Psych Chapter Two - Brain

• Behavior is caused by brain and biological processes and functions
• anatomy (parts) and physiology (functions) from psychological points of view
• every behavior that is psychological is at the same time biological

• 1 Million Neurons
• 100 Trillion Synapses (Connections)
• 1000 messages per second
• 24 hour pharmacy
• 3lbs at birth
• very specialized and organized

• Specializes in carrying and processing info
• Activates muscles and glands

Receive incoming messages (scanners)

Prioritize the messages

Place where the messages travel (200 mph)

• Fatty coating that insulates the Axon
• If destroyed, Lou Gehrig's disease and MS can occur

The place where the neurotransmitters are manufactured

• Regulate the actions of glands and muscles
• Some affect learning and memory
• promote sleep
• stimulate alertness
• orchestrate emotions

slow brain and bodily functions

stimulates mental and physical alertness

• Natural pain killer, they reduce/remove pain, promotes pleasure
• "endogeneous" and "morphine" - morphine within cells

• Communication system in the body
• 2 main divisions - central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
• "ROPE"
• records information
• organizes "  "
• processes "  "
• executes "  "

tells the brain (CNS) what is happening inside and outside the body

tells the PNS what is happening outside the body

Tells the PNS what's happening inside the body

Arouses body for an emergency

Calms the body, relaxes the body - fainting, when brain shuts body functions down

• Logical
• Controls right side of body
• Controls 2 major speech/language centers (Broca's and Wernicke's area)
• Writing
• Calculation/Math
• Sense of time
• Rythym (biological)
• Ordering of Complex Movements

• Emotional
• Controls entire left side of body
• Non-verbal
• Perceptual Skills
• Visualization
• Recognition
• Recognition and expression of emotion
• Spatial Skills
• Simple Language Comprehension

• A thick band of nerves that collects and separates hemispheres from interfering with each other's functions
• Aphasia - happens when one or both language centers is damaged - inability to read, speak, comprehend
• Agnosia- right hemisphere is damaged - inability to recognize faces, places, objects "mind blindness"

• A natural antidepressant - elevates moods
• sunlight, bright lights, love, help others, laughter all release serotonin

• Affects emotional memories, learning, movement, activates brain's pleasure center
• excessive dopamine = schizophrenia
• deficit = parkinsons

• affects learning and memory (daily basis)
• activates muscles
• botox = linked to memory loss, blocks chemical
• deficit = alzheimers or temporary paralysis
• when you dream - temp paralysis

• Learn to say no
• Find time to do things important to you
• Take a break from technology

Where all sensory info is stored

All visual images

Hearing and Language - all Sounds

All touch, temp, and pressure

• Drugs mostly damage this lobe
• sense of smell, motor control, mental abilities, creative functions, executive functions (choice)

• Thalamus-relays all sensory messages to lobes
• Hypothalamus-performs specific maintenance duties

• connects brain to spinal cord
• Medulla - controls vital life functions
• Cerebelum - controls walking , posture, balance, muscular coordination
• Reticular Formation - removes unimportant info

• #2 Communication system in body
• glands which make and store hormones
• hormones affect moods and behavior
• released into the bloodstream
• Pineal - Melatonin - regulates sleep cycle
• Pituitary - Somatrophin - regulates development of bones, muscles, organs
• Thyroid - Thyroxin - regulates metabolic function (hypothyroidism - extreme thinness, mania) (hyperthyroidism - obesity, depression)
• Adrenal-sex hormones - activates puberty, prepares for emergency - stress hormones - adrenaline-cortical