The Brain

• What is the focus of behavioural neuroscience?


  The study of how the brain and nervous system control our behaviour
• How is behaviour determined according to behavioural neuroscience?


  Behaviour is determined by biological processes in the body and the brain
• What is the basic belief of behavioural neuroscience?


  • All behaviours are traceable to biological processes.
  • Understanding behaviours involves probing the biological processes that underpin them.
• Who was Phineas Gage?


  A 25-year-old railway worker who suffered a tamping iron accident
• What happened to Phineas Gage in 1848?


  A tamping iron went through his head, landing 30 yards away
• How did Phineas Gage's personality change after his accident?


  He became obstinate, rude, and disrespectful
• What significant brain injury did James Cracknell suffer in July 2010?


  His brain smashed against the front part of his skull, damaging the frontal lobe
• What was Beverly's concern when she received the call about James Cracknell's accident?


  She didn't know if he would be paralyzed, brain-damaged, or dead
• How did James Cracknell's personality change after his injury?


  He became irritable, aggressive, and a bully
• What are the main components of the brain's structure and function?

  • Central part of the nervous system
  • Interprets incoming information
  • Formulates responses
  • Sends commands to the body
• What is the weight of the human brain?


  2 or 3 lbs
• How many nerve cells (neurons) are in the human brain?


  100 billion nerve cells
• What is the length of the neural pathways in the human brain?


  162,000 miles in length
• What are the functions of the brain's different parts?


  • Localisation of function
  • Networks between brain areas
  • Different parts perform different functions
• What is the oldest part of the brain?

  The brain-stem
• What are the functions of the medulla in the brain-stem?


  Regulates heart rate and breathing
• What does the pons regulate?


  Sleeping, dreaming, and walking
• What is the role of the reticular activating system?


  It regulates alertness and screens information
• What is the primary function of the cerebellum?


  Motor coordination and fine motor control
• What can damage to the cerebellum lead to?


  ADHD and Parkinson’s disease
• Where is the thalamus located?


  On top of the pons and medulla
• What is the function of the thalamus?


  Filters messages from the body and senses
• What are the components of the limbic system?

  • Amygdala
  • Hippocampus
  • Hypothalamus
• What is the role of the amygdala?


  Evaluates sensory information to determine danger or threat
• What did Fairchild et al. (2012) find about adolescents with conduct disorder?


  They do not process threat and danger in the same way as normal controls
• What shape is the hippocampus?


  Seahorse shaped
• What is the function of the hippocampus?


  Involved in learning and memory
• What happens if the hippocampus is damaged?


  It can lead to an inability to build new memories
• What drives survival according to the hypothalamus?


  Hunger, thirst, emotion, sex, and reproduction
• What is the hypothalamus's role in the fight or flight response?


  It helps determine how we respond to threats
• What are the functions of the cerebral cortex?


  • Largest part of the brain
  • Higher functioning
  • Divided into two hemispheres and four lobes:
  • Frontal lobe: thinking, planning, memory, judgment, movement, speech
  • Parietal lobe: touch
  • Occipital lobe: vision
  • Temporal lobe: hearing and language
• What connects the two hemispheres of the brain?

  The corpus callosum
• What are the functions of the left hemisphere of the brain?


  Analytic thought, logic, language, science, and math
• What are the functions of the right hemisphere of the brain?


  Holistic thoughts, intuition, creativity, art, and music
• What is Broca's area responsible for?


  Speech production
• What is Wernicke's area responsible for?


  Understanding language
• What are the methods used to study brain function?

  • Look at lesion/damage cases
  • Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation
  • Electric stimulation
  • EEG (Electroencephalography)
  • fMRI and fNIRS
• What is a limitation of studying lesion/damage cases?


  They are rare and not specific to one type of damage
• What does Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation do?


  Temporarily disrupts different areas of the brain
• What does EEG measure?


  Records electrical activity in the brain