Neuroscience (Lecture 1) Flashcards
Neuroscience
multidisciplinary apporach to the study of the brain and nervous system
biopsychology
the biological approach to psychology
psychology
the study of the mind
mind
the brain
Mind according to the Melanesian culture
memory was attributed to the stomach
intellect according to the Melanesian culture
larynx
Majority of early cultures believed what was the seat of the mind
the heart
Hippocrates beliefs (460-379BCE)
the brain is the most powerful organ of the human body
Aristotle’s beliefs
- the brain exists to cool the blood overheated by the seething heart
- the heart was the real seat of the mind
Galen (130-200 CE)
- supported the Hippocratic view of the brain
- belived that the body functioned through the work of 3 types of spirits
1. natural spirits
2. vital spirits
3. animal spirits
mind v body
question of wether the mind is an inanimate invisible spiritual force or a function of the physical properties of the body/brain
animistic theory of mind
the mind is essentially spiritual nature
Support for mechanistic view
In the dark ages there was war, famine, and no legal authority. the church told you what to believe in order to get into heaven
mechanistic view
brain is the physical basis of the mind (not house for spirits)
mental illness
any illness with no physical cause (used to be thought to be the work of witchcraft or the devil)
When was mental illness finally recognized as a disease?
late 16th/ early 17th century
Franz Joseph Gall (18th - 19th century)
- physical traits may indicate mental faculties
- oganology
- Johann Spurzhein = Phrenology
Contributions of Phrenology
- reinforced the notion of the brain as being the prime organ of the mind
- encouraged scientific research on the relationship of different brain regions and behaviors (often to disprove phrenological theory)
organology
mental faculties (powers) could be attributed to larger brain regions dedicated to those faculties
Phrenology
idea that the sizes of brain areas were meaningful and could be inferred by examining the skull of an individual
- brain areas have localized specific functions
- example: character, emotion, and thoughts had specific area in the brain
Pierre-Paul Broca (1894-1880)
- localization of function
- had patient named Tan who could only say the word tan
- after tan died did autopsy and discovered lession in an area he deemed Brocas area
Brocas Area
- in left temporal lobe
- regoin reals with speech
General trends over the centuries
- seat of the mind starts to be considered to be the brain
- towards the mechanistic/physiological view of the mind
- away from the animistic/spiritual view
