1. Ways we Study the Brain Accidents Lesions EEG CAT Scan PET Scan MRI
Functional MRI

2. Phrenology

4. Accidents Phineas Gage Story Personality changed after the accident.
What this this tell us?
That different part of the brain control different aspects of who we are.

5. Lesions Removal or destruction of some part of the brain.
Frontal Lobotomy

6. Brain Imaging

7. Electroencephalogram
EEG
Detects brain waves through their electrical output.
Used mainly in sleep research.

8. Computerized Axial Tomography
CAT Scan
3D X-Ray of the brain.
Good for tumor locating, but tells us nothing about function.

9. Magnetic Resonance Imaging
MRI
More detailed picture of brain using magnetic field to knock electrons off axis.
Takes many still pictures and turns images into a movie like production.

10. Positron Emission Tomography
PET Scan
Measures how much of a chemical the brain is using (usually glucose consumption).

11. Functional MRI
Combination of PET and MRI

12. Different areas of the brain have different roles.

13. Don’t You Believe It “Everybody knows that we only use 10%
of our brains.”
“Imagine what we’d be like if we could
use the other 90%!”

15. Major Brain Regions: Brainstem
Medulla
Breathing, muscle tone
and regulating circulation T h a l m u s C o r p c H y t P n M e d S i b
Pons
Connects brainstem with
cerebellum & involved
in sleep and arousal C e r r
Cerebellum
Coordination of voluntary
movement and
sense of equilibrium

16. Major Brain Regions: Midbrain
Part of the brainstem between
the hindbrain and the
forebrain T h a l m u s C o r p c H y t P n M e d S i b
Concerned with
certain sensory
processes and
dopamine production
Midbrain
Reticular Formation
Modulates muscle reflexes,
breathing & pain perception.
Also regulates sleep, wakefulness & arousal

17. Major Brain Regions: Forebrain
Thalamus
Relay station for all sensory
info (except smell)
to the cortex T h a l m u s C o r p c H y t e b x P n M d S i
Cerebrum/Cerebral Cortex
Hypothalamus
Regulates basic needs
fighting, fleeing
feeding, and mating Pleasure Center e
Limbic System
Involved in regulation of emotion, memory & motivation

19. Emotion and Memory are closely connected.
Amygdala
A little almond shaped structure, connects with the hippocampus.
Hippocampus
Is particularly involved with memory phenomena, specially with the formation of long-term memory (the one that, sometimes, lasts forever).

20. Major Brain Regions: Cerebral Cortex
Convoluted outer layer of cerebrum
Responsible for learning, memory, thinking, sensation
and consciousness

21. Structure of the Cortex
1/8th inch
thick
30 billion nerve cells billion Glial cells
Each nerve cell makes 10,000 contacts each
Approximately 300 trillion connections

22. Lobes of Cerebral Hemispheres
primary motor
cortex
primary
somatosensory
cortex
primary auditory
cortex
primary visual
cortex
Temporal (“tones”) - Devoted to auditory processing
Occipital (“objects”) - Devoted to visual processing
Parietal (“pressure”) - Devoted to sense of touch
Frontal (“??”) - Devoted to control of muscle movement
and other behavioral functions (e.g., personality)

23. Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex

24. Motor and Sensory Cortexes

29. Characteristics Insightful Dramatic Speaks well Good with numbers
Rhymes
Artistic
Analyzes
Grammatically correct
Imagination
Sees details
Recognizes Faces
Sequential Thinking
Musical

30. Tasks Classical music Has a good time Go with the first idea
Being active
In the school drama
Meditates
Plays monopoly or scrabble
Plays tennis
Considers alternatives
Being on time
Careful planning
Visualizes the outcome
Sends a thank you card

31. Left vs. Right Brain Left (language) Right Verbal Math Logic
Spatial Ability
Visual Imagery
Face Recognition
Music

33. (Right side of the brain controls the Left side of the body)
Cerebral Hemispheres
Corpus Callosum
200 million nerve fibers
that connect Left & Right
hemispheres.
Allows communication
between two sides
of the brain.
Each hemisphere’s primary connections
are to the opposite side of the body
(Right side of the brain controls
the Left side of the body)

34. The Amazing Brain

35. Cerebral Laterality Broca’s Area Important in the production of speech
Wernicke’s
Area
Important in
the
comprehension
of language
Broca’s Aphasia
Broca’s Aphasia – Reading
Tono Tono
Wernicke’s Aphasia

36. Idea of Hemispheric Specialization
(“Left/Language & Right/Visual-Spatial”) leads to
Split Brain Research by Sperry & Gazzaniga

37. HE ART Split Brain What effect does cutting the Corpus Callosum
Left
Visual
Field
Right
Visual
Field
Split Brain
What effect does
cutting the
Corpus Callosum
have on behavior?
HE ART l
“Say what you saw vs
Point at what you saw”
Retina
Optic
Chiasm
Thalamus
Left
Visual
Cortex
Right
Visual
Cortex
Corpus
Callosum

41. Central Nervous System
Consists of the Brain and the
Spinal Cord
CNS is nourished and protected by the
Cerebrospinal Fluid
Blood-Brain Barrier
Semi-permeable membrane-like
mechanism that prevents some chemicals
from passing between the bloodstream
and the brain