The brain is one of the most complex organ in our bodies. To learn about the brain scientists use electrical stimulation. Electrical stimulation consists of using electrical probes to determine functions of the brain. Clinical observation of patients have also helped scientists learn more about the brain. Case studies of different patients such as Phineas Gage have helped to learn about the different functions of the brain and how they work together to perform complex activities. (Barron’s AP Psychology 6th Edition)
Different maps are taken of the brain in order to determine if there are any problems with the brain. An electroencephalogram (EEG) is used an amplified read out of the brain waves. A magnetic resonance imaging scan (MRI) gives
…show more content…
The reticular formation is also in the hindbrain and is a network of neurons that runs from the spinal cord to the thalamus. This is where the sensory input travels through and this controls awareness. It gets your attention while the pons keeps your attention. The thalamus is similar to a train station or a telephone switchboard. It receives information from all of the sense except smell. It sends this information to the brain regions that deal with that respective sense. The thalamus also receives higher brain replies and directs this replies to the medulla and cerebellum. The cerebellum extends out from the brain stem. It is located in the back of your head. Cerebellum is Latin for little brain and the cerebellum looks like a miniature brain. It is the size of a boy’s baseball and coordinates voluntary movement. The cerebellum also enables one type of nonverbal learning and memory. It also judges time, modulate emotions, and discriminates sounds and textures. (The Brain, Gale Resources Science In …show more content…
It contains 20-23 billion nerve cells. (The Brain, Gale Resources Science In Context) These cells are glial cells and guide the neural connections. They also provide nutrients and insulate myelin. The more folds or wrinkles in the cerebral cortex, the greater its surface area. This is the body’s information processing center and is divided into four lobes. Those lobes are the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. The frontal lobe controls judgment, planning, personality, and inhibitions. This is where the motor cortex is located. The motor cortex is arched shaped and the more precise or the bigger the movement is the more cortical space is needed in the arch (ex: moving your leg requires more cortical space than moving your finger). This allows the left hemisphere of the brain to control the right side of your body and the right hemisphere of the brain to control the left side of your body. The parietal lobe controls touch and smell. This is where the sensory cortex is located. The sensory cortex is arched shaped and parallel to and behind the motor cortex. It receives incoming messages from the skin and the movement of your body parts. The larger the area devoted to the part of the body, the more intense the sensation (ex: you would feel more pain on your face than your finger). The temporal lobe controls hearing and the occipital lobe
Other testing procedures that are commonly employed, in order to gain a better visual image of the excitatory activity in the brain are the PET scan and the MRI. According to Kalat (2004), these methods are non-invasive, meaning that they don’t require the insertion of objects into the brain, yet they yield results that allow researchers to record brain activity. The PET scan (positron emission tomography) involves the researcher injecting a radioactive chemical into the patient’s body, which is then absorbed mainly by the brain’s most active cells. With the use of radioactive detectors, placed around the patient’s head, a map is produced that shows which areas of the brain are most active.
The cerebrum is one of the parts of the brain that provides equilibrium when it comes to motor skills and plays a petit role in our concentration and language it also normalize our responses to fear and pleasure, with its appearance as an attached part at the bottom of the brain the cerebrum receives inputs from various parts of the brain and the spinal cord. (Pinel, 2009).
Brain scans -These tests can identify strokes, tumors, and other problems that can cause dementia. Scans also identify changes in the 19 brain’s structure and function. The most common scans are computed tomographic (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). CT scans use X-rays to produce images of the brain and other organs. MRI scans use a computer, magnetic fields, and radio waves to produce detailed images of body structures, including tissues, organs, bones, and nerves. Other types of scans let doctors watch the brain as it functions. Two of these tests are single photon-emission computed tomography, which can be used to measure blood flow to the brain, and positron emission tomography (PET), which uses radioactive isotopes to provide
The brain has many different parts to it which help one function through daily life; parts such as the cerebrum which controls voluntary movement and regulates functions such as thinking, speaking and the ability to recall information. The cerebellum controls the balance and coordination and finally the brain stem, which consists of the medulla oblongata and the spinal cord which controls all involuntary functions such as breathing, heart rate and blood pressure. The brain stem is also able to carry out these actions even when someone is asleep. To fully understand how crucial the brain is to survival one must understand the functions of the brain stem.
