The Brain and Neuropsychology

• What are the sides of the brain called

  Hemispheres
• What is the cerebrum

  Largest part of the brain where higher processing happens (includes the cortex)
• What is the cortex

  The outer layer of the brain
• Explain the structure of the cortex

  Covered in gyri (bumps) and sulci (creases) to increase surface area for more nerve cells
• What is the spinal cord

  A pathway of nerves inside the spine which connects the brain to the rest of the body through the peripheral nervous system
• What is the brainstem 


  Part of the brain that connects the spinal cord to the upper brain
• What are reflexes

  Actions that are automatic and do not require conscious thought
• How is information passed throughout the body from the brain

  The spinal cord passes information from the brain through the brainstem (also controls reflexes)
• What is the function of the frontal lobe

  • Decision-making and impulse control
  • Concentration and paying attention
  • Back of the frontal lobe is the motor cortex which controls voluntary movement
• What is the function of the temporal lobe

  • Hearing, understanding sound, speech, and creating speech
  • Produces and process sound info
  • Also has some areas that control memory functions
• What is the function of the parietal lobe

  • Plays a role in our perception
  • Allows us to recognise faces
  • Contains the somatosensory cortex which is involved in our sense of touch
• What is the function of the occipital lobe

  • Controls ability to see
  • Processes visual info from eyes and helps make sense of the info we see
  • Called the visual cortex
• What is the function of the cerebellum

  • Plays a role in movement, coordination, and motor skills
  • Takes info from our senses, spinal cord, and the brain to coordinate behaviour
• Structure of the brain

  A) frontal lobe

  B) parietal lobe

  C) occipital lobe

  D) cerebellum

  E) spinal cord

  F) temporal lobe

  
• What does lateralisation of function mean

  Each hemisphere of the brain has a different job or role
• Are the hemispheres of the brain assymetrical

  Yes
• Which hemisphere controls which side of the body

  The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body

  The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body
• What is the corpus callosum

  Thick bundle of nerve fibres connecting the two hemispheres of the brain so they can communicate with each other
• What does the left hemisphere of the brain control

  Language processing
• What is the Broca’s area

  A part of the left hemisphere which controls speech production

  If it is damaged, people find it hard to talk

  Linked to nerve cells in the face which help us speak and general language processing
• What does the right hemisphere control

  Spatial awareness
• What is spatial awareness

  The ability to negotiate space and navigate our way around our environment
• What abilities does the right hemisphere control

  Recognising faces, processing sound, and processing visual information
• What is the of the corpus callosum


  Allows messages to be passed between hemispheres
• What skills are women generally believed to be better at than men

  Language skills (left-brain tasks)
• What skills are men generally believed to be better at than women


  Spatial skills (right-brain tasks)
• There has been some evidence of women having a thicker corpus callosum, making them better at using both sides of their brain for tasks whereas men tend to show dominance in tasks for one hemisphere
• Strengths of lateralisation as an explanation for sex difference between males and females


  • Research evidence: Harasty (1997) part of brain that processes and produces language is slightly bigger in women, explaining why women may be better at language skills. Rilea (2005) found men to be better at spatial tasks
  • Scientific evidence: Brain scans and lab experiments have shown differences. These methods remove extraneous variables which strengthens explanation
• Weaknesses of lateralisation as an explanation for sex differences


  • Research evidence: In Rilea (2005) males did not always do better than females in spatial tasks. The study’s tasks also did not use tasks that used a lot of right brain activity
  • Sommer (2004): Study stated that there was no strong evidence for girls using both hemispheres for language tasks
• What is the central nervous system


  The brain and spinal cord, which relay messages from the brain to the rest of the body to instruct it what to do
• What is the peripheral nervous system

  The system of nerves that connect the central nervous system to the skin, muscles, and organs
• How are responses carried out by the CNS

  The sensory nerves in the body send messages to the brain via the spinal cord. The brain processes this info and sends messages to the body through the spinal cord in what to do. This activates the PNS which carries out the action
• What are neurotransmitters 


  Chemicals found within the nervous system that pass messages from one neurone to another through the synapse
• What is the role of dopamine

  • For attention and learning
  • Lack of dopamine can make it difficult to concentrate on tasks
• What are the 3 main neurotransmitters

  Dopamine, serotonin, GABA
• What is the role of serotonin

  • For mood
  • Too little serotonin leads to people feeling depressed
• What is the role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

  • For calming us down
  • GABA is produced when we are stressed to calm us
• What is synaptic transmission


  The process by which neurotransmitters are released by a neurone, moves across the synaptic gap and are taken up by another neurone
• What is the synapse

  A gap between the 2 neurones that allow messages, in the form of neurotransmitters, to pass from one cell to another
• What is the axon

  The long structure that connects the cell body of a neurone to the terminal button at the end of the cell