Module 1.4a – The Brain: Neuroplasticity and Tools of Discovery
Unit 1 - Part 2: The Brain
Module 1.4a – The Brain: Neuroplasticity and Tools of Discovery
Learning Targets:
Explain why psychologists are concerned with human biology.
Understand how biology and experience enable neuroplasticity.
Compare and contrast techniques for studying the brain’s connections to behavior and mind.
Phrenology
Franz Gall: Developed the idea of phrenology.
Phrenology: Study of the bumps on the skull.
Limitation: Provides no information about the brain's actual functions.
Biological Psychology
Definition: Scientific study of links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological processes.
Professionals: Behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, biopsychologists.
Biopsychosocial Approach: Integrates biological, psychological, and sociocultural analysis levels.
Levels of Analysis: Different complementary perspectives to analyze phenomena (biological, psychological, sociocultural).
The Power of Neuroplasticity
Neuroplasticity: Brain's ability to reorganize itself after damage or build new pathways based on experience.
Critical during childhood.
The brain is dynamic and adaptable, allowing better adaptation compared to other species.
Tools of Discovery: Having Our Head Examined
Case Studies: Help localize brain functions.
Lesions: Reference to tissue destruction (natural, surgical, experimental).
Brain Stimulation: Techniques include electrical, chemical, or magnetic stimulation.
Optogenetics: Controls individual neuron activity using light.
Brain Scans
Techniques:
EEG: Records electrical activity across the brain via scalp electrodes.
MEG: Measures brain's magnetic fields from electrical activity.
CT Scan: Combines X-ray images to represent brain structure slices.
PET Scan: Shows where radioactive glucose is used during tasks.
MRI: Uses magnetic fields for soft tissue imaging.
fMRI: Tracks blood flow to indicate brain activity.
Module 1.4b - The Brain: Brain Regions and Structures
Learning Targets:
Explain functions of the hindbrain, midbrain, and forebrain in behavior and mental processes.
Describe brainstem structures and their functions (thalamus, reticular formation, cerebellum).
Explain limbic system structures and functions.
Describe the cerebral cortex's lobes and functions (motor and sensory cortices, association areas).
Hindbrain, Midbrain, Forebrain
Hindbrain: Includes medulla, pons, cerebellum; regulates essential survival functions (breathing, sleeping, coordination).
Midbrain: Connects hindbrain and forebrain; processes auditory and visual information, controls some movements.
Forebrain: Consists of cerebral cortex, thalamus, hypothalamus; manages complex cognitive activities, sensory processing, and voluntary movements.
Brainstem, Thalamus, and Reticular Formation
Brainstem: Manages automatic survival functions; sends/receives information.
Medulla: Regulates heartbeat and breathing.
Pons: Coordinates movement and controls sleep.
Thalamus: Filters sensory information (excluding smell) to the cortex; shares messages with cerebellum and medulla.
Reticular Formation: Filters information, important for arousal control.
Cerebellum
Acts as the “little brain” with half of the brain's neurons.
Manages balance, coordination, fine motor movements.
Involved in procedural memory (nonverbal learning).
Affected by alcohol, impairing movement and balance.
Limbic System
Hippocampus: Involved in explicit memory formation and learning.
Amygdala: Regulates emotions, particularly fear and aggression.
Hypothalamus: Governs autonomic functions, drives (hunger, thirst, sexual behavior), emotional responses, and endocrine functions (influences pituitary gland).
Cerebral Cortex
Definition: Complex network of interconnected neurons covering cerebral hemispheres; responsible for higher-order functions.
Lobes:
Frontal Lobe: Involved in decision-making, muscle movement, higher-order processing.
Parietal Lobe: Processes sensory input, touch, and body position.
Occipital Lobe: Responsible for vision.
Temporal Lobe: Manages audio perception and language processing.
Structure of the Cerebral Cortex
Cerebrum: All brain areas excluding brainstem and cerebellum; handles advanced thought.
Internal Layer: Axons (White Matter).
Cerebral Cortex: Cell bodies of neurons (Gray Matter).
Surface Features: Gyri (ridges), sulci (valleys), and fissures (deep grooves dividing lobes).
Functionality of Lobes
Occipital Lobes: Visual input, perception, and word recognition.
Parietal Lobes: Visual attention, touch perception, and goal-oriented movements.
Temporal Lobes: Hearing, memory, and emotional processing; includes Wernicke's (receptive) and Broca’s (expressive) areas.
Frontal Lobes: Consciousness, goal-setting, attention, emotional regulation, and language.
Prefrontal Lobes - Uniqueness
Continue developing into adulthood (mature around age 25).
Critical for decision-making and evaluating complex situations; most vulnerable to injury.
Functions of the Cortex
Motor Cortex: Controls voluntary movements; highly represented for areas requiring fine control (e.g., hands).
Sensory Cortex: Processes body sensations; more sensitive regions correspond to larger cortical areas (Lips vs. Rats vs. Owls).
Auditory Cortex: Processes sound information.
Association Areas
Non-motor/sensory areas involved in higher functions (learning, memory, thinking, speaking).
Cannot map or electrically probe; functions include planning, judgment, and integration of information from various regions.
Language
Aphasia: Language impairment due to hemisphere damage (Broca’s for speaking, Wernicke’s for understanding).
Broca’s Area: Controls speech production.
Wernicke's Area: Manages language comprehension and expression.
Split Brain Research
Vogel and Bogen’s Experiment: Split brain to treat seizures, allowed research into hemispheric function differences.
Effects include inability to relay visual information between hemispheres; demonstrated functional independence.
Right-Left Differences
Right Hemisphere: Nonverbal, creative tasks (art, music), emotional expression.
Left Hemisphere: Verbal, analytical tasks (language, mathematics).
Corpus Callosum: Essential for communication between hemispheres.
Cognitive Neuroscience
Interdisciplinary study linking brain activity with cognitive processes (perception, thinking, memory, language).
Learning Targets – Are YOU Ready?
Describe nervous system subdivisions and functions, major brain regions, lobes, and cortical areas; brain lateralization; the role of neuroplasticity in brain injury; historical and contemporary research strategies (case studies, split-brain research, imaging techniques).