Psychology Brain and Its Areas Study Guide

Psychology Brain Study Guide 1. Overview of the Brain and Its Areas The human brain is divided into several regions, each responsible for different aspects of cognition, behavior, and bodily control. Below are the major regions of the brain and their functions: A. Cerebral Cortex - Frontal Lobe: Responsible for higher cognitive functions like decision-making, problem-solving, reasoning, and personality. It also controls voluntary movement and speech production (Broca’s area). - Parietal Lobe: Processes sensory information related to touch, pressure, pain, and temperature. It helps with spatial orientation and body awareness. - Temporal Lobe: Involved in auditory processing (hearing) and is essential for understanding language (Wernicke’s area). It also plays a role in memory formation. - Occipital Lobe: The visual processing center of the brain, it interprets visual stimuli and helps with recognizing objects, colors, and motion. B. Limbic System - Amygdala: Involved in emotional processing, especially fear, aggression, and pleasure. It plays a key role in forming emotional memories. - Hippocampus: Crucial for forming new memories and connecting emotions and senses to these memories. - Thalamus: Acts as a relay station for sensory information (except smell) and directs it to appropriate areas in the cortex for processing. - Hypothalamus: Regulates vital bodily functions such as hunger, thirst, sleep, and body temperature. It also controls the endocrine system via the pituitary gland. C. Brainstem - Medulla: Controls autonomic functions such as heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure. - Pons: Helps regulate breathing and is involved in sleep and arousal. - Reticular Formation: Important for controlling arousal and attention. - Midbrain: Involved in motor movement, particularly movements of the eye, and in auditory and visual processing. D. Cerebellum - Responsible for fine motor control, balance, posture, and coordination. Damage to this area leads to difficulty in movement and coordination. E. Corpus Callosum - A thick band of nerve fibers that connects the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing for communication between them. --2. **Brain Hemispheres and Lateralization** The brain is divided into two hemispheres, each specializing in different functions: - Left Hemisphere: Primarily responsible for language, logic, math, and analytical thinking. - Right Hemisphere: Associated with creativity, spatial ability, facial recognition, and holistic thought. Split-brain research (studies of individuals with severed corpus callosums) has provided valuable insights into hemispheric specialization. Patients with split brains can process information separately in each hemisphere, often leading to deficits in tasks that require interhemispheric communication. --3. **Neurons and Neurotransmission** Neurons are the building blocks of the nervous system. They transmit electrical and chemical signals throughout the brain and body. A. Parts of a Neuron - Dendrites: Branch-like structures that receive signals from other neurons. - Soma (Cell Body): Contains the nucleus and processes incoming signals. - Axon: A long projection that transmits electrical impulses away from the cell body to other neurons or muscles. - Myelin Sheath: A fatty covering that insulates the axon and speeds up signal transmission. It is made up of glial cells and helps with efficient neural communication. - Axon Terminals: The endpoints of the axon where the neuron communicates with other cells through neurotransmitter release. - Synapse: The small gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another, across which neurotransmitters travel to send signals. B. Neural Communication - Resting Potential: The state of a neuron when it is not firing a neural impulse. It has a slightly negative charge inside compared to the outside. - Action Potential: A rapid change in electrical charge that travels down the axon, triggered when the neuron is sufficiently stimulated. - Synaptic Transmission: When the action potential reaches the axon terminal, neurotransmitters are released into the synapse and bind to receptors on the next neuron, passing the signal along. C. Neurotransmitters - Acetylcholine (ACh): Involved in learning, memory, and muscle contraction. - Dopamine: Associated with movement, motivation, and pleasure. Imbalances are linked to Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia. - Serotonin: Regulates mood, sleep, and appetite. Low levels are associated with depression. - GABA: The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter, it helps calm the brain and reduce neural activity. - Glutamate: The main excitatory neurotransmitter, important for memory and learning. --4. **Brain Damage and Neuroplasticity** A. Response to Brain Damage - Neuroplasticity: The brain’s ability to reorganize and form new connections after injury. While young brains exhibit more plasticity, adults can also experience neural reorganization following trauma. - Stroke Recovery: After a stroke, brain regions surrounding the damaged area may take over some functions, allowing the person to regain lost abilities through rehabilitation. - Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Depending on the severity and location, brain injuries can result in deficits in motor control, memory, emotion, and cognitive abilities. B. Hemispheric Specialization in Recovery - After brain damage, particularly in one hemisphere, the opposite hemisphere can compensate for some of the lost functions. For example, stroke patients who experience damage in the left hemisphere (responsible for language) may show improvement if the right hemisphere takes over some linguistic functions. --5. **Tools to Study the Brain** - EEG (Electroencephalogram): Measures electrical activity in the brain, commonly used to study sleep patterns and diagnose epilepsy. - fMRI (Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow, helping to identify which parts of the brain are active during certain tasks. - CT Scan (Computerized Tomography): Uses X-rays to create detailed images of the brain, often used to detect injuries, bleeding, or tumors. - PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography): Detects metabolic activity by tracking a radioactive substance in the brain, useful in studying brain disorders like Alzheimer’s. ---