Mind vs Body
Who proposed the dualistic approach to the mind-body problem?
René Descartes.
Who developed phrenology?
Franz Gall.
What are the two main parts of the nervous system?
Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS).
Name the main parts of a neuron.
Dendrites, cell body, axon, myelin sheath, axon terminals.
What are the three major discrete divisions of the brain?
Hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain.
Who argued for the materialist approach to the mind-body problem?
Claudius Galen.
What did phrenology claim about the bumps on the skull?
That they reflected different personality traits or mental abilities.
What are the two components of the PNS?
Somatic and autonomic nervous systems.
What is the role of the myelin sheath?
Insulates the axon and speeds up neural transmission.
What is the role of Broca’s area?
Speech production.
What is the key difference between dualism and materialism?
Dualism = mind and body are separate; Materialism = mind arises from physical processes.
Who pioneered experimental neurosurgery on animals?
Pierre Flourens.
What does the autonomic nervous system control?
Involuntary functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion.
Contrast sensory, motor, and interneurons.
Sensory = to CNS, Motor = from CNS, Interneuron = connects within CNS.
What is the role of Wernicke’s area?
Language comprehension.
Give an example of how Descartes explained the role of the pineal gland.
He thought it was the seat of the soul and controlled interaction between mind and body.
What technique did Wilder Penfield use to map the brain?
Electrical stimulation of the cortex in awake patients.
Contrast the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
Sympathetic = arousal/fight-or-flight; Parasympathetic = rest-and-digest.
What is the function of the axon terminal?
Releases neurotransmitters into the synapse.
What is Geschwind’s territory believed to do?
Integrates Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas with other regions to process meaning.
Discuss how modern neuroscience supports materialism rather than dualism.
Brain imaging and neurobiology show mental states are linked to physical brain activity.
Compare Flourens’ and Penfield’s contributions to brain investigation.
Flourens identified brain regions in animals; Penfield mapped functions in humans.
Explain how the CNS and PNS interact during a reflex action.
Sensory neuron → spinal cord interneuron → motor neuron → rapid response.
Explain how neurons communicate using both electrical and chemical processes.
Electrical impulses travel along axons; neurotransmitters cross synapses.
Explain how Broca’s area, Wernicke’s area, and Geschwind’s territory interact in language.
Wernicke’s processes meaning, Geschwind’s integrates, Broca’s produces speech.