The Brain

• Overview of brain sections

  • Lobes of the brain (Forebrain)
  • Midbrain/Hindbrain
  • Structure and Function of a neuron
  • Synaptic Transmission
  • Neurotransmitters
• Function of a Neuron
• The Limbic system

  • Amygdala - mediates and controls major affective mood states such as friendship, love, affection, fear, rage, aggression
  • Hippocampus - Memory, particularly the ability to turn short term memory into long term memory, Alzheimer's disease
• Frontal Lobe


  • Located at the front of both cerebral hemispheres
  • Primary motor cortex
  • Pre-motor cortex
  • Broca’s Area for Motor Production of speech
  • Complex Functioning including personality, judgement, insight, reasoning, problem solving, abstract thinking, and working memory
• Temporal Lobes


  • Located at each side of the brain
  • Involved in receiving and processing auditory information, higher order visual information, complex aspects of memory and language
  • Wernicke’s Area for Comprehension of speech
• Diencephalon


  • Thalamus - filters sensory information, controls mood states and body movement associated with emotive states
  • Hypothalamus - ‘Central control’ for pituitary gland, regulates autonomic, emotional, endocrine, and somatic function, direct involvement in stress and mood states
• Forebrain

  • Cerebrum and Cerebral cortex
  • Left and Right Hemispheres
  • Left hemisphere responsible for language, mathematical ability, problem solving, logic
  • Right hemisphere responsible for creativity and spatial ability
• Parietal lobe


  • Located behind frontal lobe
  • Somatosensory cortex
  • Spatial orientation, perception, comprehension of language function, recognising objects by touch
  • Links visual and somatosensory information together
  • Neglect
• Hindbrain

  • Cerebellum - regulates equilibrium, muscle tone, postural control, fine movement, coordination of voluntary muscle movement
  • Pons - Relay station between cerebrum and cerebellum
  • Medulla oblongata - Conscious control of skeletal muscles, balance, co-ordination, regulation of automatic responses such as heart rate, swallowing, vomiting, coughing, sneezing
  • Reticular Formation - Important in arousal, maintaining consciousness, alertness, attention, Reticular Activating System controls cyclic functions like respiration, circadian rhythm
  • Basal Ganglia - Control of muscle tone, activity, posture, large muscle movements, inhibit unwanted muscle movements
  • Substantia Nigra - Produces dopamine connected to the basal ganglia, EPSE’s
• Occipital lobes


  • Rearmost portion of the brain
  • Visual processing area
  • Corpus Callosum - Fibre bundle in the brain that connects the two hemispheres together
• Structure of a Neuron
• Function of a Neuron

  1. Resting potential: positive/negative charge, voltage gated channels, sodium/potassium pump

  2. Action potential: threshold, depolarisation
• Resting potential

  1. Positive/negative charge

  2. Voltage gated channels

  3. Sodium/potassium pump
• Authors: 'Rosenweig, Breedlove and Leiman ,2005 pg 64'
• Norepinephrine (NE) is found mainly in 3 areas of the brain: the locus coeruleous, the pons, and reticular formation. Its main role includes attention, alertness, arousal, sleep/wake cycle, and regulating mood/anxiety
• Serotonin (5HT) is believed to be a great influence on behavior. Only 2% of serotonin is found in the CNS. Its roles include vasoconstriction, gastrointestinal regulation, association with aggression, suicide, impulsive eating, anxiety, low mood, regulating general activity of the CNS, particularly sleep, and association with delusions, hallucinations, and some negative symptoms of schizophrenia
• GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is only found in the CNS, is an inhibitory neurotransmitter, controls excitatory neurotransmitters, and is implicated in anxiety disorders
• Neurotransmitters

  • Acetylcholine (ACh)
  • Norepinephrine (NE)
  • Dopamine (DA)
  • Serotonin (5HT)
  • Glutamate
  • GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)
• Image has been released into the public domain by its author, LadyofHats
• Synaptic transmission


  1. Calcium ion channels

  2. Synapse

  3. Lock and key effect

  4. Reuptake
• Action potential


  1. Threshold

  2. Depolarisation
• Function of a Neuron

  • Resting potential
  • Action potential
• Acetylcholine (ACh) is released through the brain via cholinergic pathways and plays a role in cognition (memory), sleep/wake cycle, parasympathetic nervous system, regulation of heart rate, digestion, production of saliva, bladder function, and smooth muscle contraction
• Dopamine (DA) is found in almost a million nerve cells in the brain and plays a role in complex movement, cognition, motor control, and emotional responses such as euphoria or pleasure. Newer antipsychotic medications focus on particular dopaminergic pathways in the brain to lessen EPSE’s
• Glutamate is found in all cells, controls opening of ion channels, blocking glutamate produces psychotic symptoms, and overexposure to glutamate causes cell death