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Understanding the Brain
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Monitors the electrical activity of the brain
EEG recordings are translated into line tracings called brain waves
Used in clinical diagnosis of various neurological disorders
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Brain Imaging- CAT Scan In a CAT scan machine, the X-ray beam
moves all around the patient, scanning from hundreds of different angles.
The computer takes all this information and puts together a 3-D image of the body.
Portrays only brain structure. Used to diagnose and treat a wide variety of
ailments (head trauma, cancer, tumors).
Brain Imaging- PET Scan These scans examine brain function They monitor chemical processes
such as neurotransmitters Person receives an injection of
radioactive substance Brain structures that are active
absorb the substance and this is color coded onto a computer screen.
Brain Imaging- PET Scan
Brain Imaging- MRI Similar to CAT scan but better picture
due to high resolution Person’s head is surrounded by a
magnetic field and the brain is exposed to radio waves, which cause hydrogen atoms in the brain to release energy.
The energy released by different structures generates an image on a computer screen.
Brain Imaging- MRI
Brain Imaging- fMRI Similar to PET but less invasive and
collects precise images rapidly. It measures the movement of blood
molecules (an index of neural activity).
Provides both functional and structural information in the same image.
Lesioning & ESB Lesioning- destroying a piece of the
brain Insert an electrode into a brain structure and
pass a high electric current which burns tissue
ESB (electrical stimulation of the brain)- sending an electric current into a brain structure to activate it
Three Main Regions of the Brain
Hindbrain- lower part of brain stem (pons & medulla), & cerebellum
Midbrain- upper brainstem (reticular formation)
Forebrain- largest & most complex part, limbic system (hippocampus, hypothalamus, thalamus, amygdala) at the center, cerebrum, cerebral cortex & lobes.
Cerebrum is divided into 4 Lobes
Frontal Lobe Prefrontal cortex
Reasoning, planning, paying attention, getting organized, decision making
Motor cortex- movement of muscles
Broca’s Area (only left side) – production of speech
Phineas Gage- example of prefrontal cortex damage
Parietal Lobe Somatosensory
Cortex- controls sensory information
Process info from body parts
Sense of touch, feeling temperature & pain
Phantom Limb syndrome
Temporal Lobe Primary auditory
cortex Involves hearing,
speaking, understanding written & verbal words
Wernicke’s Area- comprehension of language
Occipital Lobe Primary visual
cortex Visual processing
begins
Brain Plasticity Experience can change/sculpt certain
brain structures (ex: musicians) The brain can go through neural
reorganization after damage- healthy neurons attempt to compensate for the loss of nearby neurons
The adult brain can generate new neurons
Brain’s plasticity declines with age