Introducing Psychology
Second Edition
Schacter · Gilbert · Wegner
Neuroscience
and Behavior
Chapter 3
Prepared by
Melissa S. Terlecki, Ph.D.
Cabrini College, PA
Modified by S. Bowman
Figure 3.1
Components
of a Neuron
Types and Functions of Neurotransmitters
 *Dopamine (DA): regulates motor behavior, motivation,
pleasure, and emotional arousal
 *Norepinephrine (NE): influences mood and arousal
 *Serotonin (5-HT): involved in the regulation of sleep
and wakefulness, eating, and aggressive behaviors
 *Endorphins: act within the pain pathways and emotion
centers of the brain
How do
neurotransmitters
create the feeling
of “runner’s high”?
Endorphins elevate
mood and dull
pain.
How Drugs Mimic Neurotransmitters
 Drugs affect the nervous system by increasing,
interfering with, or mimicking neurotransmitters.
 Agonists: drugs that increase the action of a
neurotransmitter
 Antagonists: drugs that block the function of a
neurotransmitter
 Examples include: L-dopa, heroin (MPPP and MPTP),
methamphetamine, amphetamine, cocaine, Prozac
(SSRI), propranolol (beta-blocker)
 Note: L-dopa acts as an agonist for dopamine, meaning
what?
Figure 3.6
The Human Nervous System
What triggers the increase in your heart rate
when you feel threatened?
Figure 3.6
The Human Nervous System
Sympathetic Nervous System
Figure 3.8 The Pain Withdrawal Reflex Many actions of the central nervous system don’t require the brain’s input. For example,
withdrawing from pain is a reflexive activity controlled by the spinal cord. Painful sensations (such as a pin jabbing your finger) travel
directly to the spinal cord via sensory neurons, which then issue an immediate command to motor neurons to retract the hand.
DANIEL L. SCHACTER, DANIEL T. GILBERT, DANIEL M. WEGNER: Introducing Psychology, Second Edition
Copyright © 2013, 2011 by Worth Publishers
Structure of the Brain
 Different regions of the
brain are specialized for
different kinds of tasks.
 Simpler functions are
performed at the “lower
levels” and more
complex functions are
performed at “higher
levels.”
 There are three major
divisions of the brain:
o the hindbrain
o the midbrain
o the forebrain
Figure 3.9
The Major Divisions of
the Brain
an area of the brain that coordinates
information coming into and out of the
spinal cord, and controls the basic functions
of life
 Medulla: an extension of the
spinal cord into the skull that
coordinates heart rate,
circulation, and respiration
o Reticular formation: a
brain structure that
regulates sleep,
wakefulness, and levels of
arousal
 Cerebellum: a large
structure of the hindbrain
that controls fine motor
skills
Which part of the brain helps
 Pons: a brain structure that
to orchestrate the sequential
relays information from the
cerebellum to the rest of the
movements that keep you
brain.
steady on your bike?
The
Hindbrain
The
Hindbrain
Which part of the brain
helps to orchestrate the
sequential movements that
keep you steady on your
bike?
The Cerebellum
The
Midbrain
an area of the brain that is important for
orientation and movement.
Tectum and tegmentum: help orient an
organism in the environment and guide
movement toward or away from stimuli.
The
Forebrain
is the highest level of brain; critical for
complex cognitive, emotional, sensory, and
motor functions.
Subcortical structures: areas of the forebrain housed under the cerebral
cortex near the very center of the brain.
 Thalamus: a subcortical structure that relays and filters information
from the senses and transmits the information to the cerebral cortex.
 Hypothalamus: a subcortical structure that regulates body
temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior.
 Pituitary gland: the “master gland” of the body’s hormone-producing
system, which releases hormones that direct the functions of many
other glands in the body.
 Hippocampus: a structure critical for creating new memories and
integrating them into a network of knowledge so that they can be
stored indefinitely in other parts of the cerebral cortex.
 Amygdala: a part of the limbic system that plays a central role in many
emotional processes, particularly the formation of emotional
memories.
 Basal ganglia: a set of subcortical structures that directs intentional
movements.
Figure 3.12
The Forebrain
Which part is
responsible
for creating
new
memories
and
integrating
them with
old memories
to be stored
elsewhere?
What is the function
of the amygdala?
Figure 3.12
The Forebrain
Which part is
responsible for creating
new memories and
integrating them with
old memories to be
stored elsewhere?
The hippocampus
What is the function
of the amygdala?
The formation of
emotional memories
The Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral cortex: the
outermost layer of the
brain, divided into two
hemispheres (left and right)
 Contralateral control
means that each
hemisphere controls the
functions of the opposite
side of the body.
 Corpus callosum: a thick
band of nerve fibers that
connects large areas of
the cerebral cortex on
each side of the brain and
supports communication
of information across the
hemispheres
Figure 3.14
Cerebral Cortex and
Lobes
Four lobes of the cortex (in each
hemisphere):
 Occipital lobe: a region of the
cerebral cortex that processes
visual information
 Parietal lobe: a region of the
cerebral cortex whose functions
include processing information
about touch
 Temporal lobe: a region of the
cerebral cortex responsible for
hearing and language
 Frontal lobe: a region of the
cerebral cortex that has
specialized areas for movement,
abstract thinking, planning,
memory, and judgment.
