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MODULE 4: INCREDIBLE
NERVOUS SYSTEM
GENES & EVOLUTION (GENETIC
INSTRUCTION)
Fertilization:

sperm (23) + egg (23) = zygote (46)
Chromosomes:

contain DNA, every human cells has 23 pairs
Chemical Alphabet:

DNA strand resembles a ladder with 300,000 pgs.
of instructions
GENES & EVOLUTION (GENETIC
INSTRUCTION)
Genes & Proteins:

Genes- segment of
DNA w/instructions
eye color, ear lobes,
obesity
 30,000 human genes on
23 pairs of
chromosomes

Genome:

blue print on how we
develop

gene therapy to treat
problems
A. GENES & EVOLUTION (GENETIC
INSTRUCTION)
Evolution of the Human
Brain:
Origins of Species (1859)
Charles Darwin
- theory of evolution
- humans and chimps share at
least 98.5% of their DNA
(a) Lucy's Brain (500 grams)
- lived on leaves and
fruit
- did not make tools
- no language, or fire
- died out 1 million years
ago
- then came "Homo"
A. GENES & EVOLUTION (GENETIC
INSTRUCTION)
Homo Erectus Brain (1,000 grams)
- added meat to their diets
- stone tools & language developed
- thick skeleton for walking upright
Homo "Sapiens"- means 'wise'
- 400,000 years ago
- 1,350 gram brain
- growing crops, social communities,
language
- why?- strong survive/environment
- genetic mutations
AUSTRALOPITHICUS AFARENSIS
HOMO ERECTUS
HOMO SAPIEN
STUDYING THE LIVING BRAIN
Previously we had to
study post-mortem
 now we can see inside
the human skull


MRI: Magnetic
Resonance Imaging
passes non-harmful
radio frequencies
through the brain
 incredibly detailed
images
 study the structure of
the brain

A. STUDYING THE LIVING BRAIN
 FMRI:
Functional Mag. Res. Imag.
stands for functional
measures activity of specific
neuron during cognitive tasks
 thinking, listening, reading


 PET
Scan: Positron Emission Tomography
inject radioactive glucose into the
blood
 measure amount absorbed by
different sections during activity
 very active brain cells absorb more
solution than less active cells

A. STUDYING THE LIVING BRAIN
 CAT:Computerized
Axial Tomography
Scan


uses x-rays to
create 3
dimensional images
can detect brain
damage and
highlight cerebral
blood flow
CAT SCAN
A. STUDYING THE LIVING BRAIN
MEG:
Magnetoencephalography

machine parts kept at 269o C

weight 8 tons

a couple exist in the
world
C. DIVISION
OF
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
MAJOR PARTS OF THE BRAIN:

Forebrain


largest part of the
brain (left/right)
responsible for...
learning
 memory
 speaking and language
 emotional response
 sensations
 initiating voluntary
movements
 planning and decision
making

MAJOR PARTS OF THE BRAIN

Midbrain
visual and auditory
reflexes
 reticular formation
 alerts and arouses
the forebrain to
process incoming
information from the
senses

MAJOR PARTS OF THE BRAIN

Hindbrain




3 distinct structures
 Pons
 Medulla
 Cerebellum
Pons
 makes chemicals involved in sleep.
 Transfers messages from spinal cord to brain.
Medulla
 controls vital reflexes
 respiration
 heart rate
 blood pressure.
Cerebellum
 coordinating movements
 timed motor responses, sports and games
 drugs & alcohol slows down this section
HINDBRAIN
CONTROL CENTER: 4 LOBES

Overall View of the
Cortex
Cortex- in Latin
means "cover"
 4 lobes- cortex
divided into 4 areas

CONTROL CENTER: 4 LOBES

Frontal

personality
emotions
 motor behaviors


Parietal



Occipital


perception
sensory experiences
Processing visual info
Temporal

hearing & speaking
FRONTAL LOBE
(EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS)
 Functions:







voluntary motor movements
interpreting & performing emotional
behaviors
behaving normally in social situations
maintaining a healthy personality
paying attention to things in the
environment
making decisions
executive planning, reasoning, carrying out
behavior
FRONTAL LOBE
(EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS)

