HPS111 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Higher-Order Function, Neuroanatomy, Anterograde Amnesia
WEEK 4: Neuronanatomy
Intro to the human brain
Metabolic demanding
Logic and abstract thought
Highly complex social groups
We do have larger brains than other species
If it was just larger brains = more intelligence – elephants
Brain mass vs body mass (log metric eq)
Animals with higher intelligence are higher
Well-developed cerebral cortex
And subcortexes
Encephalisation and why we have a big energy intensive brain
an evolutionary increase in the complexity or relative size of the brain, involving a shift of
function from non-cortical parts of the brain to the cortex.
Techniques for neuroscience
Brain injury
oTrauma- disease, unfortunate accident (finigus gage), uncontrolled circumstances
Psychosurgery
oAnimal models, ablation (removal of brain tissue), animals biological similar to us
oThe use of server mental disorders services to take out or legion, reversible debrain
stimulation
Non-invasive neuroimaging
oAttempts to measure neural activity
oEgg (electroencephalograph) – poor spacial resolution, where the brain is generating
the responses
oMRI-spacial resolution (fmri- neural activity indirectly looking at the oxygenated
blood flow) –poor temporal resolution
Invasive neuroimaging
oRadio active chemicals injected invroveniently, look at preand post treatment
change
Brain stimulation
oTranscranial stimulation, painless, cortical mapping probe, psychological processes
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
oDeepbrain stimulation, amounts to brain surgery
Intro to neuroanatomy
The subcortical brain
- Hind brain
oPons- bridge: where the cross over is, sleep regulation (REM), attention, arousal,
comatose state, die, entrance gate
oCerebellum- little brain: unconscious, motor control, balance, posture
oMedulla- critical life functions: cardiovascular control, respiratory, breathing, vomiting,
coughing and sneezing, damage to this region can be deadly
oSpinal cord
oReticular formation: sleep, wakefullness and attention
- Mid brain
oSuperior caliculous: vision and eye movement
oInferior caliculous: hearing
oTechtum
oSubstantia nigra
oOften unconscious, not region associated with being human
- Forebrain
oEvolutionary newer part of the brain
oThalamus: navigate the brain, left and right hemisphere, relay station, primary cortices,
senses from sense organs, certain regions of our thalamus is sent to different regions of
the brain ie touch goes through sensory neurons to our thalamus then to the primary
sensory cortex, spacial learning and no spacial
oHypothalamus: important motivation, approach and avoidance behaviours, the four f’s
(fighting, fleeing, feeding, mating)
oBasial ganglia: deep in the brain, motor control, memory and emotional expression,
planed and coordinated movement, spontaneous movement, reward (pleasuring)
oHippocampus: memory, consolidating short term memory, hennery’s hippocampus was
lost, anterograde amnesia could consolidate new memories
oAmygdala: fear and aggression response, SM no fear, avoid danger, relevance detector
oCerebral cortex
Valeys, increases surface areas in the brain, more brain mass
Contains higher order function
Corpse collosum: connection between both hemisphere
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
We do have larger brains than other species. If it was just larger brains = more intelligence elephants. Brain mass vs body mass (log metric eq) Encephalisation and why we have a big energy intensive brain an evolutionary increase in the complexity or relative size of the brain, involving a shift of function from non-cortical parts of the brain to the cortex. Brain injury: trauma- disease, unfortunate accident (finigus gage), uncontrolled circumstances. Psychosurgery: animal models, ablation (removal of brain tissue), animals biological similar to us, the use of server mental disorders services to take out or legion, reversible debrain stimulation. Non-invasive neuroimaging: attempts to measure neural activity, egg (electroencephalograph) poor spacial resolution, where the brain is generating the responses, mri-spacial resolution (fmri- neural activity indirectly looking at the oxygenated blood flow) poor temporal resolution. Invasive neuroimaging: radio active chemicals injected invroveniently, look at preand post treatment change.
