Consciousness & Free Will

Consciousness

quality + state of awareness, lead to subjective experience of life/self

Split Brain Operation

severing of Corpus Callosum in epileptic patients; results in info traveling from only 1 hemisphere at a time down brainstem + spinal cord ; illuminates brains influence on consciousness

Left Brain is in control of…

complex language comprehension, speech, writing, right muscles + right visual field

Right brain in control of…

left muscles, can give very simple yes/no responses but limited language bank besides that, processing of left visual field

Describe how the brain processes visual space

both eyes process both halves of the visual space, optical chiasm segregates info from right + left halves and sends the info to the opposite half (e.g. info in right peripheral vision interpreted by left half of brain)

Based on image 2 (upper middle), what will the patient verbally report? What will they write with their left hand? With their right hand?

Verbal report: no

Left hand: yes

Right hand: no

Based on image 3 (upper right), what will the patient verbally report? What will they write with their left hand? With their right hand?

Verbal report: yes

Left hand: no

Right hand: yes

Based on image 1 (upper left) what will the patient verbally report & why? What will they write with their left hand & why? With their right hand & why?

Verbally report: I dont know bc patient can’t compare due to hemisphere disconnection

Left hand: No answer bc right hemisphere can’t process qu. or response due to limited language bank

Right hand: I dont know bc right hand, controlled by left hemisphere, doesn’t know what the right hemisphere saw

Gazzanigas Interpreter Theory & Study used as example

consciousness works as a unifier of a narrative we construct from our enviros dubbed ‘reality’, allows us to feel as though we have control over our actions instead of simply responding to enviro, left brain constructs this narrative using complex processing

study: split brain patients who were flashed the command to laugh in the left visual field (which is interpreted by the right brain) and couldn’t articulate why theyd laugh (bc the right brain doesnt know) so the left brain constructs a narrative w/o info ; such as ‘oh it’s just funny we’re doing this study on a sunday’

Molecule

2+ atoms joined tg by covalent bonds

What are the 5 main atoms that make up the biological world?

CHNOPS: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur

Salts

atoms/molecules connected by ionic bonds ; split by water bc of slight molecular imbalance

Ribosomes

folded up strands of RNA that catalyze chemical reactions (e.g. forming nucleic acids & proteins)

Enzymes

catalytic proteins

describe the process of protein synthesis

1. transcription: DNA used as template to make mRNA in nucleus: RNA polymerase reads DNA & attaches corresponding RNA nucleotides to form a complimentary mRNA strand

2. translation: mRNA taken to ribosome and acts as code for specific protein ; codons pair with anti-codon on tRNA, each carrying a specific amino acid which are linked together to form a protein (polypeptide chain)

microtubules

rapid transport of materials; used to transport vesicles within the cell

Why does the brain gain weight throughout a humans lifespan?

existing neurons establishing new connections & structural growth (increase in synapses, dendrites, myelinated axons, etc.)