The brain Flashcards
What does the brain do ?
Along with the spinal cord, the brain is part of the CNS. It is in charge of all our complex behaviours. It controls and coordinates everything you do.
What is the brain made up of ?
The brain is made up of billions of interconnected neurones.
What are the 4 different regions of the brain that carry out different functions?
Cerebral cortex, Cerebellum , Medulla and the spinal cord.
What does the Cerebral cortex do ?
It is responsible for things like consciousness, intelligence, memory and language.
What does the Cerebellum do ?
It is responsible for muscle coordination.
What does the Medulla do ?
It controls unconscious activities - like breathing and your heartbeat.
Scientists use a range of different methods to study the brain. What are these?
Studying patients with brain damage, Electrically stimulating the brain and MRI scans.
How do scientists use studying of patients brains that have brain damage to understand the brain ?
If a small part of the brain has been damaged, the effect this has on the patient can telly you a lot about what the damaged part of the brain does. E.g. if an area at the back of the brain was damaged by a stroke and the patient went blind, you know that that area has something to do with vision.
How
do scientists use electrically stimulating the brain to understand the brain?
The brain can be stimulated electrically by pushing a tiny electrode into the tissue and giving it a small zap of electricity. By observing what stimulating different parts of the brain does, it’s possible to get an idea of what those parts do. E.g. when a certain part of the brain (the motor are ) is stimulated, it causes muscle contraction and movement.
How do scientists use MRI scans to understand the brain ?
A magnetic resonance imaging scanner can produce a very detailed picture of the brain’s structures. Scientists use it to find out what areas of the brain are active when people are doing things like listening to music or trying to recall memory.
What consequences are there when messing with the brain ?
- Knowledge of how the brain works has led to the development of treatments for disorders of the nervous system. For example, electrical stimulation if the brain can help to reduce muscle tremors caused by nervous system disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.
- However, the brain is incredibly complex and delicate - the investigation of the brain function and any treatment of brain damage or disease is difficult. It also carries risks, such as physical damage to the brain or increased problems with brain function (e.g difficult with speech)
