1. Unit 3: Biological Psychology
WHS AP Psychology
Unit 3: Biological Psychology
Essential Task 3-5a.Describe the subdivisions and functions of the Central Nervous System
A. Brain
i. Brain Stem
Medulla, Pons, Reticular Formation, Cerebellum, and the Thalamus
ii. Limbic System
Hypothalamus, Amygdala, and the Hippocampus
iii. Cerebral Cortex (Left and Right Hemispheres and the corpus callosum)
Occipital Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, and the Frontal Lobe
Primary Motor Cortex and Primary Sensory Cortex
Wernicke's Area and Broca's Area
B. Spinal Cord
Logo Green is R=8 G=138 B= Blue is R= 0 G=110 B=184
Border Grey is R=74 G=69 B=64

2. Biological Psychology
Nervous System
Central Nervous System
Brain
Brain Imaging
Peripheral Nervous System
Building Blocks
Genetics
Evolutionary
Endocrine System
Neurotransmitters
Somatic
Autonomic
Sympathetic
Parasympathetic
Biological Psychology
Spinal Cord
Neurons
Sensory
Motor
We are here

4. Essential Task 3-5: CNS A. Brain i. Brain Stem
Outline
A. Brain
i. Brain Stem
Medulla, Pons, Reticular Formation, Cerebellum, and the Thalamus
ii. Limbic System
Hypothalamus, Amygdala, and the Hippocampus
iii. Cerebral Cortex
(Left and Right Hemispheres and the corpus callosum)
Occipital Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, and the Frontal Lobe Primary Motor Cortex and Primary Sensory Cortex Wernicke's Area and Broca's Area
B. Spinal Cord

5. The Brain Stem (Automatic Functions)
Brain Structure
Primary Function
Secondary Function
Medulla
Respiration, blood pressure, heart rate
Vomiting
Pons
Puts you to sleep
Reticular Formation
Attention, regulates awareness
Cerebellum
Balance and coordination
Thalamus
Directs sensory information to the rest of the brain

6. Older Brain Structures
The Brainstem is the oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. It is responsible for automatic survival functions.
OBJECTIVE 12| Describe the components of the brainstem and summarize the functions of the brainstem, thalamus and cerebellum.

7. Brain Stem The Medulla [muh-DUL-uh] is the base of the brainstem
It controls autonomic functions and relays nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord.
respiration
blood pressure
heart rate
reflex arcs
vomiting

8. Brain Stem
Pons and inside that the (Reticular Formation) is a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.
It is involved in motor control and sensory analysis... for example, information from the ear first enters the brain in the pons. It has parts that are important for the level of consciousness and for sleep.
The Reticular Formation controls:
Attention
Cardiac Reflexes
Motor Functions
Regulates Awareness
Relays Nerve Signals to the Cerebral Cortex
Sleep

9. Brain Stem
The Medulla [muh-DUL-uh] is the base of the brainstem that controls heartbeat and breathing.
Reticular Formation is a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal.

10. Brain Stem
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.

11. Cerebellum
The “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem. It helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance.

12. Limbic System (Emotion Center)
Brain Structure
Primary Function
Secondary Function
Hypothalamus
Drives: Hunger, Thirst, Sex
Temperature control
Amygdala
Fight or Flight
Hippocampus
STM to LTM

13. The Limbic System
The Limbic System is a 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.
OBJECTIVE 13| Describe the structures and functions of the limbic system, and explain how one of these structures controls the pituitary gland.

14. Amygdala
The Amygdala [ah-MIG-dah-la] consists of two almond-shaped neural clusters linked to the emotions of fear and anger.

15. 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.

16. 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

17. Cerebral Cortex Brain Structure Primary Function Secondary Function
Occipital Lobe
Visual Processing
Parietal Lobe
Spatial Reasoning
Frontal Lobe
Decision Making
Temporal Lobe
Auditory sensory information
Motor Cortex
Movement
Sensory Cortex
Sensation
Wernicke’s Area
Understanding Speech
Broca’s Area
Producing Speech

18. The Cerebral Cortex
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres. It is the body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
OBJECTIVE 14| Define cerebral cortex and explain its importance fro the human brain.

19. Structure of the Cortex
Each brain hemisphere is divided into four lobes that are separated by prominent fissures. These lobes are the frontal lobe (forehead), parietal lobe (top to rear head), occipital lobe (back head) and temporal lobe (side of head).
OBJECTIVE 15| Identify the four lobes of the cerebral cortex.

20. Functions of the Cortex
The Motor Cortex is the area at the rear of the frontal lobes that control voluntary movements. The Sensory Cortex (parietal cortex) receives information from skin surface and sense organs.
OBJECTIVE 16| Summarize some of the findings on the functions of the motor cortex and the sensory cortex, and discuss the importance of the association areas.

21. Visual Function
The functional MRI scan shows the visual cortex is active as the subject looks at faces.

22. Auditory Function
The functional MRI scan shows the auditory cortex is active in patients who hallucinate.

23. Association Areas
More intelligent animals have increased “uncommitted” or association areas of the cortex.

24. Language
Aphasia is an impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impaired speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impaired understanding).
OBJECTIVE 17| Describe the five brain areas that would be involved if you read this sentence aloud.

25. Specialization & Integration
Brain activity when hearing, seeing, and speaking words

26. Can you make a purple circle with a cross in the middle?

27. Fun with your Hemispheres
Rotate your dominant hand in one direction while at the same time rotating the opposite foot in the other direction.
No problem since controlled by two hemispheres
Now, rotate your dominant hand in one direction while at the same time rotating the foot on the same side in the other direction.

28. Our brain is divided into two hemispheres.
Our Divided Brain
Our brain is divided into two hemispheres.
The left hemisphere processes reading, writing, speaking, mathematics, and comprehension skills. In the 1960s, it was termed as the dominant brain.
OBJECTIVE 19| Describe split-brain research, and explain how it helps us to understand the functions of our left and right hemispheres.

29. Hemispheric Specialization
Corpus Callosum
Fibers that connect the two hemispheres
Allow close communication between left and right hemisphere
Each hemisphere appears to specialize in certain functions
(See Worksheet)

30. The Wagner Preference Inventory
(a) left, logical
(b) left, verbal
(c) right, manipulative/spatial
(d) right, creative

31. Hemispheric Specialization
People with intact brains also show left-right hemispheric differences in mental abilities.
A number of brain scan studies show normal individuals engage their right brain when completing a perceptual task and their left brain when carrying out a linguistic task.

32. Splitting the Brain
A procedure in which the two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between them.
Corpus Callosum

33. Split Brain Patients
With the corpus callosum severed, objects (apple) presented in the right visual field can be named. Objects (pencil) in the left visual field cannot.

34. Divided Consciousness

35. The Spinal Cord
Complex cable of nerves that connects brain to rest of the body
Carries motor impulses from the brain to internal organs and muscles
Carries sensory information from extremities and internal organs to the brain
400,000 people a year in US either partial or complete paralysis.

36. The Spinal Cord
The spinal cord controls some protective reflex movements without any input from the brain