Chapter 3 Lecture

Modified: 2023-09-18 8:43 PM CDST


In this chapter we will cover the vertebrate nervous system, the cerebral cortex, and research methods for studying all of those. Again, you might look at my general psychology chapter covering these topics if you want a more basic introduction.


The Human Nervous System (p. 68)

Anatomical Directions in the Nervous System (know these, p. 69)

Anatomical Terms Referring to Directions (p. 70)

Term

Definition

Dorsal

Toward the back, away from the ventral (stomach) side. The top of the brain is considered dorsal because it has that position in four-legged animals.

Ventral

Toward the stomach, away from the dorsal (back) side

Anterior

Toward the front end

Posterior

Toward the rear end

Superior

Above another part

Inferior

Below another part

Lateral

Toward the side, away from the midline

Medial

Toward the midline, away from the side

Proximal

Located close (approximate) to the point of origin or attachment

Distal

Located more distant from the point of origin or attachment

Ipsilateral

On the same side of the body (e.g., two parts on the left or two on the right)

Contralateral

On the opposite side of the body (one on the left and one on the right)

Coronal plane (or frontal plane)

A plane that shows brain structures as seen from the front

Sagittal plane

A plane that shows brain structures as seen from the side

Horizontal plane (or transverse plane)

A plane that shows brain structures as seen from above

 

Terms Referring to Parts of the Nervous System (know these, p. 70)

A Cross-Section Through the Spinal Cord (understand dorsal and ventral, p. 70)

Gray Matter and White Matter

 

The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Nervous Systems (p. 72)

Major Divisions of the Vertebrate Brain (you are not responsible for the Greek style names "x-cephalon" p. 73)

Area

Also Known as

Major Structures

Forebrain

Prosencephalon (“forward-brain”)

 

Forebrain

Diencephalon (“between-brain”)

Thalamus, hypothalamus

Forebrain

Telencephalon (“end-brain”)

Cerebral cortex, hippocampus, basal ganglia

Midbrain

Mesencephalon (“middle-brain”)

Tectum, tegmentum, superior colliculus, inferior colliculus, substantia nigra

Hindbrain

Rhombencephalon

(literally/“parallelogram-brain”)

Medulla, pons, cerebellum

 

Example: Divisions of a Fish Brain (note the linear organization, p. 73)

The Human Brainstem (p. 73)

Cranial Nerves II Through XII (p. 74)

 

"On old Olympus's towering tops, a Finn and German viewed some hops." (Medical students learn this mnemonic)

Number and Name

Major Functions

I. Olfactory

Smell

II. Optic

Vision

III. Oculomotor

Control of eye movements; pupil constriction

IV. Trochlear

Control of eye movements

V. Trigeminal

Skin sensations from most of the face; control of jaw muscles for chewing and swallowing

VI. Abducens

Control of eye movements

VII. Facial

Taste from the anterior two thirds of the tongue; control of facial expressions, crying, salivation, and dilation of the head’s blood vessels

VIII. Statoacoustic

Hearing; equilibrium

IX. Glossopharyngeal

Taste and other sensations from throat and posterior third of the tongue; control of swallowing, salivation, throat movements during speech

X. Vagus

Sensations from neck and thorax; control of throat, esophagus, and larynx parasympathetic nerves to stomach, intestines, and other organs

XI. Accessory

Control of neck and shoulder movements

XII. Hypoglossal

Control of muscles of the tongue

 

 

Sagittal Section Through the Human Brain (note that the structures on rat and fish brain are in the same order, but linear, when humans evolved to walk on two limbs their heads rotated forward, p. 75)

Brain Tumor Text

 

Views of the Brain (if you had 50 left hemispheres and right hemispheres you could match them together into 50 brains by sight, p. 75)

The Limbic System (p. 74)

Information Routes from Thalamus to Cerebral Cortex (p. 77)

The Basal Ganglia (p. 78)

The Cerebral Ventricles (p. 79)

Module 3.2 The Cerebral Cortex

Relative Sizes of Five Brain Components in Insectivores and Primates (p. 83)

The Six Laminae of the Human Cerebral Cortex (not on test, p. 83)

Columns in the Cerebral Cortex (p. 83) BTW, these will be important when we discuss vision

Areas of the Human Cerebral Cortex (p. 84)

Approximate Representation of Sensory and Motor Information in the Cortex (p. 85)

3-D Models of motor and somatosensory cortex (not in book)

Species Differences in Prefrontal Cortex

Results of a Prefrontal Lobotomy (p. 87)

Where Am I?

An Illusion to Demonstrate Binding

see p. 88

Module 3.3 Research Methods (p. 91)

A Stereotaxic Instrument

Apparatus for Magnetic Stimulation of a Human Brain (p. 92)

 

A Result of Magnetoencephalography (p. 94)

A PET Scanner (p. 94)

An fMRI Scan of a Human Brain (p. 95)

Subtraction for a Brain Scan Procedure (p. 95)

A Phrenologist’s Map of the Brain

CT Scanner (p. 97)

A View of a Living Brain Generated by Magnetic Resonance Imaging (p. 98)

Methods of Studying Brain-Behavior Relationships (p. 98)

Examine Effects of Brain Damage

 

Study victims of stroke, etc.

Used with humans; each person has different damage

Lesion

Controlled damage in laboratory animals

Ablation

Removal of a brain area

Gene knockout

Affects wherever that gene is active (e.g., a receptor)

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Intense application temporarily inactivates a brain area

Examine Effects of Stimulating a Brain Area

 

Stimulating electrodes

Invasive; used with laboratory animals, seldom with humans

Transcranial magnetic stimulation

Brief, mild application activates underlying brain area

Record Brain Activity during Behavior

 

Record from electrodes in brain

Invasive; used with laboratory animals, seldom humans

Examine Effects of Brain Damage

 

Electroencephalograph (EEG)

Records from scalp; measures changes by milliseconds, but with low resolution of location of the signal

Evoked potentials

Similar to EEG but in response to stimuli

Magnetoencephalograph (MEG)

Similar to EEG but measures magnetic fields

Positron emission tomography (PET)

Measures changes over both time and location but requires exposing brain to radiation

Functional magnetic resonance

imaging (fMRI)

Measures changes over about 1 second, identifies location within 1 to 2 mm, no use of radiation

Correlate Brain Anatomy with Behavior

 

Computerized axial tomography (CAT)

Maps brain areas, but requires exposure to X-rays

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)

Maps brain areas in detail, using magnetic fields

 


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