Unit 2 The Brain and the Body The Mind is the Brain at Work Brain Physical organ bundles of cells that are inside our skulls Observable touch feel etc Mind Brain at work Includes awareness our own experiences of what it feels like to be alive ID: 306809
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2.2 The Brain
Unit 2: The Brain and the BodySlide2
The Mind is the Brain at Work
Brain
Physical organ; bundles of cells that are inside our skulls.
Observable (touch, feel, etc.)
Mind
Brain at work.
Includes awareness, our own experiences of what it feels like to be alive.
Not observable
FOCUS QUESTION:
HOW DOES THE BRAIN CREATE THE MIND?Slide3
Principle 1: Complicated Interconnections
Complicated Interconnections
Brain is made of simple pieces that are connected in complex ways.
Brain is built on simple units arranged in a way that makes the whole brain very complex.Slide4
Principle 2: Multiple Structures
Brain is made up of many different structures that work together.
“structure” = involved with something or responsible for something.
Example: “Cerebral Cortex” = structure. It is responsible for language and logical thought.
Parts of the brain work together.
Brain includes a lot of parallel processing.
Functions work together and influence each other.Slide5
Principle 3: Plasticity
Brain is always changing and adapting to new situations.
Example: Learning: when you learn a new skill, millions of brain cells change in order to give you the new abilities.Slide6
3 Brains Better than 1
Three major areas of the brain:
Hindbrain:
Responsible for basic life support functions (breathing, blood pressure)
Coordinates muscles.
Example: when you walk you don’t have to think about putting one foot in front of the other. It happens courtesy of hindbrain.
Midbrain
Between forebrain and hindbrain.
Serves as a relay station for information.
Forebrain
Largest and most recently evolved division of the brain.
Contains areas for reasoning, language, and other abilities that make us human.Slide7
Hindbrain
Three main parts of the hindbrain:
Brain stem (medulla)
Controls breathing and heart rate and contains nerve pathways that connect the brain to the rest of the body.
Pons
Swelling at the top of the brain stem.
Regulates sleep, controls body functions and relays information btw brain stem and other parts of hindbrain.
Cerebellum (body brain)
Coordinates muscle movement including posture, balance, and facial expressions.
Muscle memory.Slide8
Midbrain
Communicates between hindbrain and forebrain
Most commonly recognized midbrain structure is the “reticular activating system” AKA
reticular formation
.
Reticular: net-like
Extends down into the hindbrain like a net, and activates the forebrain when information from the hindbrain is important
enouh
to be handled by the forebrain.
Reticular Activating System:
A set of nerve pathways, including the reticular formation, that connect the brainstem to the cerebral cortex.
Important center for arousal, motivation, and attention.
Helps to regulate sleep and contributes to control and conscious experience of muscle reflexes, breathing, and pain perception.Slide9
Inner Forebrain
Forebrain:
The largest and most recently
evolved division of the brain. It contains
the cerebral cortex, the basal ganglia,
and the hypothalamus.
Limbic System:
group of structures involved with emotions, body functions, and smell. Also involved with memory and motivation.
Amygdala:
Processing emotions and
forming long-term memories about
emotions. Often active when you
experience fear and aggression.Slide10
Inner Forebrain Cont’d:
Hippocampus:
learning and in the formation of long-term memories.
Thalamus:
Relays sensory information from the eyes, ears, tongue, and skin to other parts of the brain. The only sense that isn’t processed through the thalamus is smell.
Hypothalamus:
Regulation of hunger,
thirst, sex drive, body temperature,
and other states. Part of the
endocrine system, helps control
many aspects of the body (moods,
growth, and temperature)Slide11
Outer Forebrain: Cerebral Cortex
Cerebrum:
wrinkled outer part of the forebrain.
Responsible for many “higher” functions such as language and rational thought.
Cerebral Cortex:
outer most layer
1/8” thick.
Consists of billions of neuron cells.
Beneath cerebral cortex are the axons that connect the neurons of the cortex with other brain structures.
Corpus Callosum:
A bundle of nerve fibers that connect the left and right halves of the cerebrum.Slide12
Cerebral Hemispheres (left and right)
Cerebral Hemispheres:
Left and right halves of the cerebrum.
Right Hemisphere:
controls sensory and motor functions on the left side of the body
Spatial and perceptual activities depend more on the right hemisphere
Left Hemisphere:
controls sensory and motor functions on the right side of the body.
Verbal and mathematical abilities depend more on the left hemisphereSlide13
Cerebral Lobes
Cerebral cortex of brain is divided into
4
sets of lobes: frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital.
Frontal Lobe:
largest and primary responsible for movement, planning, and judgment.
Motor cortex within frontal lobe: processes outgoing conscious commands to move muscles.
Temporal Lobe:
Important for speech and language
Parietal Lobe:
Responsible for voluntary movement and touch.
Sensory cortex: devoted to areas of the body with the most nerve endings (fingertips and lips)
Occipital Lobe:
receive impulses from the eyes. Form the images we see.