Motor Cortex- narrow strip of cortex on the back
of the frontal lobe


involved in the initiation of all voluntary
movements
Movements:
 Mouth
 vocalization, swallowing, mastication
 lips, face, eyelids, eyeballs, brow
 fingers
 hand, wrist, elbow, shoulder, trunk, hip, knee, ankle,
toes
 left hemisphere (cortex) controls right side of the body
 involved w/memory for the order of events across
time
PARIETAL LOBE
Functions:
 processing sensory information from body
parts
 carrying out several cognitive functions
 attending to & perceiving objects
 Somatosensory cortex
 Front edge of parietal

process info about
touch
 location of limbs
 pain
 temperature

TEMPORAL LOBE FUNCTIONS

Primary Auditory Cortex

Receives electrical signals & transforms them into
sounds


vowels & consonants
The temporal lobe is involved in:
 Hearing
 speaking coherently
 understanding verbal & written material
TEMPORAL LOBE FUNCTIONS

Auditory Association Area
 Transforms basic sensory information, such as
noise or sounds, into recognizable auditory
information, such as words or music
 Sent from PAC to AAA
 Broca's Area (Aphasia) (Frontal Lobe)
 necessary for combining words & sounds &
arranging them into manful sentences
 Wernicke's Area (Temporal Lobe)
 difficulty in understanding the spoken or
written word/ difficulty making sentences if
damaged
OCCIPITAL LOBE
Processing visual info
 seeing colors
 recognizing objects
 animals
 people
 Primary Visual Cortex
 located at the very back of the occipital lobe
 receives electrical signals from receptors in the eyes
 transforms these signals into meaningless basic
visual sensations
 seeing colors
 lights, lines, shadows, & textures

OCCIPITAL LOBE
Visual Association Area
 Transforms colors, lights, lines, shadow into
people, objects, or animals
 Visual Agnosia
 Have difficulty combining separate parts to
make a whole
 Neglect Syndrome
 Patient's inability to see objects or parts of the
body on the side opposite the brain damage
(shave one side, dress one side)

LIMBIC SYSTEM: OLD BRAIN
Group of interconnected structures that make up
the core of the forebrain
 Motivational behavior


Obtaining
Food
 Drink
 Sex

Fear, anger, aggression
 Storing memories

1.
Hypothalamus- motivation & emotion



Eating, drinking, sex
Fight or flight
Hormones at puberty
LIMBIC SYSTEM: OLD BRAIN
LIMBIC SYSTEM: OLD BRAIN

Amygdala
Forming , recognizing, and remembering emotional
situations (fear)
 Emotional facial expressions


Thalamus
Reading and Dyslexia
 Receiving sensory information
 Initial processing and relaying information to the
cortex


Hippocampus
Permanent storage of memories
 Remembering facts, places, faces, or conversations

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM

Numerous glands that
are located
throughout the body
and secrete various
hormones.

Which affect organs,
muscles, and other
glands in the body.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Hypothalamus
1.


Controls much of the endocrine system by regulating the
pituitary gland

which is located directly below and outside the brain
The hypothalamus is often called the control center of the
endocrine system
Posterior Pituitary
2.


Regulates water and salt balance
Dysfunction- diabetes
Anterior Pituitary
3.


The front part of the pituitary regulates growth through
secretion of growth hormone and
Produces hormones that control the adrenal cortex:

pancreas, thyroid, and gonads.
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Pancreas
4.


This organ regulates the level of sugar in the bloodstream
by secreting insulin
Dysfunction: diabetes or hypoglycemia
Thyroid
5.

this gland, which is located in the neck, regulates
metabolism through secretion of hormones
ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Adrenal Gland
6.
Secretes hormones that regulate sugar and salt balances
and help the body resist stress (coping)
They are also responsible for the growth of pubic hair, a
secondary sexual characteristic
The adrenal medulla (inside part) secretes two hormones
that arouse the body to deal with stress and emergencies:

Epinephrine (adrenaline)

Norepinephrine (noradrenaline).



7.
Gonads: Puberty and sexual development
In females, the ovaries produce hormones that regulate
sexual development, ovulation, and growth of sex organs.
 In males, the testes produce hormones that regulate sexual
development, production of sperm, and growth of sex
organs.

AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM

Sympathetic Nervous System

Triggered by threatening or challenging physical
stimuli
Increases the bodies physiological arousal.
 Fight or flight response
 Helps the body cope with threatening situations


Parasympathetic Division
Decreases physiological arousal and help return the
body to a calmer more relaxed state
 Stimulates digestion


Homeostasis

Keeping the body’s level of arousal in balance for
optimal functioning
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM