1. Unit 3
Neuroscience

2. THE BRAIN

3. Agenda 1. Bell Ringer: Impulse Results, Brain Cartoon (10)
2. The Structure of the Brain (30)
3. Brain Book/Twitter Project (15)
4. Handout 2-2 Driving a car, with the brain (15)
5. Brain Song (10)

4. Bellringer Brain Facts – what do you know?
three
On average, the brain weighs about ____ pounds.
If the brain does not receive blood for ______ seconds, you will become unconscious.
The brain uses _______ percent of the oxygen we breathe.
After a large meal, you may feel sleepy because
There are over _______ neurons in the brain that send messages throughout the body.
The brain stops growing around age ________.
The brain is approximately _______ percent fat.
A headache is a pain in your ______________________________________
ten
twenty
most of the body’s oxygen is being used by the stomach to digest the food so the brain is denied some needed oxygen.
100 billion 18 60
nerves, muscles, and blood vessels that cover the head and neck.

5. http://www.g2conline.org/ 3-D Brain
- org. of brain, phineas gage

6. Thalamus – “inner chamber” or sensory switchboard (except smell) relaying info between lower brain centers and cerebral cortex and transmits replies to the medulla and cerebellum (not part of brainstem but is located at the top of the brainstem
Brainstem – oldest part of the brain beginning where the spinal cord swells and enters the skull. It is responsible for automatic survival functions.
Reticular formation – nerve network in the brainstem that controls arousal, sleep, attention
Comas result here
Medulla – located the base of the brainstem and controls involuntary movements like heartbeat, swallowing, and breathing
Pons – bulge in brainstem between 2 halves of cerebellum and serves as the bridge and relay station for hindbrain (cerebellum) and rest of the brain (sleep and arousal)

7. Cerebellum - the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem
Cerebellum - the “little brain” attached to the rear of the brainstem. It helps coordinate voluntary movements and balance.
Rosenweig experimented with rats in enriched and impoverished environments – more stimulation = larger brain and increased blood supply
Rocking stimulates infants cerebellums!

8. The Limbic System
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.
Hypothalamus –
Controls maintenance functions like eating drinking, body temperature, and sexual drive
Linked to emotion and reward
Governs the endocrine system responsible for homeostasis
Amygdala – consists of two almond-shaped neural clusters linked to the emotions of fear and anger.
Hippocampus – deals with learning and memory, including memory processing and remembering recent events
Pituitary gland – endocrine gland that regulates growth

9. Hypothalamus is the Reward Center (Olds and Milner, 1950s)
Rats cross an electrified grid for self-stimulation when electrodes are placed in the reward (hypothalamus) center.
When the limbic system is manipulated, a rat will navigate fields or climb up a tree.
Sanjiv Talwar, SUNY Downstate

10. 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.

11. Structure of the Cortex
Each brain hemisphere is divided into four lobes that are separated by prominent fissures.
OBJECTIVE 15| Identify the four lobes of the cerebral cortex.

13. Motor cortex – controls voluntary mvmts.
Somatosensory cortex – receives info from touch and sense organs.
Motor cortex – controls voluntary mvmts.
Frontal lobe
Involved in speaking, making plans, judgments, goal setting and controls personality, stability, and behavior
Phineas Gage suffered damage to this area
Site of lobotomies
Parietal lobe – controls sensations of touch
Left parietal lobe controls the right side of body and vice versa
Olfactory area (smell)
Occipital lobe –
Vision center
Left lobe sees right side and vice versa
Temporal lobe – hearing and speech center
Controls some intellectual and emotional activities
Auditory cortex
Association areas – not related to sensory or motor function but are areas where higher level processing occurs

14. 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.

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

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

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

18. Visual cortex – received written words as visual stimulation
Motor cortex – controls movement
Angular gyrus – transforms visual representation into auditory code, concerned with written language, involved in reading allowed
Damage here – person can speak and understand but not read
Broca’s area – controls movement necessary for speech (controls motor cortex)
1865 Paul Broca research found damage here results in impaired speech
Visual cortex – received written words as visual stimulation
Wernicke’s area – involved in comprehension/interpreting auditory code
1874 – Carl Wernicke research found that damage here causes impaired understanding

19. Wernicke’s area Explanation
Did you understand all the parts of the brain that were explained?
How did the video make you feel?

20. Language Issues
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.

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

22. The Brain Song