Neuroscience and Behavior 1 The Biology of the Mind

 How do they transmit information? 2 What are neurons?

 Nerve cells ◦ Basic building blocks of the body’s information processing system.  Made up of ◦ Dendrites ◦ Axons 3 Neurons

 Receive information 4 Dendrites

 Transmit information to other ◦ Neurons ◦ Muscles ◦ Glands 5 Axon fibers

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 Chemical messengers (neurotransmitters ) bridge the gap 7 Synapse (Synaptic gap)

 Enable communicati on between neurons 8 Neurotransmitters

 Neurotransmitters (similar to morphine)  Reduces pain ◦ E.g. Childbirth 9 Endorphins

 What do these parts do? 10 What are the parts of your nervous system?

 Central nervous system ◦ Brain and spinal column  Peripheral nervous system ◦ Links central nervous system (spinal cord) to sense receptors, muscles and glands 11 Nervous system

12 Nervous system

 Sympathetic nervous system (Arousing) ◦ Increases heartbeat & blood pressure  Parasympathetic nervous system (Calming) 13 Peripheral Nervous System

 Brain and spinal column  Severed spinal cord E.g. ◦ Bill - No genital sensations, but has an erection when stimulated. 14 Central Nervous system

 Simple reflex pathway ◦ Knee-jerk reaction  A headless warm body could do it 15 Reflex

Older Brain Structures Brainstem the oldest part of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. Responsible for automatic survival functions.

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

Cerebellum  Coordinates movements

Cerebral cortex

Cerebral cortex comparison  Best distinguishes us from other animals

Association areas of cortex

Phineas gage  Damage to frontal lobe

Sensory & Motor cortex

Visual & auditory cortex

Reading out loud

Hearing, Seeing,Speaking

Corpus Callosum  Transmits information from one cerebral hemisphere to the other

Internal brain Overview

Amygdala Amygdala [ah-MIG-dah-la] two almond-shaped neural clusters linked to emotion of fear and anger.

Hypothalamus Hypothalamus lies below (hypo) the thalamus; directs several maintenance activities like eating, drinking body temperature, and emotions. Helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland.

 Creating images of the brain’s activity 31 Recording the brain’s activity

Electroencephalogram (EEG)  Brain waves - Recording electrical activity

◦ CT scan ◦ PET scan ◦ MRI scan 33 Brain imaging techniques (creating images)

 Computed tomography  X-ray photographs 34 CT Scan

 Magnetic fields and radio waves create images of the brain’s soft tissues.  Normal Schizophrenic 35 MRI Scan (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)

 Positron emission tomography scan  Radioactive glucose 36 PET Scan