Association areas: areas of the cerebral
cortex that are composed of neurons
that help provide sense and meaning to
information registered in the cortex
Figure 3.15
Somatosensory and Motor Cortices
Figure 3.15
Somatosensory and Motor Cortices
The somatosensory
cortex is located in
the parietal lobe.
Each part maps on
to a particular part
of the body. The
homunculus (pg.
75) illustrates how
much of the cortex
is devoted to
certain body parts.
Brain Plasticity
 Sensory cortices can adapt to change.
 The brain is “plastic”: Functions that were assigned to
certain areas of the brain may be capable of being
reassigned to other areas of the brain to accommodate
changing input from the environment.
 Greater use of an area for a function may result in a
larger area of cortical representations.
 Physical exercise can increase the number of synapses
and even promote the development of new neurons in
the hippocampus.
Brain Plasticity and Sensations in Phantom Limbs
What does it mean to say that the brain is plastic?
Functions in one area may be reassigned to
another.
 Phantom limb syndrome: Following limb amputation,
some patients continue to feel sensations where the
missing limb would be.
 Brain scans of amputees revealed that stimulating areas
of the face and other parts of the body may activate
sensations in the missing limb, due to compensation of
cortical area in the somatosensory cortex.
 Researchers have used a “mirror box” to teach
amputees new mapping to increase voluntary control
over their phantom limbs.
Evolutionary Development of the Central
Nervous System (3.5)
 During evolution, a split in the nervous system occurred between
invertebrates (animals without a spinal column) and vertebrates
(animals with a spinal column).
 The forebrain undergoes evolutionary advances in vertebrates,
reaching its peak with humans.
Figure 3.16
Development of
the Forebrain
What is the difference in
the organization of the
nervous system between
invertebrate and
vertebrate animals?
Development of the
forebrain.
Genes and the Environment
Both nature (biology) and nurture (environment) interact to
play a role in directing behavior.
 *Gene: the unit of hereditary transmission; sections on
strands of DNA organized into chromosomes
o *Chromosomes: strands of DNA wound around each
other in a double-helix configuration. How many do we
have? 23 Pairs.
Figure 3.17
Genes, Chromosomes, and
Their Recombination
Monozygotic and Dizygotic Twins
 Degree of relatedness
refers to the probability of
sharing genes
o Monozygotic twins
share 100% of their
genes.
o Dizygotic twins share
50% of their genes.
 Twin studies attempt to
separate genetics (nature)
from environment
(nurture).
Learning About Brain Organization by
Studying the Damaged Brain
 Much research in neuroscience correlates loss of
specific functions to brain damage.
 Phineas Gage’s accident affected the emotional frontal
lobe. Current accidents-teen and spear accident.
Learning About Brain Organization by
Studying the Damaged Brain
The split-brain procedure used to
temper intractable epilepsy severs
the corpus callosum and allows the
study of separate hemispheric
specialization.
 Roger Sperry (1913-1994)
designed several experiments
that investigated the behaviors
of split-brain patients.
 The left hemisphere is more
responsible for language
processing.
Video on severed corpus
callosum.
Figure 3.19
Split-Brain Experiment
Listening to the Brain
Single Neurons and Global Activity
The link between brain structures
and behavior can be studied
through the recording of electrical
activity in neurons.
 Electroencephalograph (EEG): a
device used to record electrical
activity in the brain. Electrodes
are placed on the outside of the
head.
 David Hubel (1926-) and Torsten
Wiesel (1924-) inserted
Figure 3.20
electrodes into the brains of
EEG
anesthetized cats, which led to
the discovery of visual feature
detectors.
How does the EEG record
electrical activity in the brain?
Brain Imaging
From Visualizing
Structure to Watching
the Brain in Action
Figure 3.21
Structural
Imaging
Techniques (CT
and MRI)
Neuroimaging techniques use
advanced technology to create images
of the living, healthy brain.
 Structural brain imaging shows
underlying brain structure.
o Computerized axial tomography
(CT) scan and magnetic resonance
imaging (MRI) are examples.
Brain Imaging
From Visualizing
Structure to Watching
the Brain in Action
Functional brain imaging shows
brain activity while someone
engages in a cognitive or motor
task.
 Positron emission
tomography (PET) and
functional magnetic
resonance imaging (fMRI) are
examples.
o fMRI shows the fusiform
gyrus to be responsible for
the recognition of faces.
What does an fMRI track in an active brain?
Figure 3.22
Functional
Imaging
Techniques
(PET and
fMRI)
Where Do You Stand?
Brain Death
 Brain death is defined as the irreversible loss of all
functions of the brain.
o A flat-line EEG does not indicate that all brain functions
have stopped.
 Terri Schiavo (2005) was kept alive on a respirator and
feeding tube for nearly 15 years.
o She was brain-dead, or in a persistent vegetative state.
o There was controversy over her level of consciousness
and voluntary behavior.
 Who/how should we decide whether someone is really
“alive”?