Download Studying the Brain

Studying the Brain
CHAPTER 6, SEC. 2
Three Parts of the Brain
 Hindbrain
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Located at the base of the skull
The basic processes of life
 Midbrain
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A small part located above the pons
Arouses the brain
Integrates sensory information & relays
it to the rest of the brain
 Forebrain
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Covers the brain’s central core
Sensory & motor control
Processing of thinking and learning
Hindbrain
 Cerebellum
 Controls posture, balance, & voluntary
movements
 Medulla
 Controls breathing, heart rate, and
reflexes
 Pons
 Bridge between the spinal cord and
brain
 Produces chemicals the body needs for
sleep
Forebrain
 Thalamus
 Integrates sensory input
 “relay station” for all the info that travels to and from
the cortex
 Hypothalamus
 Controls hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior
 Controls the body’s reaction to temperature
 Cerebral Cortex
 Outer layer of the forebrain
 Cerebrum
 Inner layer
 Ability to learn
 Stores complex & abstract information
Forebrain (cont’d)
 Limbic System
 Various structures that regulate
emotions & motivations
 Amygdala
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Controls violent emotions like
rage or fear
Hippocampus
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Important for the formation of
memories
Lobes of the Brain
 Lobes
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the division of the cerebral cortex into different
regions
 Corpus Callosum
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A band of fibers that joins the two hemispheres
of the cerebrum
 Occipital Lobe
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Sends visual signals
 Parietal Lobe
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Concerned with various info from the senses
 Temporal Lobe
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Concerned with hearing, memory, emotion, and
speaking
 Frontal Lobe
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Concerned with organization, planning, and
creative thinking
Left & right Hemispheres
 Left Hemisphere
 Controls the right side of the body
 Mathematical ability, where speech is located
 Right Hemisphere
 Controls the left side of the body
 Controls visual & spatial relations
 Perceptual tasks
How Psychologists Study the Brain
 Recording
 EEG – records the electrical
activity of the brain
 Shows the different levels of
activity in the brain when a
person is awake, drowsy, or
asleep
 Stimulation
 Electrodes are used to stimulate
the brain & record the activity
 Used with terminal cancer
patients to relieve pain
 Can be used to treat extreme
depression
 Used to control violent
emotional behavior
Brain Imaging
 Computerized Axial Tomography
(CT)
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Used to pinpoint injuries & brain
deterioration
Radiation is absorbed depending on
the density of the tissue & it produces
a 3D image
 Positron Emission Tomography
(PET)
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Looks at which areas of the brain are
being activated during certain
activities
A radioactive solution is injected into
the blood & the amount of solution
absorbed by blood cells is measured
Brain Imaging (cont’d)
 Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI)
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Studies brain structure & activity
Combines the features of CT & PET
scans
 Functional MRI (fMRI)
 Observes both the functions of
different structures of the brain &
which structures participate in
specific functions