Brain - structure/disease/machines

CNS

Central nervous system - brain and spinal cord

Gray Matter

Areas of the CNS with high concentrations of cell bodies; outer surface of cerebrum

White Matter

Areas of the CNS with mostly myelinated axons; inner part if cerebrum 

Hindbrain

In embryo earliest part of brain to evolve

Brain Stem - Hindbrain

• Medulla

• Pons

• Cerebellum

• Reticular Formation

Medulla

• Where spinal cord meets the skull

• Controls heartbeat and breathing 

Pons

• Above the medulla

• Controls involuntary functions (sleep/wake cycles)

• Connected with upper portions of brain

Cerebellum

• Control balance and coordination

• “Little brain”

• Rear of the head behind brain stem

• Reading and speech

Reticular Formation

• Bundles of nerves running through brain stem

• Controls arousal

• Modulates pain

• Damage leads to coma

• Filters irrelevant background info from senses

Forebrain

• Thalamus

• Hypothalamus

Limbic System

• Thalamus

• Hypothalamus

• Amygdala

• Hippocampus

Thalamus

Received info from all senses except smell and relays to the rest of the brain

Hypothalamus

• Below thalamus

• Regulates hunger, thirst, body temp, sex drive, fight-flight

• Reward center

Amygdala

• 2 almond shaped structures

• Influence fear/aggression

Hippocampus

• Behind amygdala

• Memory

• CTE damage seen here

Cerebral Cortex

• Controls info processing

• Wrinkled to increase surface area

• 8 lobes (4 on each side)

Corpus Callosum

• Bundles of nerves connecting left and right hemispheres

• Right side of brain controls left side of body 

• Left side of brain controls right side of body

• Gazzaniga study

Frontal Lobe

• Forehead region

• Primary motor cortex

• Brock area 

• Prefrontal cortex

Primary Motor Cortex

Controls voluntary movements

Broca Area

Needed for forming words; left hemisphere only

Prefrontal Cortex

Judgement, planning, processing new memories

Parietal Lobes

• Top and rear of head

• Primary somatosensory cortex: part of brain that registers and processes tactile info

Occipital Lobes

• Back of the head

• Contains primary visual cortex

Temporal Lobes

• Sides of the heads

• Primary auditory cortex: receives/processes auditory info

• Wernickes Area

Wernickes Area

Left hemisphere only; understanding language

EEG

• Measures electrical currents across the brain

• Measure brain activity

CT Scan

• Computerized axial tomography x-ray of brain tissue

• Shows brain structure

PET Scan

• Positron emissions tomography

• Patients drink radioactive glue and image shows areas of brain activity

• Seizures, addictions

MRI

• Magnetic resonance imaging

• Exposes brain to magnetic field

• Shows brain structure

fMRI

• Uses magnetic field

• Not harmful

• Shows brain structure and activity

• Measures levels of oxygen and hemoglobin 

Aphasia

Loss of ability to understand/express speech caused by brain damage

Lesion

• Change or abnormal damage to an organisms tissue, often cause by disease/trauma

• In neuroscience, a lesion is a specific area of the brain that has been damaged

Plasticity

• Brain’s ability to change and adapt (depends on age)

• Younger the brain is, the easier it is to change/adapt

Neurogenesis

New neurons (doesn’t naturally occur)