Learning Unit 3

The Brain and Behavior

 The Central Nervous System
 The CNS consists of two parts: the brain and the spine.
 The brain contains about 86 billion nerve cells which make trillions of
connections.
 The spinal cord contains about 1 billion nerve cells and reaches a
length of 18 inches in men and 17 in women.
 It is responsible for mental ability (Thinking and feeling), sensory
ability, moto ability (ability to move) and reflexes.
 The brain and spinal cord are protected by heavy bones of the skull
and spinal vertebrae.
 Under these bones, lie meninges which also provide further protection.
The Central Nervous System
cont…
 The Central Nervous System
cont…
 Infections of these membranes result in cases of meningitis.
 Both the spine and brain are surrounded by the cerebrospinal
fluid.
 The CSF acts as a buffer for the brain and spine and removes
waste products.
 It seeps out of the lining of hollow spaces in the brain called
Ventricles.
 The brain constantly produces about 450 ml of the CSF per day, so
blockages in this circulation causes the fluid to build up, resulting
in hydrocephalus (Water in the brain).
 The spinal cord, Brainstem and
Cerebellum
 The spinal cord extends from the lower part of the brain down into
the middle of the back.
 The spinal cord serves a major conduit for information flowing to
and from the brain along large bundles of nerve fibers, carrying
sensory information from the body and delivering commands to
muscles.
 Several important reflexes are initiated by the spinal cord, with no
assistance from the brain (Knee-jerk reflex).
 The Hindbrain
 This part of the brain consists of the medulla, the pons and the
cerebellum.
 The medulla lies just above the spinal cord and is involved in
automatic processes (Heart rate, breathing and blood pressure).
 The pons is small bump or swelling above the medulla. It is
located between the medulla and the hindbrain. It is involved in
arousal, sleep and facial expressions.
 Many nerve cells to and from the body pass through the pons,
hence Latin term Pons, which means bridge.
 The cerebellum is small round structure at the base of the brain.
 The Hindbrain cont…
 This part of the brain is responsible for smooth, coordinated
movement and balance, among other things.
 It is the first structure to be affect by alcohol.
 The Midbrain
 This part of the brain sits just above the pons, and contains
several structures involved in sensory reflexes, movement and
pain.
 The periaqueductal gray of the midbrain plays an important
role in the body’s management of pain because it contains
receptors for endorphins.
 Found nearby, are cell clusters that serve as major sources of two
chemical messengers which participate in states of arousal, mood,
appetite and aggression.
 These structures respectively are serotonin and norepinephrine.
 The Midbrain cont…
 Found also in the midbrain is the Reticular formation.
 It is the collection of structures that are located along the midline
of the brainstem.
 It is responsible for the management of levels of arousal, mood
and sleep. It also enables us to be aware of our surroundings.
 This portion of the brain has two settings; fast and slow.
 When the cells are firing quickly, we become awake, when slow,
we are most likely to enter into deep sleep or unconsciousness.
 The Forebrain
 This part of the brain consists of the structures above the
midbrain.
 The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that you would see if
you removed the skull and other structures underneath the cortex
are the sub-cortical structures.
 Sub-cortical structures include: The thalamus, hypothalamus,
limbic system and the cerebrum.
 The Forebrain…
 The Thalamus is the train station of the brain.
 It lies just above the brainstem and all incoming and outgoing
messages go through the thalamus.
 It is called the gateway for this reason because input from our
sensory systems (Taste, touch, hearing and vision) travel to the
thalamus and it sends the messages to the appropriate areas of the
brain for processing.
 When you see a red rose, the signals go to the thalamus, which
directs them to the visual centers of the brain.
 The Forebrain…
 The only signals that do not go through the thalamus are those of
smell. These go through the olfactory bulb.
 The thalamus is also involved with memory and states of
consciousness.
 Lesions in this part would most likely lead to memory loss.
 The hypothalamus lies beneath the thalamus.
 It is involved with motivation and homeostasis or the regulation of
body such as temperature, hunger, thirst emotion, biological rhythms,
sex (fornication) and reproduction; all things related to survival.
 The Forebrain…
 The limbic system refers to loosely connected network of
structures located roughly along the border between the cerebral
cortex and deeper subcortical structures.
 The hippocampus
 Is involved in the storage of long-term memories for everything you
know and everything that happened to you.
 NB: Memories are not stored permanently in the
hippocampus, but it is likely that the hippocampus is involved
in the storage and retrieval of memories located elsewhere in
the brain.
 The Forebrain…
 Damage to this part of the brain results in impairments in the ability
to form new memories.
 However, intelligence, personality and most memories of
events that took place before the damage, remain intact.
 The amygdala
 Is involved in the emotions of fear and rage.
 It receives sensory information (vision, hearing and smell) and
produces emotional and motivational output that is sent to the
cerebral cortex.
 The Forebrain…
 Research – The amygdala is more active when people are looking at
pictures of fearful facial expressions.
 If this part is damaged, an individual may not react with fear in
frightening situations, but higher areas in the brain can override this
reaction.
 For example, if you hear footsteps following you in a dark alley,
the amygdala makes you feel fear, but higher areas of the brain
take over as soon as you realize it is your friend.
 The Forebrain…
 The limbic system is also home for pleasure.
 The medial forebrain bundle (bundle of axons) contains the
highest concentration of pleasure centres, and passes through the
thalamus.
 Rich in dopamine-releasing neurons.
 The nucleus accumbens is very important for the brain’s reward
and pleasure circuity.
 This circuit is activated when one eats, during sex, gambling or using
drugs.
 The Forebrain…
 The cerebrum (Complex thought)
 Largest and most complex part of the human brain.
 Responsible for most complex mental activities (Learning, memory,
thinking and consciousness).
 Cerebrum is divided into two hemispheres, held together by the
corpus callosum.
 Each of the hemispheres further divided into four parts (Lobes)