The central nervous system and human behavior Flashcards
what is Central Nervous System
consists of the brain and spinal cord and is the origin of all complex commands and decisions
What is the spinal cord?
tube-like extension of the brain, connected to the brain via the brainstem
- responsible for reflex actions(pulling hand away from hot plate)
- passing info to and from the brain, linking it to peripheral nervous system
What is the corpus callosum?
a ‘bridge’ of nerve fibres linking left and right hemispheres together, allows them to communicate
* In Raine’s study, murderers showed less activity in the corpus callosum, which suggest their hemisphere weren’t communicating properly
What is the cerebral cortex?
3mm thick, covers the inner part of the brain, highly developed in human, distinguishes our mental functioning from other animals
What are the four lobes in the cortex
frontal lobes
parietal lobes
temporal lobes
occipital lobes
What is the frontal lobe
pre-frontal cortex - for self-control and decision-making, a big role in handling aggression
OFC is located in the prefrontal cortex
aggression=activity in the OFC is reduced
- In Raine’s study, murderers showed less activity in the frontal lobe compared to a non-criminal control group, which shows their lack of self-control
- found greater glucose metabolism(a measure of activity) in amygdala, but low meablism in the prefrontal cortex
What is the parietal lobe?
controls language but also specialises in touch and directing bodily movements
What is the temporal lobes?
handles most of our memory functions
* Schmolck looked at patients who had enormous memory problems because of brain damage to the temporal lobe in the contemporary cognitive study
What is the occipital lobes?
located at the back of the brain, it processes sight and our sense of our environment
What is thalamus
brain’s relay station
role of the Limbic system
What is amygdala
incorporate in limbic system
‘handles the emotional responses to anger and fear
* In Raine’s study, the amygdala in murderers functioned erratically
What is the hypothalamus?
shape and size of a pea
it regulates hunger, thirst, sexual arousal, and sleep
- part of the endocrine system: it regulates hormone production in the body
What is the hippocampus?
shaped like the sea horse
important for forming new memories(LTM)
* HM whose hippocampus is removed by accident
What is the cerebellum?
coordinate posture, balance and movement
contains 50% of neurons
