Anatomy and Research Methods

Kalat Ch. 3: Anatomy and Research Methods Experience Neuropsychology of Religious Anatomy 1. Major divisions of the nervous system a. Central nervous system i. Brain 1. Forebrain a. Telencephalon is the largest part. i. Doing the stuff that makes humans uniqueconsciousness, logic, reasoning, etc. b. Diencephalon- also important for interpreting sensory info, makes sense of and interprets that information. 2. Midbrain- sensory information, middle relay station for processing information, visual information 3. Hindbrain- basic biological/physiological functions (heartrate, breathing) 4. Cortical landmarks: Sulci a. Grooves in the surface of cortex/Indentation b. Singular- Sulcus c. Located in basically the same place across individual brains. 5. Cortical landmarks: Gyri a. Bumps on surface of cortex b. Singular- gyrus 6. Cortical Areas a. Brodmann’s areas- method to organize the cortex, areas based on types of cells ii. Spinal cord b. Peripheral nervous system i. Somatic nervous system 1. Controls voluntary muscles- movement 2. Feeds sensory info from your outside environment to your central nervous system. ii. Autonomic nervous system- involuntary muscles- happens without you thinking (breathing) 1. Sympathetic- stress response- fight or flight 2. Parasympathetic- acts on the same organs but is involved in rest and digest, active when you’re at rest (asleep). 3. Enteric- your gut, digestive system iii. Endocrine system 1. 2. Anatomical directions 3. 4. 5. 6. a. Anterior/posterior b. Rostral/caudal c. Superior/inferior d. Dorsal/ventral e. Medial/lateral f. Proximal/distal g. Contralateral/ipsilateral Planes of section a. Horizontal b. Sagittal c. Coronal or frontal Divisions of the adult human brain a. Hindbrain i. Myelencephalon (medulla) ii. Metencephalon b. Midbrain (mesencephalon) i. Tectum ii. Tegmentum c. Forebrain i. Diencephalon 1. Limbic system 2. Thalamus 3. Hypothalamus & pituitary gland 4. Basal ganglia 5. Basal forebrain 6. Hippocampus ii. Telencephalon 1. Cerebral cortex a. Frontal lobe i. Prefrontal cortex b. Parietal lobe c. Occipital lobe d. Temporal lobe 2. Cortical landmarks a. Sulci b. Gyri c. Brodmann’s areas Ventricles How do the parts work together? a. Binding problem Research Methods: Types of Methodologies 1. Examine effects of brain damage a. Experimental or accidental b. Experimental with animals in a lab, examine how it changes behavior c. Accidental brain damage that happens in people, examine the change in their behavior. d. Permanent or temporary e. Temporary- concussion f. Permanent- stroke 2. Examine effects of brain activation a. Electrical stimulation i. Deep brain stimulation for Parkinson’s Disease b. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) i. Passing magnetic stimulation through a wire, affects only the outer layer of the cortex c. Optogenetics 3. Record brain activity during behavior a. Electroencephalogram (EEG) i. Humans: surface of the scalp ii. Animals: surface of the cortex iii. Activity of thousands of neurons- not precise iv. Functional information- tells us about brain activity. b. Event related potential (ERP) i. Derived from EEG ii. Average many EEG recordings (across time)- short segments. iii. In response to stimulus or an event c. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) i. Measures changes in magnetic fields in the cortex of the brain ii. When neurons are active, they create a magnetic field. iii. Functional information- info about brain activity d. Positron emission tomography (PET) i. Inject radioactive glucose. ii. Taken up by neurons that are active- take up more glucose if active. iii. Emits positron. iv. Scanner detects positron. v. Functional information- info about brain activity e. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) i. Measures oxygen atoms in the blood 1. BOLD signal (blood oxygen level dependent) 2. Structural and Functional information f. Single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) i. Radioactive tracer + CT scan 1. CT scan: x-ray of the brain that’s taken at multiple levels. a. Structural information ii. Tracer diffuses across blood-brain barrier, locks in place. iii. Emits gamma rays detected by scanner. iv. Shows averaged brain activity for a few minutes after injection. v. Functional information 4. Correlate brain structure and function a. Phrenology b. Computerized (axial) tomography (CT/CAT) i. X-ray of the brain, taken at multiple levels and analyzed by a computer ii. Structural information c. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) i. Measures hydrogen atoms ii. Structural information d. Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) i. Advanced type of MRI ii. Measures how fluid travels along brain areas iii. Showa neutral pathways