Ch. 2 – Neuroscience
Today’s coming
attractions
How do you think?
What is a neuron?
How do neurons communicate?
How do we record the brain’s structure,
function, and electrical activity?
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How do neurons
communicate?
What is the relationship between
psychology, biology, chemistry, and
electricity?
Movie DVD#1 Neural communication
What do you think might occur if the
transmission of neurotransmitters across
the synapse was blocked?
What if it was facilitated?
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How do neurons
communicate?
Synaptic gap?
Neurotransmitters
– Endorphins
– SSRI’s
Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors
For depression
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Neurotransmitters
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If you touch a hot stove, what
happens?
Peripheral
nervous system
Central nervous
system
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The peripheral nervous
system consists of:
A.
B.
C.
D.
association areas.
the spinal cord.
the reticular formation.
sensory and motor neurons.
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If you see a rattlesnake, what
happens?
Sympathetic system
Parasympathetic system
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If the Dr. taps you on the
knee, what is he testing for?
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You want to record the brain’s
electrical activity.
What method would you use?
EEG = Electroencephalogram
What does it do?
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Name That Brain
Damage
Damage to certain areas of
the brain can cause specific
deficits in behavior. This
activity links specific brain
areas with their functions.
Acknowledgements: This activity was written by
Antoinette R. Miller, Clayton State University
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Overview of Brain Anatomy:
(1) Lower Brain Structures
[sensation]
[sleep/wake]
[ “life support” ]
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Overview of Brain Anatomy:
(2) Lower Brain Structures
[coordination
and balance]
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Overview of Brain Anatomy:
(3) Lower Brain Structures
{
[hunger
thirst
body temperature
sexual behavior]
[anger and fear]
[memory]
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Overview of Brain Anatomy:
(4) Cerebral Cortex
[touch/sensation]
[movement/ speech (left)]
[vision]
[hearing; comprehension (left)]
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What is a Lesion?
Lesion = tissue destruction.
Damage to a brain structure (or to multiple
structures) may affect a person’s behavior
or abilities.
Damage may be deliberate (experimental)
or accidental (head injury, stroke, etc.)
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Case Study 1: Patient JP suffered a minor
stroke recently. Although he has recovered
most of his function, he still is unable to
speak clearly. He sounds stilted, and
almost “Tarzan-like.”
A. parietal lobe
B. hippocampus
C. cerebellum
D. frontal lobe
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Case Study 2: Patient GN recently was
struck in the head with a crowbar. Although
her eyes were undamaged, she is now
unable to see.
A. occipital lobe
B. spinal cord
C. hippocampus
D. reticular formation
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Case Study 3: Patient AF is suffering
from a brain tumor. As the tumor
grows, he is becoming increasingly
belligerent and aggressive. He also
seems to have no fear when
confronted with threats or danger.
A. temporal lobe
B. amygdala
C. medulla
D. cerebellum
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Case Study 4: Patient BB, ironically
enough, has been shot in the head with
a BB gun. The BB is now lodged in her
brain, and she has lost feeling in her
left hand.
A. pituitary gland
B. spinal cord
C. parietal lobe
D. frontal lobe
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Case Study 5: Patient PD suffers from an
extreme seizure disorder. Doctors have
located the source of the seizures. To
prevent PD’s death, they have surgically
removed the affected area. While PD’s
seizures have lessened considerably, he
is now unable to form new memories.
A. hippocampus
B. occipital lobe
C. thalamus
D. frontal lobe
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Case Study 6: Patient FD has suffered
a minor stroke. Now, she is extremely
uncoordinated and seems to have
completely lost her sense of balance.
A. reticular formation
B. amygdala
C. temporal lobe
D. Cerebellum
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A new superhero emerges on the scene.
This superhero is able to stay awake and
vigilant for extended amounts of time. He
helps the intelligence community by being
able to stay in surveillance for extended
amounts of time without losing
concentration and can always be paying
attention to what is happening. A study of
this superhero’s brain might show that the
____________ is more advanced and
developed
A. frontal
lobe than a non-superhero’s.
B. amygdala
C. reticular formation
D. occipital lobe
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You are a neurologist in a large
hospital. The wife of a construction
worker visits you and describes that
her husband has experienced a
serious injury to his frontal lobe. She
is perplexed by his behavior. Which
of the following would you tell her is
“normal behavior” for a person with
frontal lobe damage?
A.
B.
C.
D.
not much decline in memory or intelligence
poor judgment
irritability and other personality changes
ALL of these are commonly seen in frontal lobe damage
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Which of the following
activities is NOT primarily
a function of the left
hemisphere?
A.
B.
C.
D.
listening to a piano concerto
reading your psychology book
reading junk mail
listening to a poetry reading
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As Allison reaches for a box in her
garage, out jumps a big spider. Her
heart immediately begins to race as
she withdraws her hand, but soon
she realizes that the spider is
harmless, and she begins to calm
down. Which part of her nervous
system is responsible for brining her
back to a normal state of arousal?
A. sympathetic nervous system
B. somatic nervous system
C. parasympathetic nervous system
D. skeletal nervous system
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If Dr. Barnes wanted to cause
a cat to take on an attack
posture, which of the cat’s
brain structures should he
electrically stimulate?
A.
B.
C.
D.
amygdala
hypothalamus
hippocampus
cerebellum
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Consider This…
What other methods are available to
researchers trying to link brain areas to
functions?
Do you think using studies of lesions’ effects
on behavior is the most reliable method?
Which brain area would you consider the
most terrible to lose?
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