EXC 7770
Psychoneurological & Medical
Issues in Special Education
Susan B. Brown, Ph.D.
Kennesaw State University
Definitions:
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Psychoneurology: of, relating to, or
concerned with psychology and neurology
especially in their clinical aspects
http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgibin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=psychoneurology
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Neuropsychology: a science concerned
with the integration of psychological
observations on behavior and the mind with
neurological observations on the brain and
nervous system
http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm
Approaches to study of brain:
animal research
 people with brain damage/mental illness
 lab experiments with primates/humans
 brain-imaging technology
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chemical composition CAT MRI
electrical transmission EEG SQUID BEAM
blood-flow patterns PET
Chapter 1 (Drubach, 2000) Brain
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3 pints
3 pounds
Brain function
Receive: uses sensory/perceptual
processes to take in objects/events
 Process: draws on memory & problemsolving to process
 Act: translates thought & decision into
behavior & language
 Affect: controls emotions & feelings
 Control: controls body systems
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The Secret Life of the Brain : Mind Illusions
Drubach (2000) Structure of the Brain
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Neurons
Neurotransmitters
Glial Cells
Brain Structure
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Cerebellum
Brainstem
Thalamus
Basal Ganglia
Cerebrum
Hemispheres
Spinal Cord
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Neurons
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Regulate cognitive activity
Specialized
Collaborative
Neurotransmitters
Neuroscience for Kids - Neurotransmitters)
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Produced by enzymes
Stored in vesicles
Communication (autoreceptors – feedback)
Electrochemical
 Excitatory
 Inhibiting
 Depolarize
Selective
Synapse
 Receptor
 Enzymes
 Reuptake
 Glial ingestion
Glial cells
glial cells - multiple sclerosis encyclopaedia
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Support & Nourishment (astrocytes)
 Neurotransmitter ingestion
 Remove waste
 Mesh structure
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Insulation (oligodendrocytes, Schwann cell
 Myelin sheath
 Faster conduction
Alterations in neuronal communication
Inadequate level of neurotransmitter
production
 Decrease in number of presynaptic
neurons
 Faulty mechanism for release of
neurotransmitters
 Enzyme levels in synapse
 Reuptake functions
 Receptors available
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Cerebellum
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Coordination of movement
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Motor learning
Cognition
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Motor planning
Rate of information processing
Memory
Brain Stem
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Command Center Nuclei
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Muscle movements
Organ control
Regulating consciousness
Information highways
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Axons transmitting information from brain
Axons transmitting information to brain
Reticular formation
Central core of the brain stem
 Regulates attention & flow of sensory
information into a general level of
attention
 Fluctuates in 90 minute cycles (chemical
net to increase/decrease information flow)
 High in AM, drop until below
consciousness to sleep at night
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Thalamus
Censor & gatekeeper
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Arousal
Relay sensory
information to brain
Coordindation of
movement
Sensory & motor
integration
Autonomic
functions
Memory
Hypothalamus
Homeostasis, or
maintaining the body's
status quo
Neural signals to the
autonomic system
Endocrine signals
to/through the pituitary
Controls body weight
and appetite
Basal Ganglia
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Movement
Cognition
Amygdyla
Part of the basal
ganglia
 Emotional
processing
 Emotional memory
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Autonomic Nervous System
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/auto.html
runs bodily functions without our awareness or
control
Sympathetic system: "fight-or-flight" response
Parasympathetic system: slowing the heart,
constricting the pupils, stimulating the gut and
salivary glands, and other responses that are not a
priority when being "chased by a tiger“
The state of the body at any given time
represents a balance between these two
systems.
Cerebrum
Hemispheres
Functional lobes:
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital
Hierarchical
Frontal Lobe
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Initiators &
command post for
movement
Left frontal lobe –
motor functions of
language
Personality
Sensory Lobes
Occipital Lobe
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Temporal Lobe
Processing
auditory
information
Left – Meaning of
language
Processing visual
information
Parietal Lobe
Processing
sensory
information
Brain Connectivity: Hemispheres
Left Brain
Logical
Sequential
Rational
Analytical
Objective
Looks at
parts
Right Brain
Random
Intuitive
Holistic
Synthesizing
Subjective
Looks at
wholes
Corpus Callosum
Communication between brain hemispheres
Spinal Cord
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Information from brain to body:
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Information from body to brain:
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Fibers
Roots
Motor neurons
Carry information in opposite direction
Sensory receptors
Roots
Proprioception
Reflexes
The Brain: Information Processing System
 Attention
 Perception
 Memory
 Association
 Responses
Information Processing System
Longterm
memory
S
Senses
Sensory Attention Perception
Store
R
Shortterm
memory
Functional Organization
Input
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Output
Receptors
Electrochemical impulses
Axons to thalamus – gatekeeper forms units
Primary processing – modality specific
Secondary processing – modality specific
Tertiary processing – integrate across
modalities & affective components (limbic)