Logbook 3- parts of the brain

• Parts of the brain

  A) Reticular formation

  B) Cerebrum

  C) Pons

  D) Cerebellum

  E) Medulla

  F) Thalamus

  G) Hypothalamus

  
• Hindbrain

  -located at the base of the skull near the spinal cord

  -responsible for basic survival functions

  -key structures are the pons, medulla and cerebellum
• Midbrain

  -located in the centre of the brain

  -responsible for relaying messages between the hindbrain and forebrain

  -filters and directs sensory information

  -key structure is the reticular formation
• Forebrain

  -located at the top of the brain

  -responsible for complex mental processes such as problem solving and thinking

  -maintains homeostasis

  -key structures are the cerebrum, thalamus and hypothalamus
• The mind body problem questions what the relationship is between the mind and body
• Brain vs Heart debate is that either the brain or the heart controls all mental processes

  Greeks believed it was the Brain

  Egyptians believed it was the Heart
• Monism is the belief that everything is one thing. There is only one substance and this includes both physical and spiritual things. This means that the mind and body are not separate but rather part of the same thing.
• Rene Descartes proposed the dualist theory which states that there are two substances; matter and spirit/mind. The mind is non material and immortal while the body is made up of matter and mortal.
• Dualism is the belief that there are two substances; matter (physical) and spirit (mental). The mind and body are therefore separate entities.
• The cerebral cortex is divided into two hemispheres

  -the left side controls the right side of the body and vice versa
• Functions of the cerebral cortex:

  -receives and processes sensory information

  -initiates voluntary movement of the skeletal and muscles

  -integrates information from different brain areas

  -higher mental activities
• cerebrum

  -cognitive processes

  -movement

  -receives and processes sensory information

  -personality and emotions
• Reticular formation

  -regulates alertness

  -modifies muscle movement

  -filters sensory information
• Cerebellum

  -movement, posture, balance, some learning and memory
• Medulla

  -regulates survival functions e.g. breathing and heart rate
• Pons

  -link to spinal cord

  -sleep and arousal and some muscle movement
• Thalamus

  -receives sensory information and filters it

  -sends info to relevant brain areas
• Hypothalamus

  -internal body functions such as homeostasis
• Phrenology- study of the shape of the human skull to determine personality
• Brain scans

  A) Structural

  B) Functional

  C) CT

  D) MRI

  E) PET

  F) fMRI

  
• • Broca’s area is responsible for the production of speech,
  • coordinates jaw and muscle movements required to form fluent speech
  • located in the left frontal lobe and if damaged speech is not able to be produced fluently, and sometimes at all.
• • Wernicke’s area is responsible for the comprehension of speech and understanding of language.
  • It is located in the left temporal lobe.
  • If damaged, it may result in receptive aphasia who may be unable to comprehend and express written and spoken language
• • brain ablation- the surgical removal, destruction, or cutting of a region of brain tissue
  • brain lesion- the practice of inducing and/or studying the effects of damage to an area of the brain