PSYCH 120A Chapter Notes - Chapter 2.2: Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Positron Emission Tomography, Ct Scan
Document Summary
Thalamus: relay station for nearly all senses. Hypothalamus: beneath the thalamus; controls motivated behaviors such as eating, drinking, and sexual activity. Limbic system: hypothalamus, thalamus, and other structures essential for learning and memory. Patient hm had his limbic system removed amnesia. Virtually all parts of the brain come in pairs with roughly the same shape and pattern of connections to other brain areas. Two halves of the brain work together to contribute to overall performance. Integration made possible by commissures, thick bundle of fibers carrying info between two hemispheres. Corpus callosum: commissure that makes sure that the two halves work together. Split brain patients have severely limited communication between two halves. Computerized axial tomography (ct scans) study brain structure. Positron emission tomography (pet scans) study brain activity. Use tracer substance (e. g. glucose) tagged with radioactivity which allows us to tell which tissues are using more glucose. Magnetic resonance imaging (mri) uses magnetic properties of atoms for more detailed pictures.
