PSY1EFP Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Positron Emission Tomography

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EFP Lecture 3 Session 1 – Brain Behaviour Relationships (2)
Equipotentiality
The adult human brain is best viewed as a 1200-1400-gram collection of interacting neural circuits
Karl Lashley built his research upon the idea that all of the brain was essentially the same, so the more you took
out the larger the effect
Eventually proved wrong particularly by the case of Henry M.
Broca (1861) provided the first strong evidence that brain regions perform specialized functions (Broca’s area)
Brain Imaging
Modern Imaging techniques have greatly advance our understanding of the human brain
Positron emission tomography (PET): a method of brain imaging that assesses metabolic activity by using a
radioactive substance injected into the bloodstream
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): a method of brain imaging that uses a powerful magnetic field to produce
high-quality images of the brain
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI): an imaging technique used to examine changes in the activity of
the working human brain by measuring changes in the blood’s oxygen levels
Neural Proliferation
By about age 11 for girls and about 12½ for boys, the neurons in the frontal lobe will have formed thousands of
new connections
Over the next few years, most of these links will be pruned.
Brain Development In Healthy children and adolescents
Pruning during development
Pathways that are used will be reinforced and therefore strengthened, for example language related activity
Those that are not used will be selectively eliminated
The Spinal Cord
The spinal cord: coordination of reflexes; carries sensory information to the brain
and motor signals away from the brain
Composed of two types of tissue: gray matter (neurons) and white matter (axons)
The Brain Stem Houses the Basic Programs of Survival
Brain stem: An extension of the spinal cord; it
houses structures that control functions associated
with survival, such as heart rate, breathing,
swallowing, vomiting, urination, and orgasm.
The brain stem Medulla oblongata
Pons
Midbrain
Reticular formation
The Cerebellum is Essential for Movement
The cerebellum’s most obvious role is in motor learning and motor memory.
-It seems to be “trained” by the rest of the nervous system and operates independently and unconsciously.
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Subcortical Structures Control Emotions and Appetitive behaviours
The forebrain consists of the two cerebral hemispheres, right and left
The most noticeable feature of the forebrain is the convoluted surface of the cerebral cortex
Subcortical structures that lie below the cerebral cortex include: Hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus,
amygdala, and basal ganglia
Some of these structures belong to the limbic system, which controls appetitive behaviours and emotion
Hypothalamus
The hypothalamus is the brain’s master regulatory structure
Affects the functions of many internal organs, regulating body temperature, body rhythms, blood pressure, and
blood glucose levels
Also involved in many motivated behaviours, including thirst, hunger, aggression, pleasure and lust
Thalamus
The thalamus is the gateway to the cortex
Excepting smell, it receives all incoming sensory information, organizes it, and relays it to the cortex
During sleep, the thalamus partially shuts the gate on incoming sensations while the brain rests
Hippocampus &Amygdala
The hippocampus (Greek, “sea horse”) plays an important role in the storage of new memories
The amygdala (Latin, “almond”) serves a vital role in our learning to associate things in the world with negative
and positive emotional responses particularly fear and aggression responses
The Basal Ganglia
Basal ganglia: crucial for planning and producing movement
Damage to the basal ganglia can produce tremors and rigidity, uncontrollable jerky movements, and can impair
the learning of movements and habits
Contains the nucleus accumbens, which is important for experiencing reward and motivating behaviour
The Cerebral Cortex Underlies Complex Mental Activity
Cerebral cortex (Latin, “bark”): the outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres
It is the site of all thoughts, detailed perceptions, and complex behaviours
Each cerebral hemisphere has four “lobes”: Occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal
Corpus callosum: a bridge of axons connecting the hemispheres and permitting information to flow between
them
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Document Summary

Efp lecture 3 session 1 brain behaviour relationships (2) The adult human brain is best viewed as a 1200-1400-gram collection of interacting neural circuits. Karl lashley built his research upon the idea that all of the brain was essentially the same, so the more you took out the larger the effect. Eventually proved wrong particularly by the case of henry m. Broca (1861) provided the first strong evidence that brain regions perform specialized functions (broca"s area) Modern imaging techniques have greatly advance our understanding of the human brain. Positron emission tomography (pet): a method of brain imaging that assesses metabolic activity by using a radioactive substance injected into the bloodstream. Magnetic resonance imaging (mri): a method of brain imaging that uses a powerful magnetic field to produce high-quality images of the brain. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri): an imaging technique used to examine changes in the activity of the working human brain by measuring changes in the blood"s oxygen levels.

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