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The Basic Brain Chapter 2, Lecture 4

The Basic Brain Chapter 2, Lecture 4. “ Our brain processes most information outside of our awareness .” - David Myers. The Brain: Older Brain Structures.

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The Basic Brain Chapter 2, Lecture 4

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  1. The Basic BrainChapter 2, Lecture 4 “Our brain processes most information outside of our awareness.” - David Myers

  2. The Brain: Older Brain Structures The Brainstemisthe oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. It is responsible for automatic survival functions.

  3. Brainstem The Medulla [muh-DUL-uh]is the base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing.

  4. Brainstem The Thalamus [THAL-uh-muss]is the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem. It directs messages to the sensory areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla.

  5. Brainstem Reticular Formationisa nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

  6. Cerebellum The “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem. It helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance. Listen to some interesting research on tickling…

  7. Cerebellum Research also indicates that part of the cerebellum’s function is to tell the brain what to expect from the body’s own movements. In this way, the brain can ignore expected pressure on the soles of the feet while walking and attend to more important sensations such as stubbing a toe.

  8. Cerebellum Sarah-Jayne Blakemore and her colleagues at University College, London, have addressed the interesting question, “Why can’t we tickle ourselves?” For their study, the researchers had six volunteers lie in a brain-scanning machine with their eyes closed. A plastic rod with a piece of soft foam attached to it moved up and down, tickling the participants’ left palms. The experimenter and the volunteers took turns moving the rod, so the volunteers were either tickling themselves or were being tickled. In a third condition, the foam was secretly removed, so the volunteers moved the rod by felt nothing.

  9. Cerebellum Throughout this process, the researchers used functional MRI (fMRI) scans to compare activity in different parts of the brain. On the basis of the results, they concluded that during self-tickling one part of the brain tells another: “It’s just you. Don’t get excited.” The cerebellum is involved in predicting the specific sensory consequences of movement. It provides the signal that is used to cancel the sensory response to self-generated stimulation. In short, it tells the somatosensory cortex what sensation to expect and this dampens the tickling sensation. Blakemore, S., Wolpert, D., & Frith, D. (1998). Central cancellation of self-produced tickle sensations. Nature Neuroscience, 1, 635-640.

  10. The Brain Techniques to Study the Brain A brainlesion experimentally destroys brain tissue to study animal behaviors after such destruction. Hubel (1990)

  11. Clinical Observation Clinical observations have shed light on a number of brain disorders. Alterations in brain morphology due to neurological and psychiatric diseases are now being catalogued. Tom Landers/ Boston Globe

  12. Electroencephalogram (EEG) An amplified recording of the electrical waves sweeping across the brain’s surface, measured by electrodes placed on the scalp. AJ Photo/ Photo Researchers, Inc.

  13. PET Scan PET (positron emission tomography) Scanis a visual display of brain activity that detects a radioactive form of glucose while the brain performs a given task. Courtesy of National Brookhaven National Laboratories

  14. MRI Scan MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of brain tissue. Top images show ventricular enlargement in a schizophrenic patient. Bottom image shows brain regions when a participants lies. Both photos from Daniel Weinberger, M.D., CBDB, NIMH James Salzano/ Salzano Photo Lucy Reading/ Lucy Illustrations

  15. The Limbic System TheLimbic Systemisa doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebrum, associated with emotions such as fear, aggression and drives for food and sex. It includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

  16. Amygdala The Amygdala [ah-MIG-dah-la]consists of two lima bean-sized neural clusters linked to the emotions of fear and anger.

  17. Hypothalamus The Hypothalamus lies below (hypo) the thalamus. It directs several maintenance activities like eating, drinking, body temperature, and control of emotions. It helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

  18. Reward Center Rats cross an electrified grid for self-stimulation when electrodes are placed in the reward (hypothalamus) center (top picture). When the limbic system is manipulated, a rat will navigate fields or climb up a tree (bottom picture). Sanjiv Talwar, SUNY Downstate

  19. Page 67

  20. Homework Read p.68-75 “To be learning about the neurosciences now is like studying world geography while Magellan was exploring the seas. This truly is the golden age of brain science.” - David Myers

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