Brain & Behaviour Flashcards
How is Einstein’s brain structured differently?
- 73% more glial cells
- needs more energy
- EXTRA THICK corpus callosum > more ext. connections between cerebral hemispheres
- differences in areas supporting spatial insight
What are the 3 divisions in the brain?
- hindbrain
- midbrain
- forebrain
What is the hindbrain responsible for? What are the 2 main parts?
- programs for living
> medulla/pons: basic survival functions
>cerebellum: motor coordination + balance
What is the midbrain responsible for?
-coordinating sensory info
>reflexive orienting to visual/auditory events
What is the forebrain responsible for? What are the 2 main parts?
inc. the cerebral cortex + subcortical structures
>thalamus: relay station for sensory + motor info
> hypothalamus: motivation + regulation [4 Fs]
What are the 4 Fs?
Fighting, fleeing, feeding & mating
What is the basal ganglia responsible for?
- movement
- motor control
What causes Parkinsons?
- premature death of dopamine cells
- basal ganglia depleted the dopamine
What are the parts of the limbic system? [2]
Hippocampus
Amygdala
What does the hippocampus do? [2]
- long-term memory
- spatial navigation
What does the amygdala do? [3]
- emotional learning
- fear conditioning
- detecting threat
What does contralateral organisation mean?
- REFERS TO THE CEREBRAL CORTEX*
- means right brain controls L
- left brain controls R
Cerebral cortex: Left brain does what?
language + the interpreter
Cerebral cortex: Right brain does what?
spatial
How can epilepsy be treated?
Sever the corpus callosum (seizures can’t spread)
Function of the OCCIPITAL LOBE
visual cortex: visual input
> damage the OC = BLINDNESS
Rest of the OC: visual processing
> PET study confirms this
Function of the PARIETAL LOBE
somatosensory cortex: touch inputs
rest of the PL: spatial perception, reaching, grasping attention
Function of the TEMPORAL LOBE
Auditory cortex: hearing
rest of TL: object recognition, lan. comprehension, long-term memory
What happens when you damage the lower part of the TL?
DAMAGE TO LOWER TL = CAN’T PUT VISUAL INFO TOGETHER
What’s Wernicke’s aphasia?
Can’t understand/produce understandable lang
Function of the FRONTAL LOBE
Motor cortex: movement
rest of FL: speech, complex thinking, working memory, personality
What’s Broca’s aphasia?
Difficulty prod. lang, but can comprehend [affecting the FL]
Key points for Penfield’s Homunculus
- adjacent points on skin = adjacent in cortex (ex. toes next to foot then leg)
- some regions have more cortex devoted to them
What’s special about the cortex?
It’s PLASTIC»_space; MALLEABLE
