PSYC 3200 Lecture 15: 10 - Neuropsychological Assessment
19 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Subcortical structures: evolutionary primitive brain structures, needed for survival. Hindbrain: lowest part of the brain right at the top of the spinal cord; primitive system: medulla oblongata: mediates many essential body functions - breathing, swallowing, vomiting, blood pressure, heart rate. Sig damage is usually fatal: pons and cerebellum: work together to coordinate muscle tone, posture, hand and eye movement, reticular formation: states of arousal, wakefulness, mediates higher-order attention. Midbrain: includes many relay stations involved in hearing and vision: cranial nerves: 12 paired major neural tracts that relay info all over the body; some are exclusively sensory, some are exclusively motor, some do both. Often a primitive, automatic cognitive system essential for survival. Reticular formation - governs general arousal or consciousness: damage to reticular activating system results in a range of consciousness issues ranging from chronic drowsiness to stupor or coma. Orientation (time, space, person, situation): simplest and most primitive, related to fight or flight reflex.
