Brain Structure and Function

If the human brain were so

simple that we could
understand it, we would be so
simple that we couldnt
-Emerson Pugh, The Biological Origin of Human
Values (1977)

Phineas Gage
September 13th, 1848
Phineas 25 years old
Rutland & Burlington Railroad, Cavendish,
VT
Paving the way for new RR tracks
Tamping Iron
1.25in x 3ft

Phineas Gage
Accident
Quick Recovery

Months later: No longer Gage

Before: capable, efficient, best foreman, well-balanced
mind
After: extravagant, anti-social, liar, grossly profane

Stint with P.T Barnum

Died 12 years later
Watch Clip

Evolution of the Brain

Reptilian Paleomammalian Neomammalian

The Brain
Brainstem
responsible for
automatic survival
functions

Medulla
controls heartbeat
and breathing

Parts of the Brain

THALAMUS
Relays
messages

CEREBELLUM
Coordination
and balance

amygdala

hippocampus

pituitary

BRAINSTEM Heart rate and

breathing

Reticular Formation
Widespread connections
Arousal of the brain as
a whole
Reticular activating
system (RAS)
Maintains
consciousness and
alertness
Functions in sleep and
arousal from sleep

The Cerebellum
helps coordinate
voluntary
movement and
balance

The Limbic System

Hypothalamus, pituitary,
amygdala, and hippocampus
all deal with basic drives,
emotions, and memory
Hippocampus Memory
processing
Amygdala Aggression
(fight) and fear (flight)
Hypothalamus Hunger,
thirst, body temperature,
pleasure; regulates pituitary
gland (hormones)

The Limbic System

Hypothalamus
neural structure lying
below (hypo) the
thalamus; directs several
maintenance activities
eating
drinking
body temperature

helps govern the

endocrine system via the
pituitary gland
linked to emotion
(show video)

The Limbic System

Show self stimulation clip

The Limbic System

Amygdala
two almondshaped neural
clusters that are
components of
the limbic system
and are linked to
emotion and fear

August 1st, 1966

Charles Whitman

The Brain

Thalamus
the brains sensory
switchboard, located
on top of the
brainstem
it directs messages to
the sensory receiving
areas in the cortex
and transmits replies
to the cerebellum and
medulla

The Cerebral Cortex

Cerebral Cortex
the bodys
ultimate control
and information
processing
center

The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres

The lobes of the cerebral hemispheres

Planning, decision
making speech

Sensory

Auditory

Vision

The Cerebral Cortex

Frontal Lobes
involved in speaking and
muscle movements and in
making plans and judgments
the executive

Parietal Lobes
include the sensory cortex

The Cerebral Cortex

Occipital Lobes
include the visual areas, which
receive visual information from the
opposite visual field

Temporal Lobes
include the auditory areas, each of
which receives auditory information
primarily from the opposite ear

The Cerebral Cortex

Frontal (Forehead to top) Motor Cortex

Parietal (Top to rear) Sensory Cortex
Occipital (Back) Visual Cortex
Temporal (Above ears) Auditory Cortex

Motor/Sensory Cortex
Contralateral
Homunculus
Unequal
representation

Sensory Areas Sensory Homunculus

Figure 13.10

The Cerebral Cortex

Aphasia
impairment of language, usually caused by left
hemisphere damage either to Brocas area
(impairing speaking) or to Wernickes area
(impairing understanding) see clips

Brocas Area
an area of the left frontal lobe that directs the
muscle movements involved in speech

Wernickes Area
an area of the left temporal lobe involved in
language comprehension and expression

Language Areas
Broca
Expression
Wernicke
Comprehension
and reception
Aphasias
LEFT HEMISPHERE

Paul Broca [1800s]

Suggested localization

Techniques to examine
functions of the brain
1. Remove part
of the brain &
see what effect it
has on behavior
2. Examine
humans who
have suffered
brain damage

3. Stimulate
the brain

4. Record
brain activity

Brain Lateralization

Our Divided Brains

Corpus collosum
large bundle of
neural fibers
(myelinated axons,
or white matter)
connecting the two
hemispheres

Hemispheric Specialization
LEFT

RIGHT

Symbolic thinking
(Language)
Detail
Literal meaning

Spatial perception
Overall picture
Context,
metaphor

Contra-lateral
division of labor
Right hemisphere
controls left side of
body and visual field
Left hemisphere
controls right side of
body and visual field

Split Brain Patients

Epileptic patients had corpus callosum cut
to reduce seizures in the brain
Lives largely unaffected, seizures reduced
Affected abilities related to naming objects
in the left visual field

Brain Plasticity

Brain Plasticity
The ability of the brain to
reorganize neural pathways
based on new experiences
Persistent functional changes in
the brain represent new
knowledge
Age dependent component
Brain injuries

Environmental influences on
neuroplasticity

Impoverished environment

Enriched environment

Sensation and Perception

Sensation
The process by which the central
nervous system receives input from
the environment via sensory neurons
Bottom up processing

Perception
The process by which the brain
interprets and organizes sensory
information
Top-down processing

The psychophysics of sensation

Absolute threshold the minimum
stimulation needed to detect a stimulus with
50% accuracy
Subliminal stimulation below the
absolute threshold for conscious awareness
May affect behavior without conscious
awareness
Sensory adaptation/habituation
diminished sensitivity to an unchanging
stimulus

The five major senses

Vision electromagnetic
Occipital lobe

Hearing mechanical
Temporal lobe

Touch mechanical
Sensory cortex

Taste chemical
Gustatory insular cortex

Smell chemical
Olfactory bulb
Orbitofrontal cortex
Vomeronasal organ?

The sixth sense

And the seventhand eighthand ninth

Vestibular balance and motion
Inner ear

Proprioceptive relative position of body

parts

Parietal lobe

Temperature heat
Thermoreceptors throughout the body, sensory cortex

Nociception pain
Nociceptors throughout the body, sensory cortex

Thresholds of the five major senses

The Retina
The retina at the
back of the eye
is actually part
of the brain!

Rods
brightness
Cones color