The left and right hemispheres of the brain are each divided into sections. Within each sections are lobes, controlling such processes as our visualization, our movement, and our personalities. For instance, the occipital lobe in the back of our brain is responsible for processing vision, and the frontal lobe behind our forehead controls cognition and personality. The lobes of the brain are split between the right and left hemispheres of the brain. This well-designed arrangement is for the lobes to function correctly, so the two hemispheres of the brain can communicate with one
The dorsal portion of the diencephalon comprises three major parts: the epithalamus, the dorsal thalamus (known as the motor thalamus), and the ventral thalamus. The epithalamus consists of the pineal body, the habenular nuclei, the stria medullaris, and the associated paraventricular nuclei. All of these nuclei play key roles in limbic functions. The dorsal and ventral thalamus comprises many nuclear groups that receive inputs from several brain structures and transmits afferent signals to specific areas of the cerebral cortex, except for the RTN which projects only to other thalamic nuclei and brainstem {Jones, 2002, Thalamic organization and function after Cajal;Jones, 2007, The Thalamus}. In general, most thalamic nuclei can be classified
As previously stated, neuroimaging science and study began in the early 1900s. The “great granddaddy” of functional brain viewing is electroencephalography, or EEG, and was invented by a German researcher by the name of Hans Berger. This exceptional neurologist discovered that the electrical activity of the brain is detectable outside the head. Following Berger’s steps, a group of scientists came up with ...
... Parsons, L.M., Bower, J., Xiong J., Li J., & Fox, P. (1996). Cerebellum Implicated in Sensory Acquisition and Discrimination Rather Than Motor Control. Science, 272, 545-547.
(Scientists have discovered that there are a large number of internal brain structures, which work together with the input and output brain structures to form fleeting images in the mind. Using these images, we learn to interpret input signals, process them, and formulate output responses in a deliberate, conscious, way.)
The recent advances in non-invasive brain imaging, increased computational power, and advances in signal processing methods have heightened the research in this area. As we make progress in interpreting noninvasive brain signals in time we will begin to explore applications that go beyond treatment. But for now these noninvasive methods of estimating brain activity is still something to be cautious about since it only measures the brain’s blood, oxygen consumption, glucose utilization, and more. These measurements may not be accurate enough to figure out one person’s problem. The problem again might be internal and measuring only the obvious would not aid in figuring it all out.
is a part of human brain connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord .it has many functions such as : it control autonomic functions of the peripheral nervous system that happen if the human wake up or sleepy ,control several important functions of the body through sending signals and messages from brain to the human body this functions like alertness ,blood pressure ,breathing ,digestion, swallowing , coughing, vomiting and heart rate.
It contains the primary motor cortex and the prefrontal cortex, which extend from the central sulcus to the anterior of the brain. The posterior part of the frontal lobe is the precentral gyrus which is specialized in the control of fine movements. The very most anterior portion of the frontal lobe is the prefrontal cortex. The neurons in this area have up to sixteen times as many dendritic spines as neurons in the occipital lobe or primary visual cortex. As a result, the prefrontal cortex is able to integrate a great deal of information (Kalat, 2004).
The human body is divided into many different parts called organs. All of the parts are controlled by an organ called the brain, which is located in the head. The brain weighs about 2. 75 pounds, and has a whitish-pink appearance. The brain is made up of many cells, and is the control centre of the body. The brain flashes messages out to all the other parts of the body.
The Cerebrum is the largest part of the brain , it controls certain fucntions such as perception, imagination , thought ,judgement and decision making . The surface of the Cerebrum (Cerebral cortex) is comprises of six thin layers of neurons , that rest ontop of a large surface of white matter pathways . The cortex is extemerly twisted and coiled to the point that if it is spread out, it might actually take up as much as 2.5 Square feet, and it comprises of 10 billion neurons and about 50 trillion synapses.The furthest part is the frontal lobe and is very important because its responsibility consists of voluntary movement and planning is thought to be the most significant lob for personality and intelligence .Behind the frontal Lobe is the parietal lobe, which includes the somatosensory area which happens to be just be...
electrical activity of human brain recorded from the scalp or the surface of the human