The Brain and Nervous System Flashcards
Ernst Weber
- conducted several experiments meant to investigate?
- particularly interested in?
how people perceive world via own body
-touch
Ernst Weber Experiment explain
-measured ?
It shed light on how nerves, nervous system and brain form foundation of ?
- two points, closer together noticed less difference
- “just noticeable differences”
- psychological processes
The main difference between humans and other animals in terms of brain development is ?
more developed frontal cortex (associated with planning)
CNS is made up of
-brain and spinal cord
CNS is referred to as Central beacause
- brain and spinal cord are responsible for processing sensory information
- sending signals to peripheral nervous system for action
Neurons
-are the fundamental building blocks of the nervous system
3 main components of a neuron are
- dendrites
- soma-
- axon
dendrites are
-act as an antenna for the neurons
soma is a
-cell body that builds up an electro-chemical signal
axon is a
-long tail that leads away from the soma toward the neuron.
the myelin sheath is a
-a layer of fatty cells that allow the signal to travel very rapidly from neuron to neuron
3 basic portions of the brain
brain stem
limbic system
cerebellum
brain stem
-located at the top of spine, the bottom of brain
–very basic life support functions
breathing, digestion, beating of the heart
-oldest part of the brain because its been found in crocodiles
limbic system
- collection of highly specialized neural structures that sit at the top of brain stem
- involved in regulating emotions
cerebellum
- structure at the back of the brain
- like brain stem, it coordinates action without the need for any conscious awareness
cerebrum
- cerebral cortex newest and most advanced portion of the brain
- left and right side of the brain
the cerebrum processes
-awareness and voluntary control
-primary sensors are
seeing, hearing, feeling,moving
contralateral
- opposite sided
- left side controls left side of body sensory and motor functions
- right side controls right side functions
frontal lobe
-front part of brain
-behavioral motor skills, speech-language
creative solving
-planning and organizing
temporal lobe
underside of cerebral cortex
sounds and smell are processed
parietal lobe
upper back of cortex
touch and taste are processed
peripheral nervous system
- complex network of nerves that travel to every part of the body
- carries signals necessary for the body to survive
- voluntary actions
Brocas area
-area in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere, responsibile for language production
