Download Brain Facts - Intro to Psych @ SHS with Ms. J Beebe

Psych on The Brain
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How well do you know your Brain?
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Aoccrdrinig to rscheearch at
Cmabridge Uinervtisy, it
deosn't mttaer in waht oredr
the ltteers in a wrod are, the
olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht
the frist and lsat ltteer be at
the rghit pclae. The rset can
be ttaol mses and you can
sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.
Tihs is bcuseae the huamn
mnid deos not raed ervey
lteter by istlef, but the wrod
as a wlohe.
A Little Quiz
(no, it doesn’t count)
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When are your last brain cells born?
 A)
Before Birth
 B) At age Six
 C) Between the ages of Eighteen and twenty-three
 D) In old Age
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Which of the following is NOT likely to
improve brain function in old age?
 A)
Eating fish with omega-3 fatty acids
 B) Getting regular exercise
 C) Drinking one or two glasses of red wine/day
 D) Drinking a whole bottle of red wine/day
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Which of the following strategies is the best
one for overcoming jet lag?
 A)
Taking melatonin the night after you arrive at your
destination
 B) Avoiding daylight for several days
 C) Getting sunlight in the afternoon at your destination
 D) Sleeping with the light on
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Your brain uses about as much energy
as a
 A)
refrigerator light.
 B) laptop computer.
 C) idling car.
 D) car moving down a highway.
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Someone is tickling you. You can
reduce the sensation by
 A)
putting your hand on his to follow the movement
 B) biting your knuckles
 C) tickling him back
 D) drinking a glass of water
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Which of the following activities is likely to improve
your performance in school?
 A)
 B)
 C)
 D)
 E)
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Listening to classical music while you sleep
Listening to classical music while you study
Learning a musical instrument
Taking breaks from studying to play video games
Both C and D
Which of the following things is a blow to the head
least likely to cause?
 A)
Loss of consciousness
 B) Memory loss
 C) Restoration of memory after suffering amnesia
 D) Personality Change
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You are in a noisy room talking to a friend
on a cell phone
To have a clearer conversation you should:
A)
B)
C)
D)
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talk more loudly.
cover one ear & listen thru the other.
cover your ear when you talk.
cover the mouthpiece when you listen.
Which of the following is the hardest thing your
brain does?
 A)
Doing Long Division
 B) Looking at a photograph
 C) Playing Chess
 D) Sleeping
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Memory starts to get worse in which
decade of life?
 A)
Thirties
 B) Forties
 C) Fifties
 D) Sixties
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How much of your brain do you use?
 A)
10%
 B) 5% when sleeping, 20% awake
 C) 100%
 D) Varies according to intelligence
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Brain Facts
 The adult human brain weighs about 3 lbs.
 The adult human brain has about 100 BILLION (!)
neurons, 20 times more than the world population
 Early in pregnancy, a baby’s neurons multiply at about
250,000 per minute (!)
 There are 1,000 to 10,000 synapses per neuron in a
“typical” adult human brain
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More brain facts
 The best estimates of the speed of neural transmission
range from 6 to 122 meters per second (100 meters per
second equals about 224 miles per hour)
 Nearly half the weight of the brain comes from glial cells
(think “glue” cells), which help support the neurons that
send messages and outnumber them about 10 to 1
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More brain stuff
 Some neurons release excitatory neurotransmitters,
which are analagous to the gas pedal on a car
 Other neurons release inhibitory neurotransmitters,
which act like the brakes on a car
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The Cerebral Cortex
 The cortex is the wrinkled,
outer covering of the brain,
often likened to the bark of a
tree
 If the human cortex was
flattened out, it would be
equal to about 4 sheets of
paper
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Relative Cortex Sizes
 A chimpanzee’s cortex =
one sheet of paper
 A monkey’s cortex = a
postcard
 A rat’s cortex = a postage
stamp
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The Lobes of the Cortex
 We divide the cortex into four




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sections, or lobes:
The frontal lobes
The parietal lobe
The occipital lobe
The temporal lobe
The Frontal Lobe
 One Third of the Cerebral
cortex
 Several Primary functions:
 Planning ahead
 Prediction
 “Programming” for one’s needs
 Judgement, understanding




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consequences
Analytical and critical reasoning
Cognition and memory
voluntary motor activity
stores language skills
More on the Cortex
 Some estimate that as much
as 75% of the cortical area is
given over to the “association
cortex” (it’s not very easily
localized in any one spot),
which makes connections etc.
 Damage to association areas
in the frontal lobes can
prevent a person from fleeing
danger even though they
“know” they should flee!
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The Lobes of the Cortex (continued
 The occipital lobes: at the
rear of the head; houses the
visual cortex
 The temporal lobes: at the
temple, on the side of the
head; houses the auditory
cortex, smell is housed here
 F.P.O.T.!
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The Parietal Lobe
 An area that responds to
nerve impulses for:
 Pain
 Temperature
 Touch
 Pressure
 Left-right orientation
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Occipital Lobe
 Visual Information
processed here
 Damage to this area can
cause partial or complete
blindness
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Temporal Lobe
 Upper section of it affects
hearing
 Inner surface concerns
memory processing
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The Limbic System
 Sometimes called the
“emotional brain”
 Includes:
thalamus
hypothalamus
amygdala
hippocampus
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Thalamus
 “Last Stop” for neurons
firing info to cerebral
cortex
 A kind of “relay center”
for sensory input
 Related to sleep and
wakefulness
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Hypothalamus
 Related to Homeostasis
 Links nervous system to the
endocrine system - related to
pituitary gland
 Hormone production and
regulation affecting emotional
behavior, including anger,
stress, and sex
 Also blood pressure, heart
rate, thirst, hunger, circadian
rhythms, and other
maintenance functions
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Amygdala
 Named because of its
“almond” shape
 Relays info to hypothalamus
 Involved in storage of
emotional memories,
particularly negative ones
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Amygdala Issues
 Over reaction,
 Hyper emotionality
 Hyper sexuality
 Monkey mothers damaged
amygdalas were abusive
 Borderline personality disorder
 Misinterpretation of facial
expressions in depressed patients
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Hippocampus
 Involved in long-term
memory (first damaged
in Alzheimers
 Used to access facts
stored in memory
 Related to inhibitions
 Also involved in spatial
navigation
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Brain differences thinking about
finances
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