week 3 - Biological Bases of psychology

Question 1

what is the outermost layer of the brain called?

Answer 1

Cerebral Cortex - left and right hemisphere
Left hemisphere is in charge of language, analytical functions (maths), coordinates right side function
right hemisphere - non-verbal functions (art, music, recognising faces), sensations, coordinates left side

Question 2

What are the 4 divisions of each hemisphere (left and right)

Answer 2

frontal lobe, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe

Question 3

explain the mystery of phineas cage. Which part of the brain was effected and what did that result in?

Answer 3

Metal bar went through the frontal lobe which altered the high order functions including personality, emotion and memory. After the incident phineas Cage was reported to be “no longer cage” as his personality was almost opposite in that his personality changed from the man being nice, friendly, hardworking to being violent, angry, rude and inconsistent.

Question 4

What is broca’s aphasia and why does it occur?

Answer 4

Brocas aphasia is when the left frontal lobe is damaged and individuals are no longer able to process speech. They can still understand others talking but they themselves can no longer produce speech

Question 5

what happens when damage is done to the motor cortex?

Answer 5

Individuals are no longer able to coordinate fine movement and body parts such as limbs, fingers become very weak

Question 6

what is the function of the parietal lobe? What does the somatosensory motor have to do with its function?

Answer 6

parietal lobe is in charge of processing body sensations such as touch, temperature, pain, pressure. The Somatosensory cortex located in front of parietal lobe - and the more a specific body part is associated with the SSC, the higher the sensitivity. Face and hands are highly associated with SSC -> T.F -> v. sensitive

Question 7

what happens when damage is done to the somatosensory cortex and the parietal lobe?

Answer 7

damage to SSC : unable to feel body sensations (putting hand in boiling water, tapping somebody shoulder)
damage to parietal lobe: unable to recognise the object he/she was feeling/understand how the object is used. Example: a tennis racket, glove

Question 8

what is the temporal lobes function?

Answer 8

Temporal lobes function is auditory perception (understanding language, memory and emotional control)

Question 9

Where is the Wernikes area located within the brain?

Answer 9

Located in left temporal lobe and its function is understanding language.

Question 10

What is Wernikes aphasia ?

Answer 10

When wernikes area in the left temporal lobe is damaged and results in the individual no longer able to understand language. They are still able to pronounce words but can no longer arrange words in cohesive order to communicate.

Question 11

What happens when damage is done to the left temporal lobe and the right temporal lobe? Is the result of the damage in these areas of the temporal lobe the same?

Answer 11

damage on LTL: unable to understand language

damage to RTL: nonverbal deficits such as recognising songs

Question 12

Where is the occipital lobe located in the brain? What is its function?

Answer 12

Occipital lobe located in the back of the brain and its function is vision and visual perception. It allows the humans to associate simple objects into more complex ones. Primary visual cortex responds to simple objects.

Question 13

What is the difference between the primary visual cortex and the occipital lobe

Answer 13

Primary visual cortex is located within the occipital lobe but only reponds to simple objects whereas the occipital lobe associate simple objects into more complex ones and their position in space

Question 14

What happens when damage is done to the primary visual cortex?

Answer 14

results in partial/complete blindness - depending on degree of damage.

Question 15

what happens when the occipital lobe is damaged?

Answer 15

Occipital lobe damage results in visual agnosia - inability to put individual parts of an object together in order to recognise it. (Handles + wheels of a bike)

Question 16

What is the area that connects the left and right hemisphere of the brain? What is the function of this area?

Answer 16

Corpus callosum - located under the cerebral cortex allows left side of the body controlled by the to recognise what the right side of the body is doing.

Question 17

What part of the brain is damaged the results in people having epilepsy? How is epilepsy treated?

Answer 17

Corpus collosum. Doctors cut the corpus collosum to prevent the spread of seizures from left hemisphere to right hemisphere (vice versa) - results in seizures reduced or completely gone

Question 18

what is the function of the thalamus and where is it located?

Answer 18

two ball like structures (1 left + 1 right) located in middle of brain. function as relay information from parts of body to brain for processing
-> think of one person on each ball hailing and stopping

Question 19

what happens when the thalamus is damaged?

Answer 19

Damage to thalamus results in individual becoming blind/deaf or loosing any other sensory perceptions. Because thalamus served as a relay station or “Stop”s station for information travelling from outer cells to the cortex, the information received by the cortex may not be interpreted properly or may not be received at all

Question 20

what is the hypothalamus function - specifically what does it regulate in order to function? where is it located?

