cells of nerve tissue along which messages travel to and from the brain.
The Neurons consist of 3 basic parts:- 1.) The Cell Body: is the main, or center part of the neuron. It contains the nucleus and produces the energy needed to fuel neuron activity.
How the Nervous System Works
- 2.) The Axon: a tail like structure that carries information away from the cell body.
- 3.) The Dendrites: are usually small, short thin fibers that stick out from the cell body. They receive impulses, or messages, from other neurons and send them to the cell body.
Parts of the Neuron
Parts of the Neuron - Dendrites
Dendrite – The branching extensions of a neuron that receive information and conduct impulses toward the
cell body
Parts of the Neuron - Axon
Axon – The extension of a neuron through which neural impulses are sent
Parts of the Neuron - Terminals
Axon terminals – The endpoint of a neuron where neurotransmitters are stored
Are all Neurons connected?
In order for the nervous system to properly function, there must be a space between each neuron. This space is called a synapse.
Synapse: The fluid-filled gap that exists between individual nerve cells.
How do the Neurons Transmit Information?
Action Potential: Neurons transmit messages in the form of electrochemical impulses called an action potential.
Let’s form a line
Who is the quickest in the room?
Can you catch my pen?
Information is transmitted in the form of electrical impulses.
Continued… These messages are transmitted by
the releasing of chemicals called “neurotransmitters.”
Neurotransmitters: The chemicals released by neurons, which determine the rate at which other neurons fire.
Watch this and this
Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters
The communication between neurons occurs in special PATHWAYS in different areas of the brain.
These different PATHWAYS create different sensations/feelings/thoughts due to the regions in the brain they occur in
How do the Neurotransmitters make
us feel a certain way?
How do the Neurotransmitters make
us feel a certain way?
Dopamine Pathway
Serotonin Pathway
What do drugs do? Some act as Agonists
Agonists mimic neurotransmitters Some act as Antagonists
Antagonists block neurotransmitters
Here are some examples of how it works Here is an activity sheet to go with
it
The Structure of the Brain
The Structure of the Brain
The Human Brain is VERY Complex. It is still widely considered to be the most complex structure ever discovered or created by man.
There are approximately 10 billion nerve cells in the brain and each one has the potential to contact every other one.
There is however, NO relationship between brain size and intelligence.
What does relate to intelligence are the fissures, wrinkles, and folds of the brain. No animal has as many of these folds (convolutions) as a human except the porpoise.
The Structure of the Brain
Oxygen Consumption: The brain needs oxygen to survive. The brain contributes about 1/50th of your body weight yet consumes 25% of your oxygen.
Deprivation of oxygen to the brain will lead to you passing out in 15 seconds and brain damage within 4 minutes.
The Structure of the Brain
Important: There are NO pain receptors in the brain. If you have a headache it is usually due to dilation of the blood vessels that surround the brain.
In other words, your brain cannot feel pain, but the blood vessels and nerve system that surround it can.
Think of the brain as a house
Then this was built
After a while, this was built
This was built 1st
Then they
finished the top
The Structure of the Brain
The Brain Stem: Our basic body processes are mediated in the brain stem, the portion of the brain just above the spinal cord.
This is the bottom floor
The Lobes of the Brain The brain is divided into 2
hemispheres (right and left). The 2 hemispheres are divided by a band of fibers called the “corpus callosum.”
The brain also has 4 areas, or lobes. Lobes are the different regions that the brain is divided into.
1.) The Occipital Lobe: This is where the visual signals are processed. It is located in the back of your brain.
2.) The Parietal Lobe: This is where information from sensors all over the body is processed.
3.) The Temporal Lobe: This is where your hearing, memory, emotion, and speaking functions are processed.
4.) The Frontal Lobe: Is concerned with organization, planning, and creative thinking. (I wonder where it is located.)
Left and Right Hemispheres
There are many myths about the differences between the left and right hemispheres of the brain. You may have heard of people being “right or left brained” before…This is exaggerated.
In reality, the left and right side merely compliment one another.
Right = Left….Left = Right…whaaaaaaaa?
Hemispheric Differences
Brain is divided into two hemispheres but works as a single entity.
Both sides continually communicate via the corpus callosum, except in those with split brains.
There are some specializations and functions but the 2 work hand-in-hand
The Brain’s Left Hemisphere
For most people, language functions are in the left hemisphere.
-Acknowledges order/pattern perception-knows object name-reality based-forms strategies-practical-safe
-uses logic-detail oriented-facts rule-words and language-present and past-math and science-can comprehendknowing
The Brain’s Right Hemisphere
Houses the brain’s spatial abilities Our spatial ability allows us to perceive
or organize things in a given space, judge distance, etc.
-uses feeling-"big picture" oriented-imagination rules-symbols and images
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Split Brain Research
Let’s watch a few little videos
Split Brain Video What is the effect of a placebo on th
e brain? What does that mean regarding the mind/ brain connection?
Various Instruments are used to examine the
brain CAT scans and MRI scans examine
structure of the brain.
To examine the function of the brain, we use other devices.
The Electroencephalograph… Wow that’s a long word…How about
EEG machine. What is it? It is a machine used to record the
electrical activity of large portions of the brain.
Wires are connected to various areas of your scalp, allowing the rhythms, or brain waves caused by the neurons to be read.
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