neuro cp

• Cognitive Neuroscience


  The study of the neural bases of cognition
• Cognitive Neuroscience


  • It is the most recent division of biopsychology
  • Due to its focus on cognition, the research involves human subjects, which means that the methods used tend to be noninvasive
• Cognitive neuroscience is the field of study linking the brain and other aspects of the nervous system to cognitive processing and, ultimately, to behavior
• Brain


  The organ in our bodies that most directly controls our thoughts, emotions, and motivations
• From Neuron to Brain

  1. Examine the structure and function of the cells that constitute the nervous system

  2. Neurons transmit electrical signals from one location to another in the nervous system

  3. Neurons are arranged in the form of networks, which provide information and feedback to each other within various kinds of information processing
• Basic Structure of Neurons

  • Cell body, or soma
  • Dendrites
  • Axon
  • Terminal buttons
• Soma (cell body)


  Contains the nucleus and much of the machinery that provides for the life processes of the cell
• Dendrites


  Serve as important recipients of messages transmitted across the synapse, a junction between the terminal buttons of the sending cell and a portion of the somatic or dendritic membrane of the receiving cell
• Axon


  • Carries information from the cell body to the terminal buttons
  • Transmits an action potential, a brief electrical/chemical event that starts at the end of the axon next to the cell body and travels toward the terminal buttons
• Terminal Buttons


  • Secrete a chemical called a neurotransmitter when an action potential traveling down the axon reaches them
  • The neurotransmitter either excites or inhibits the receiving cell and thus helps to determine whether an action potential occurs in its axon
• Types of Neurons


  • Sensory Neurons
  • Motor Neurons
  • Interneurons
• Brain


  • The center of the nervous system
  • The vital organ that is responsible for the functions of seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, thinking, feeling, remembering, speaking, dreaming, information processing, and a lot more
  • The regulator of basic survival functions such as breathing, resting and feeding
  • Responsible for abstract level functions such as decision making, foresight, and problem solving
• Spinal Cord


  • An information highway connecting the PNS to the brain
  • Information travels to and from the brain by way of spinal cord
• Forebrain: Cerebrum


  • Largest part of the human brain, associated with higher brain functions such as thought and action
  • Occupies 2/3 of the brain's total mass
  • Consists of two symmetrical halves or hemispheres
  • Regulates the brain's higher cognitive and emotional functions
• Thalamus


  • A pair of egg-shaped structures located at the top of the brainstem
  • Channels incoming sensory information to the appropriate area of the cerebral cortex so that it is processed there
  • Acts like a relay station, the brain's sensory switchboard, directing messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmitting replies to the cerebellum and medulla
• Hypothalamus


  • One of the smallest structures in the brain, lying below the thalamus
  • Composed of several nuclei that regulate physiological processes involved in motivated behavior e.g. hunger, thirst, regulation of body temperature
  • Acts as the body's Thermostat
  • Helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland
  • Is linked to emotions
• Limbic System


  • Found buried within the cerebrum, at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres
  • A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures associated with emotions e.g. fear and aggression, and drives like hunger and thirst
  • Regulates body temperature, blood sugar level and blood pressure
  • Structures within the Limbic System: Hippocampus (memory and learning), Amygdala (aggression and fear)
• Midbrain


  • Located between the hindbrain and forebrain, but it is actually part of the brain stem
  • Acts as a relay station, controlling motor function and conveying motor information from the cerebrum
  • Other regions of the midbrain are involved in processing sensory information
  • Associated with functions like temperature regulation, sleep/wake cycle, controlling unconscious reactions, and controlling auditory and visual systems
• Hindbrain


  • Includes the medulla oblongata, the pons, and the cerebellum
  • Responsible for some of the oldest and most primitive body functions
• Cerebellum


  • A separate region of the brain located behind the medulla oblongata and pons
  • Receives information from our eyes, ears, muscles, and joints about the body's current positioning
  • Receives output from the cerebral cortex about where these body parts should be
  • Sends motor impulses from the brain stem to the skeletal muscles so that they can move
  • Main function is muscle coordination, but it is also responsible for balance and posture, and assists us when learning new motor skills
• Cerebral Cortex & Localization of Brain

  • The brain is divided into two halves, or hemispheres
  • Within each half, particular regions control certain functions
  • The two sides of the brain communicate with one another via the corpus callosum
• Lateralization


  • The receptors on the left side generally transmit information to the right hemisphere, and the left hemisphere directs the motor responses on the right side of the body
  • The right hemisphere directs responses on the left side of the body
  • Some ipsilateral transmission (on the same side) also occurs, e.g. odor information from the right nostril goes primarily to the right side of the brain, and about half the information from the right eye goes to the right side of the brain
• Lobes of the Brain

  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
  • Temporal lobe
• Frontal Lobe


  Responsible for personality, behavior, emotions, judgment, planning, problem solving, speech, body movement, intelligence, concentration, and self-awareness
• Parietal Lobe


  • Interprets language, words, sense of touch, pain, temperature, and signals from vision, hearing, motor, sensory and memory
  • Responsible for spatial and visual perception
• Occipital Lobe


  Interprets vision (color, light, movement)
• Temporal Lobe


  • Responsible for understanding language, memory, and hearing
  • Involved in sequencing and organization