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)

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

The skull is a rounded layer of bone designed to protect the brain from penetrating injuries.

Blood Vessels of the Skull

Rough Interior of Skull

Bony ridges

The base of the skull is rough, with many bony protuberances.

These ridges can result in injury to the temporal lobe of the brain during rapid acceleration.

Injury from contact with skull

Accident

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

Months later: No longer Gage

Stint with P.T Barnum Died 12 years later Watch Clip

Reptilian Paleomammalian Neomammalian

Brainstem
responsible

for automatic survival functions heartbeat and breathing

Medulla
controls

THALAMUS Relays messages

amygdala

hippocampus

pituitary

CEREBELLUM Coordination and balance

BRAINSTEM Heart rate and breathing

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

 helps

coordinate voluntary movement and balance

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)

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)

Show self stimulation clip

Amygdala
two

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

August 1st, 1966

Charles Whitman

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

Cerebral Cortex
the

bodys ultimate control and information processing center

Planning, decision making speech

Sensory

Auditory

Vision

Limbic Lobe

Frontal Lobe

Parietal Lobe

Occipital Lobe Temporal Lobe

The frontal lobe is the area of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. These include: Problem solving Spontaneity Memory Language Motivation Judgment Impulse control Social and sexual behavior.

The temporal lobe plays a role in emotions, and is also responsible for smelling, tasting, perception, memory, understanding music, aggressiveness, and sexual behavior. The temporal lobe also contains the language area of the brain.

The parietal lobe plays a role in our sensations of touch, smell, and taste. It also processes sensory and spatial awareness, and is a key component in eye-hand co-ordination and arm movement.

The parietal lobe also contains a specialized area called Wernickes area that is responsible for matching written words with the sound of spoken speech.

The occipital lobe is at the rear of the brain and controls vision and recognition.

The limbic lobe is located deep in the brain, and makes up the limbic system.

The limbic system is the area of the brain that regulates emotion and memory. It directly connects the lower and higher brain functions. A. B. C. D. E. F. Cingulate gyrus Fornix Anterior thalamic nuclei Hypothalamus Amygdaloid nucleus Hippocampus

The cerebellum is connected to the brainstem, and is the center for body movement and balance.

Click image to play or pause video

Thalamus means inner room in Greek, as it sits deep in the brain at the top of the brainstem.

The thalamus is called the gateway to the cerebral cortex, as nearly all sensory inputs pass through it to the higher levels of the brain.

The hypothalamus sits under the thalamus at the top of the brainstem. Although the hypothalamus is small, it controls many critical bodily functions: Controls autonomic nervous system Center for emotional response and behavior

Regulates body temperature

Regulates food intake Regulates water balance and thirst Controls sleep-wake cycles Controls endocrine system The hypothalamus is shaded blue. The pituitary gland extends from the hypothalamus.

The medulla oblongata merges seamlessly with the spinal cord and creates the base of the brainstem. The medulla is primarily a control center for vital involuntary reflexes such as swallowing, vomiting, sneezing, coughing, and regulation of cardiovascular and respiratory activity. The medulla is also the origin of many cranial nerves.

The pons is the rounded brainstem region between the midbrain and the medulla oblongata. In fact, pons means bridge in Latin. The main function of the pons is to connect the cerebellum to the rest of the brain and to modify the respiratory output of the medulla. The pons is the origin of several cranial nerves.

The ventricles are a complex series of spaces and tunnels through the center of the brain. The ventricles secrete cerebrospinal fluid, which suspends the brain in the skull. The ventricles also provide a route for chemical messengers that are widely distributed through the central nervous system.

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Cerebrospinal fluid is a colorless liquid that bathes the brain and spine.

It is formed within the ventricles of the brain, and it circulates throughout the central nervous system.
Cerebrospinal fluid fills the ventricles and meninges, allowing the brain to float within the skull.

Click image to play or pause video

The brainstem is the most primitive part of the brain and controls the basic functions of life: breathing, heart rate, swallowing, reflexes to sight or sound, sweating, blood pressure, sleep, and balance.

The brainstem can be divided into three major sections.

Detailed brainstem anatomy.

Click image to play or pause video

Contralateral Homunculus Unequal representation

Figure 13.10

Aphasia

impairment of language, usually caused by left hemisphere damage either to Brocas area (impairing speaking) or to Wernickes area (impairing understanding) see clips
an area of the left frontal lobe that directs the muscle movements involved in speech

Brocas Area

Wernickes Area

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

LEFT HEMISPHERE

Broca Expression Wernicke Comprehensiona nd reception Aphasias

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

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

LEFT
Symbolic thinking (Language) Detail Literal meaning

RIGHT
Spatial perception Overall picture Context, metaphor

Right hemisphere controls left side of body and visual field

Left hemisphere controls right side of body and visual field

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

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

Impoverished environment

Enriched environment

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

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

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

Vision electromagnetic Hearing mechanical

Occipital lobe

Touch mechanical
Taste chemical
Sensory cortex Gustatory insular cortex Olfactory bulb Orbitofrontal cortex Vomeronasal organ?

Temporal lobe

Smell chemical

And the seventhand eighthand ninth

Vestibular balance and motion

Inner ear

Proprioceptive relative position of body

parts

Parietal lobe Thermoreceptors throughout the body, sensory cortex

Temperature heat Nociception pain

Nociceptors throughout the body, sensory cortex

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

Rods brightness Cones color