Historical Approaches to Studying the Brain
brain - heart debate
Considers the issue of whether the brain or the heart was the source of human thoughts, feelings and behaviour.
Function of the hindbrain, including cerebellum, medulla and pons
hindbrain - motor functions
medulla - controls vital bodily functions
pons - involved in sleep , dreaming and arousal in sleep
cerebellum - coordinates fine muscle movements and regulates posture and balance
define neuroplasticity
the brain and nervous system changing in response to experience (like learning)
Define abi
any type of brain injury that occurs after birth
Define neurological disorders
Nervoue system disorder that is involved in any part of the nervous system
mind - body problem
involves the question of whether our mind and body are distinct, separate entities or whether they are one and the same thing. Inv
Function of the midbrain, including substantia nigra and reticular formation
midbrain - involved with movement , processing visual auditory and sensory information
substantia nigra - movement control , cognitive executive functions , emotional activity
reticular formation - influences what we pay attention to
what is LTP and LTD
LTP - long lasting strengthening of synapse connections = more effective transmission)
LTD - long lasting decrease in strength of synaptic connections due to lack of stimulation in the brain.
effects of an ABI
biological, headaches and chronic pains
psychological , loss of self esteem , memory problems
social effects , social role change , social interactions
Spontaneous seizures brought on by interference in normal brain activity
causes : disrupts the normal pattern of neuronal activity in the brain
Early brain experiments
brain ablation is the destruction or removal of part of the brain
brain lesioning involves the disruption or damage to the normal structure or function of part of the brain
Function of the forebrain, including hypothalamus and thalamus
forebrain - regulates complex cognitive processes
hypothalamus - regulating the release of hormones
thalamus - filters information and then passes it to relevant areas for further processing
3 types of plasticity
experience dependent
experience expectant
experience idependant
define TBI
External force causes damage to the brain
types of siezure
Facial , Generalised and unknown onset
phrenology
Feeling through a persons skull for bumps to identify an individuals personality traits , intelligence levels and behavioural tendencies
Function of the cerebral cortex, including the two hemispheres
cerebral cortex - processes of incoming sensory information , planning and control over bodily movements
left hemisphere - verbal and analytical functions
right hemisphere - non verbal functions do not depend of language skills
re-routing and sprouting
rerouting - creating new connections (neuronal)
sprouting - creating new connections replacing those that were lost
aphasia
Large disorder that results from an ABI
Broca's Aphasia: Diffculry producing speech, reading and writing + also impaired
Wernicke's Aphasia: Diffucluty understanding spoken or written language + speaking in a meaningful way
diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy/seizure
Neurological examinations however cannot be cured but can slow down process
Neuroimaging (name the 4 types)
CT - structure of bones - bones , injuries
MRI - structure of soft - brain , muscles
PET - heart disease , neurological disorders
fMRI - brain activity
four lobes of the brain, and key structures within each lobe
frontal - sophisticated mental abilities (planning , problem solving , decision making )
occipital - sense of vision
parietal - receives and processes bodily, or ‘somatosensory’, information (attention , spatial reasoning)
temporal - auditory perception (memory aspect of visual perception)
methods maintaining and maximizing brain functioning
mental stimulation
diet
physical
concussion vs stroke
Concussion is when its caused by a blow to the head brain shakes rapidly
Stroke is when the blood supply to part of the brain is interrupted
what is cte / diagnosis / treatment
Progessive brain degeneration and fatal conditions
can only be diagnosed properly by an autopsy
Only be supportive treatments