psychological psychology

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8.Anatomyheirarchy.ppt
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Anatomical Organization of the Brain

Organization of the Brain

Hierarchical organization:

  • Lower structures—more basic functions
  • Higher structures—more complex functions
  • All brain structures are directly/indirectly connected
  • An experience can affect all levels of the brain
  • Some structures can override other structures

Life experience and brain hierarchy…
PTSD as example

  • “Memories of the trauma flash into my mind unexpectedly.”

  • “I have trouble getting thoughts and images of the trauma out of my head.”

  • “I react so strongly to the smallest reminders of the trauma.”

  • “Sometimes I feel physical sensations that are like feeling the trauma again.”

The Hindbrain

  • Medulla – heart rate, breathing, coughing, sneezing, salivating.
  • Crossover of axons from brain to spinal cord - contralateral

The Hindbrain

Pons

  • Reticular formation - regulates brain’s arousal, attention, responsiveness
  • Muscle inhibition during REM sleep
  • Initiation of dreaming?

Cranial Nerves

  • 12 pairs of Sensory/Motor Nerves
  • Emerge mostly from Medulla, Pons

  • Olfactory Nerve
  • Optic Nerve
  • Trigeminal Nerve
  • Vagus Nerve

The Hindbrain

Cerebellum

  • About 50% of brain’s neurons
  • coordination of movement, balance
  • shifting of attention
  • classical conditioning (learning)

The Midbrain

Nerve pathways related to sensation and movement

Substantia Nigra – initiate spontaneous movement

Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA) – endorphin synapses; part of “reward pathways”

The Forebrain

Thalamus

  • “Sensory switchboard”—sorts and directs sensory info up to cortex

Forebrain

Basal Ganglia

(ganglia = groups of neuron cell bodies)

  • Planning, selecting movements
  • Learning habitual behaviors

The Forebrain

Limbic System—associated with emotion & motivation

(fig 8.4)

The Forebrain

Limbic System:

  • Amygdala— emotional awareness, emotional expression

The Forebrain

Limbic System:

Hypothalamus—”below thalamus.”

  • Regulation of body processes – “motivation”
  • Eating, drinking, body temperature, aggression, sex, …
  • Control of autonomic NS

The Forebrain

Limbic System:

  • Hippocampus—participates in storage of new memories.

The Forebrain

Limbic System:

  • Olfactory bulb-sense of smell
  • Connects to amygdala, hippocampus

The Forebrain

Pituitary gland—controls hormone release in other glands.