Facts on the Brain. Weighs around 3 pounds. Resembles a wrinkled grey cantaloupe Has the consistency of jelly Would be useless without the spinal cord

Transcription

1 The Brain

2 Facts on the Brain Weighs around 3 pounds About 1/60 th of our body weight Resembles a wrinkled grey cantaloupe Has the consistency of jelly Would be useless without the spinal cord

3 Functions of the Brain Hindbrain (Brainstem) Medulla Oblongata (connects brain to spinal cord)

4 Medulla Oblongata Hindbrain Functions automatically (don t have to decide consciously to do it) Survive from moment to moment Regulate breathing Heart Rate Blood Pressure Simulates coughing, vomiting, and swallowing Damage can be fatal (Christopher Reeves)

5 Pons Hindbrain Above the Medulla Oblongata Influences sleep, dreams, and arousal

6 Hindbrain Cerebellum Controls all involuntary rapid, fire motor movements Example: Sitting upright in your chair

7 Cerebellum Hindbrain Allows eyes to move smoothly as they track a moving object Controls the timing of well-learned sequences of movements that are too rapid to be controlled consciously Examples: Running, singing, playing the piano (we don t think about every action)

8 Cerebellum Can be impaired by alcohol Movements are jerky and exaggerated Difficulty walking If damaged: Lack of motor coordination Stumbling Loss of muscle tone Hindbrain

9 Hindbrain Reticular Formation Regulates vigilance, brain arousal, attention, and sleep What is vigilance??? Example: You can be engaged in a conversation but still notice when someone elsewhere in the room says something significant to you (your name, or something about you)

10 Hindbrain Reticular Formation Brain arousal Example: When it is time to go to sleep, your brain will begin to shut down Can make you stay alert if necessary

11 Hindbrain Reticular Formation Reticular Activating System (RAS) acts as a filter Attend to important stimuli while ignoring irrelevant ones Example: Parents- Sleep through thunderstorms, but awake to the slightest baby cry They are able to pay attention to what is important Defect in this area may be related to ADHD

12 Forebrain Serves the higher functions of thinking, learning, memory, emotion, and personality Integrates information from your senses and memory allowing us to adapt to changes in the environment Contains the Limbic System Regulates emotions, motivation, and learning Contains the Thalamus, Hypothalamus, Hippocampus, and Amygdala

13 Forebrain (Limbic System) Thalamus Two egg or football shaped structures Sensory relay station (goes here first, then to the parts of the cortex that handle those senses) Sends taste, bodily, visual, and auditory sensations to other parts of the brain Not smell (limbic system)

14 Forebrain (Limbic System) Hypothalamus Lies beneath the thalamus Regulates hunger, thirst, emotion (fear, anger, aggression), sexual behavior, bodily temperature, and sleeping and waking

15 Forebrain (Limbic System) Hypothalamus Regulates physical changes in the body that accompany strong emotions Example: Sweaty palms, nervous, pounding heart, excited, hollow pit in stomach, lump in throat

16 Forebrain (Limbic System) Hippocampus Story Form memories of information

17 Damage Hippocampus Remember events before accident not after Momento and 50 First Dates(short term memory is damaged) Stress can cause the hippocampus to rot

18 Forebrain (Limbic System) Amygdala 2 almond shaped clusters responsible for fear responses and memory of fear Evaluates information from the immediate environment thus allowing you to choose an appropriate emotional response Someone has to help you develop this

19 Amygdala Helps form vivid memories of emotional events Example: See a pit bull, decide whether its friendly or mean, and either pet the dog or run away

20 Amygdala Make bad decisions if its damaged (no fear) Texas tower massacre