Organization and Evaluation of Brain Function

Video one opens up with a clip of a race car driver. There are so many things that come into account in order for the driver to not only win the race but make sure he comes out of there alive! I really liked how the video compared the brain to a team. The brain is like a team that has many different members, and without each of these members, it would not function. For example, with the driver's frontal lobe, he is able to think and plan strategies so that he can win the race. He also uses his sensory cortex as he feels the pressure of his hands on the wheel. No single area of the brain can win the race by itself. They are always in constant contact with each other, even when you are sleeping!

But how do we know all of this??

Thanks to modern day tools, we are able to look inside the brain. Some of these tools include:
1. CAT scan-a machine that shows the location of actual brain tissue. This allows us to see brain structure.
2. PET scan- produces still pictures of the brain's activity . Its colors show which areas are most or least active. It does this by injecting glucose and seeing where the brain is using the most glucose.
3. EEG-the brain's electrical activity is recorded from sites on the scalp.
-They have also started combing neuro-imaging techniques like joining MRI with computer technology. This allows images to be reconstructed into three-dimensional pictures, allowing you to focus on any region of the brain from any angle. Combined images help researchers see the overall affect of a brain injury.

These advancements in neuro-imaging technology are so important because it allows us to see all levels of the brain and brain function. Hopefully, with further advancements, we will invent better treatments so we can understand neurological diseases better.

It is important to recognize that without all of these techniques, we probably wouldn't even have an AP Psychology course because no one would be able to understand the brain and its functions! I think it's really cool to see how the advancement in technology not only changes our lives in school, but everything! This made me very excited for the future, as I anticipate better machinery to investigate the brain.

Organization and Evaluation of Brain Function

Hello everyone,

After hours of trying to finish watching this video, I finally succeeded! (Two hours after my bed time!) I chose to watch the first video which begins with the description of how the brain works while a racecar driver is in action. How exactly is he able to remember every single turn?! Well, memories are stored in the tissue which lies on top of the brainstem, allowing him to remember his moves. The outer layer of the brain relays what his eyes see. Then there are two "ribbons" on top. The first relays touch, like the feeling of wind on his face or the pressure of his hands on the wheel. The second orchestrates movements, sending information to his hand telling him how to move it. The frontal lobe is necessary in order to think and plan a strategy to win the race.

It is important to note that every single region of the brain is constantly in contact telling the driver what to do. No single area can function by itself.

(This scenario with the driver reminded me of when Mrs. Perl gives us worksheet where we have to define the part of the brain and how it would function in a certain situation.)

The video went on to discuss the different tools to examine the brain. The CAT scan shows the location of the actual brain tissue. The PET scan shows pictures of the brain and which areas are most and least active. He focused mainly on the EEG. This was an amazing discovery because before this, we were not able to see the human brain unless we operated on it. A test was done with a woman whose brain activity was being recorded onto a TV screen. When the color on the screen was lighter it was more positive. The woman was asked to look straight at the screen. Then, the screen was able to show what her brain processed by looking at the screen. First, it showed how her eyes saw the picture and then shows more colors when her brain finally realized what she was looking at. (the picture of her own brain!)

This was very interesting to me. Like we discussed at our lovely review session tonight, shouldn't we already be able to tell what is going on in our own brains?! Well, apparently we can't. But, with the help of the EEG, psychologists were able take the pictures and turn them into 3D pictures and see the entire brain. I did not know this before! It changed human life completely and made much progress in finding new neurological diseases that were never heard of before. It also gave people the ability to see the brain before opperating. How cool! Good night! :)

Language and Speech: Broca's and Wernicke's Areas

Episode 6 is about Language and Speech: Broca's and Wernicke's Areas.

-The whole brain is involved in communication, but most of what we think of as language happens in the left hemisphere, where things are wired and structed differently than in the same area on the right.
-In 1861, Paul Broca discovered the left hemespehres role in language.

