Brain & Behaviour

Question 1

How is Einstein’s brain structured differently?

Answer 1

• 73% more glial cells
• needs more energy
• EXTRA THICK corpus callosum > more ext. connections between cerebral hemispheres
• differences in areas supporting spatial insight

Question 2

What are the 3 divisions in the brain?

Answer 2

1. hindbrain
2. midbrain
3. forebrain

Question 3

What is the hindbrain responsible for? What are the 2 main parts?

Answer 3

• programs for living
  > medulla/pons: basic survival functions
  >cerebellum: motor coordination + balance

Question 4

What is the midbrain responsible for?

Answer 4

-coordinating sensory info

>reflexive orienting to visual/auditory events

Question 5

What is the forebrain responsible for? What are the 2 main parts?

Answer 5

inc. the cerebral cortex + subcortical structures
>thalamus: relay station for sensory + motor info
> hypothalamus: motivation + regulation [4 Fs]

Question 6

What are the 4 Fs?

Answer 6

Fighting, fleeing, feeding & mating

Question 7

What is the basal ganglia responsible for?

Answer 7

• movement

- motor control

Question 8

What causes Parkinsons?

Answer 8

• premature death of dopamine cells

- basal ganglia depleted the dopamine

Question 9

What are the parts of the limbic system? [2]

Answer 9

Hippocampus

Amygdala

Question 10

What does the hippocampus do? [2]

Answer 10

• long-term memory

- spatial navigation

Question 11

What does the amygdala do? [3]

Answer 11

• emotional learning
• fear conditioning
• detecting threat

Question 12

What does contralateral organisation mean?

Answer 12

• REFERS TO THE CEREBRAL CORTEX*
• means right brain controls L
• left brain controls R

Question 13

Cerebral cortex: Left brain does what?

Answer 13

language + the interpreter

Question 14

Cerebral cortex: Right brain does what?

Answer 14

spatial

Question 15

How can epilepsy be treated?

Answer 15

Sever the corpus callosum (seizures can’t spread)

Question 16

Function of the OCCIPITAL LOBE

Answer 16

visual cortex: visual input
> damage the OC = BLINDNESS

Rest of the OC: visual processing
> PET study confirms this

Question 17

Function of the PARIETAL LOBE

Answer 17

somatosensory cortex: touch inputs

rest of the PL: spatial perception, reaching, grasping attention

Question 18

Function of the TEMPORAL LOBE

Answer 18

Auditory cortex: hearing

rest of TL: object recognition, lan. comprehension, long-term memory

Question 19

What happens when you damage the lower part of the TL?

Answer 19

DAMAGE TO LOWER TL = CAN’T PUT VISUAL INFO TOGETHER

Question 20

What’s Wernicke’s aphasia?

Answer 20

Can’t understand/produce understandable lang

Question 21

Function of the FRONTAL LOBE

Answer 21

Motor cortex: movement

rest of FL: speech, complex thinking, working memory, personality

Question 22

What’s Broca’s aphasia?

Answer 22

Difficulty prod. lang, but can comprehend [affecting the FL]

Question 23

Key points for Penfield’s Homunculus

Answer 23

1. adjacent points on skin = adjacent in cortex (ex. toes next to foot then leg)
2. some regions have more cortex devoted to them

Question 24

What’s special about the cortex?

Answer 24

It’s PLASTIC&raquo_space; MALLEABLE