PSY 100 Lecture Notes - Lecture 18: Parietal Lobe, Biological Neural Network, Prefrontal Cortex

• School: Tunxis Community College
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 100
• Professor: Bourne

Document Summary

Brain structure and function: two hemispheres; the forebrain (top portion) is covered by a layer of cells called the cerebral cortex and it is responsible for ~80% of the brain"s volume. Each hemisphere of the cortex has 4 major lobes, each of which has a different primary function. Frontal lobe (executive function): involved in voluntary movement, thinking (cognition), personality, and intentionality of purpose. Parietal lobe (sensation): involved in registering spatial location, sensation, attention, and motor control. Deeper in the brain, beneath the cortex, lie the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland as well as the amygdala (involved in emotions) and the hippocampus (especially active in memory and emotion) Neuron: processes information; specialized cell capable of transmitting nerve impulses (nerve cell) Axon: sends electrical signals away from the central part of the neuron: at the end of the terminal are the terminal buttons (synaptic bouton) which release neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) into the synapse.