PSYCH-101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Psych, White Matter, Myelin
9 Sep 2020
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Outer wrinkly cover of the cerebral hemispheres (left + right) Most important brain structure, underlies complex mental activity. Gray cell bodies comprise surface ( grey matter ) Myelinated axons ( white matter ) beneath surface connect cortex to other areas of the brain. Connected by a band of neurons called the corpus callosum, that enables the two hemispheres to communicate. Cutting the corpus callosum causes split brain . Left side of the brain controls the right side of the body (& vice versa) Communication occurs between both hemispheres in non-split brain. Left hemisphere: language (speaking, writing, reading, comprehension), math logic, analytic thinking. Right hemisphere: verbal associations characteristic of creative thoughts/language, visual-spatial, auditory processing. Hemineglect: syndrome caused by damage to the right parietal region, patients fail to notice anything on their left sides. Consciousness: awareness of ourselves and the environment we move between different stares of consciousness. We receive too much visual and auditory information.
