Psychology 1000 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Brain Damage, Genetic Marker, Neuroplasticity

• School: Western University
• Department: Psychology
• Course: Psychology 1000
• Professor: Laura Fazakas- De Hoog

Document Summary

Evolution of the human brian- has been evolving for perhaps 500 million years. Brain stem- ( older structures) shared with other lower-order animals. Controls basic physiological survival processes (breathing, heart rate) More recently evolved structures (cerebrum) are built atop structures from our distant evolutionary past. Development (embryo) progresses in the same order (brain stem then cerebrum) Where the spinal cord enters the brain it enlarges to from the stalk-like structure of the brainstem. Pons -nerve relay between higher and lower levels of the cns. Muscular motor coordination for fast, reflexive involuntary movements. State of wakefulness (alertness) or sleep for sustained periods of time. Forebrain- the area of the brain that most differentiates humans from other animals. Limbic system- coordinates behaviours needed to satisfy urges and motivational and emotional urges arising in the hypothalamus. Cerebral cortex- 2/3 cm thick sheet of cells that form the outer layer of the human brain.