Answer 20

hypothalamus located underneath the thalamus - regulates emotion + drive -> sex, hunger, thirst (bodys metobolic prosesses).

Question 21

what happens when there is damage done to the hypothalamus

Answer 21

damage done to the hypothalamus results in change of eating/drinking behaviour -> anorexia/obesity or avoid drinking at all

Question 22

what parts of the brain make up the midbrain? what are these functions?

Answer 22

1. tectum: visuion and hearing
2. tegmentum: associated with movement
3. recticular formation - incharge of sleep cycles, heart rate, mucletone, movement, collection of neurons that allow integration of diverse info
   function: information super highway, orientates visual and auditory stimuli, allows humans to approach/avoid situations associated with reward/punishment

Question 23

what happens when the substantia nigra is damaged? where is it located in the brain?

Answer 23

located in midbrain - when SN damaged - neurons that release dopamine are affected which results in parkinsons disease - uncontrolled movements and unable to intiaite obehaviour/ controlling movements that are already happening

Question 24

what parts of the brain are apart of the hindbrain?

Answer 24

pons, cerebellum, medulla.
- Pons located underneath the midbrain and controls sleep/dreams/breathing/waking.
- cerebellum incharge of maintaining smooth and balanced movemnt, muscle coodination, motor learning (playing sport)
medulla - part of the brain stem and is middle man for messages sent to and from the upper portion of brain. upper portion of brain cannot function without the medulla.
function: controls many of ANS reponses, motor functions (body movement- not direct control but serves as highway for nerve fibres to travel across)
parts of reticular formation:

Question 25

where is the reticular formation located and what does it do? in particular what does the ascending and decending reticular formation do?

Answer 25

reticular formation is located at brain stem and is collection of neurons that have specialised functions
overall main important functions: controls posture, allows eyes to focus, provides rythmic breathing, sleep patterns, filters incoming sensory information and involved in alertness as it arouses higher centres of brain when something happens.
ascending reticular formation: controls sleep cycles
decending reticular formation: in charge of posture and ANS

Question 26

reticular formation injuries?

Answer 26

because it regulates arousal/action within the pons/midbrain/other systems in forebrain - damage = coma

Question 27

what are the 4 main categories of the limbic system

Answer 27

think hippo wearing hat H-hypothalamus A-amygdyla T- thalamus H-hippocampus

Question 28

what senses does the thalamus not regulate?

Answer 28

sense of smell - it has its own pathway to the cortex of the brain

Question 29

what does the amygdyla do? where it is located?

Answer 29

stimualte amygdyla -> evokes fear/axiety/violence

destroy amygdyla -> produces mellow effect

Question 30

what is kluver-bucy syndrome? where is it located?

Answer 30

in the amygdlya when both amygdyla (left and right) destoyed -> symptons include hyperorality /hypersexuality/ disinhibited behaviour (ignore social conventions/no consider the risk of behaviour/act impulsivley)

Question 31

what is the function of the hippocampus? where is it located?

Answer 31

• located in forebrain of limbic system - controls memory and helps convert STM to LTM. STM/LTM effects your emotions (thereofre plays apart in the limbic system function)
• think of compas - lost without it

Question 32

what happens when the hippocampus is damaged?

Answer 32

no longer able to form new memeories BUT older memories are still intact
- think loosing a compas -> loss of new memories but old memories from your brain are still intact

Question 33

what would be the result of a person having a stroke in the left side of his/her brain?

Answer 33

loss movement/coodination on the right side of his/her brain

Question 34

what parts of the brain make up the forebrain? what do each of these do?

Answer 34

cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system and basal ganglia

Question 35

what is controlateral control?

Answer 35

left side brain controls right side of body and vise versa

Question 36

give an example of side affects in split brain patients. For example what happens when someone sees something in the left visual field?

Answer 36

right and left hemipshere of brain rare no longer connected therefore cannot communicate. If something seen on left visual field, i wont be able to name is as language is centralised on the left hemisphere
- because its in the LVF and percieved by right hemisphere, it can still be picked up by the left hand.

Question 37

what is the difference between primary and association cortex?

Answer 37

primaryC - where raw info is processed/raw reponses initiated
association C - where complex information is processed and intergrated

Question 38

what is the basal ganglias function

Answer 38

muscle coodination and movement
recieves command info from cerebral cortex to coodinate appropreite movements/functions with minmial thought process needed