BODY AND MIND BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR

Major areas of study for Biological Psychologists BIOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR Major areas of study for Biological Psychologists Nervous system Endocrine System Heredity The Brain

INTERESTING BRAIN FACTS Your brain has reached its full weight of about 3 pounds by the time you are 6 years old. The left side of your brain controls movements on the right side of your body, and the right side of your brain controls the left side of your body. The brain does not feel pain directly because it has no pain receptors. Brain cells begin to die if they are deprived of oxygen for 3-5 minutes. The brain requires about 20% of the body’s oxygen supply though it makes up only about 2 % of a person’s total body weight. Your brain is as individual as your face. Everyone’s brain has the same physical features, but no brain looks exactly alike.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM The brain is the master control center of the body. The brain receives, analyzes, and sends messages that control body functions and actions. The brain stores information from past experiences, which makes learning & remembering possible. The brain is the source of thoughts, moods, and emotions.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM The human brain weighs only 3 lbs. but is estimated to have about 100 billion cells. These cells are called neurons. A neuron is an on/off switch. A resting state (off) or it is shooting an electrical impulse down a wire (on). It has a cell body, & a long wire, (axon). At the end, it has a little part (dendrite) that shoots out a chemical (neurotransmitters). Neurotransmitters (epinephrine, norepinephrine, or dopamine) are sent across a gap (synapse) where it triggers another neuron to send a message

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

THE BRAIN The brain is made of three main parts: the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain. The cerebrum -- which is just Latin for "brain" -- is the largest part of the brain.  It is here that things like perception, imagination, thought, judgment, and decision occur. The surface of the cerebrum -- the cerebral cortex -- is composed of six thin layers of neurons.  The cortex is heavily convoluted, so that if you were to spread it out, it would actually take up about 2 1/2 square feet.  It includes about 10 billion neurons, with about 50 trillion synapses!

THE BRAIN It is divided into 2 hemispheres left/right. They are connected by nerve fibers called the corpus callosum. Each hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes. The frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and occipital lobe.

THE BRAIN THE FRONTAL LOBE This region of the brain is important for reasoning. It determines your personality, emotions and judgment. THE PARIETAL LOBE This region of the brain is important for sense of touch. It helps people understand what they see and feel. It also controls how they understand and process information.

THE BRAIN TEMPORAL LOBE – This region of the brain controls your hearing and the ability to recognize words. Damage to left temporal causes memory problems with way people say to you. Damage to right side of temporal memory problems remembering music or pictures. OCCIPITAL LOBE – This region of the brain is the visual center. It determines if you understand what you are looking at. Damage causes hallucinations, make objects appear larger or smaller then they are or make colors look abnormal.

THE BRAIN CEREBELLUM – This region of the brain controls balance & movement. PRIMARY MOTOR CORTEX – neurons fire when we move certain parts of the body. PRIMARY SENSORY CORTEX – neurons fire when different senses are used.

THE BRAIN BRAIN STEM – connects the lower region of the brain(cerebrum) to the spinal cord. Described as the life center, controls breathing, heart rate, blood pressure, digestion. Medulla – bottom of brain stem. Controls breathing, heartbeat, & vital processes. Pons – above the medulla. Involved in regulating body movement, attention, sleep & alertness. Pituitary Gland – the master gland of the body (adrenaline). Pineal Gland – is part of the limbic system, located in the internal portion of the brain.

THE BRAIN Hypothalamus – upper end of the brain stem. Regulates body temperature, hunger, and other internal conditions. Thalamus – acts a relay station. Receives nerve impulses and routes them to other areas. Reticular Activating System – helps regulate & maintain brain’s level of awareness, alertness, & reaction time. Amygdala – controls aggression and fear. Hippocampus – converts information from short term memory to long term memory.

THE BRAIN Broca’s Area - is a section of the human brain that is involved in language processing, speech production, and comprehension. Wernicke’s Area - involved in the recognition of spoken words. Primary visual cortex – region of the brain that receives visual input. Auditory cortex – region of the brain that is responsible for processing sound information.

Divisions of the Cerebral Cortex The cerebral cortex is responsible for many higher order functions like language and information processing. Language centers are usually found only in the left cerebral hemisphere.

Divisions of the Cerebral Cortex Problem Solving, Emotion, Complex Thought Coordination of complex movement Initiation of voluntary movement Receives tactile information from the body Processing of multisensory information Complex processing of visual information Detection of simple visual stimuli Language comprehension Complex processing of auditory information Detection of sound quality (loudness, tone) Speech production and articulation Prefrontal Cortex Motor Association Cortex Primary Motor Cortex Primary Somatosensory Cortex Sensory Association Area Visual Association Area Visual Cortex Wernicke's Area Auditory Association Area Auditory Cortex Broca's Area

THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM Consists of glands that secrete substances called hormones into the bloodstream. Pituitary Gland – the master gland responsible for secretion of many hormones. Thyroid Gland - produces Thyroxin which affects metabolism. Adrenal Gland – produces adrenaline which plays a part of energy and emotions. Reproduction Glands - Testosterone, male hormone and Estrogen & Progesterone, female hormone. Pineal Gland-controls your growing and maturing

HEREDITY Heredity - is the transmission of characteristics from parent to offspring. The nature vs nurture debate - thoughout