From Tom (the nickname the brain got because that was all he could say) Broca concluded the damaged part of the brain (the left) was in charge of language and therefore it is now called the Broca's area!
-Tom was rediscovered and x-rayed and in the black, on the left where Brocas is, that area was damaged and Broca was right!

Case:
A man who had a stroke and a blood clot which cut off his circulation was able to understand and express language (really slowly though)
When he was asked if an elephant or some other animal can fly he said no, but once he was asked if Zeplin can fly, he failed and simply said yes.
Afterwards, he failed another test since when he was told" a leopard was killed by the lion“ and afterwards asked who was killed, he didn’t know. His problem is that he only understood nouns and words, but was not able to put other things together, therefore not understanding the sentence.

Then, adenoidal areas in left hemisphere that contribute to language were found.
In 1874,German Karl Wernicke identified a 3rd language area in the left hemisphere. Brocas area in front (speech prod, grammer) middle corresponded to movement, and Wenicke's area both had to do with the formation of what is said and comprehension (speech seems fluent but doesn’t make sense). This was also an important discovery.

How speech is produced:
travels as nerve impulses to Wernick's area where its analysis, broca where sounds are assembled into sequences and moter cortex, which directs movement and sends signals to speech muscles.

This shows how important these three areas are for language and speech, and how when one is damaged, difficulty comes to understanding fully, expressing and others.

I think this was very interesting since I did not know Broca and Wernick's area were named after the people who discovered it, but more importantly it was very interesting to see how a patient was tested after he had damaged his broca area and the things he was still able or unable to do.

Video 5: The Divided Brain

Video 5 is about split brain patients. The cortex is the wrinkly thing that we usually picture when we think about the brain. The cortex orchestrates talents and skills, and is made up of millions of networks of nerve cells.
The brain has two halves- the right and the left. They look the same, but really they aren't. They are asymmetrical. The two sides have different skills and abilities, and each side of the brain controls the opposite side of the body. For example, if you move your left hand it is because of processes and functions happening in the right side of the brain. However, both sides communicate with each other through the corpus collosum, which attaches the two hemispheres.
Sometimes doctors cut the corpus collosum to control seizures in epileptics. We can study split brain people to understand the functions of the two hemispheres.
One patient, Vicky, was tested, and we are shown a video of her testing. Pictures were flashed to her right and left visual fields, and she had to say what the pictures were. When flashed to the right she could identify it, but when flashed to the left she could not (this was a picture of a woman on the phone). She could say a woman, but she could not say phone. When they had her write, with her left hand and her eyes closed, what she saw, she wrote telephone. The image was sent to the right side of her brain beforehand, and so she could only say that she saw a woman. But she wrote out telephone. Then when she saw what she had written, and both hemispheres go the message, the left hemisphere could finally say, "phone."

I hadn't known that she would even be able to say woman. I thought she shouldn't have been able to say woman or phone, but she might be able to write both of them out. I was wrong though. You learn something new everyday.

Hello my dear fellow classmates (and of course my dear Mrs. Perl-you will like this one!)

This week we are learning about the details of the brain. I must say it is VERY interesting to see what each part of the brain is responsible even though it is super hard! Anyway, one part of the brain really fascinated me-the cerebellum. The cerebellum is the “wrinkly” part on top of the brain stem and it sticks out a little. The function of the cerebellum is to process input from other areas of the brain, spinal cord and sensory receptors to provide precise timing for coordinated, smooth movements of the skeletal muscular system. Have you ever seen another girl and with complete jealousy just thought: God she moves with such graceful coordination?!?! Or when you see a famous performer, like Usher or Chris Brown, dance in such an elegant manner that it just leaves you breathless?!? I often wondered to myself: Why am I such a klutz who falls, trips, drops things and knocks into what seem to be the sharpest objects? Why does Mrs. Perl throw dry erase markers around the room throughout the entire class? Does it just simply mean that our cerebellum isn’t as developed or stimulated enough practice? This topic simply fascinates me and I would like to know what you think!

Prompt for the week of 9/ 20

This week I would like you to view a video on the following site http://www.learner.org/resources/series142.html  and then write a post describing the main points in the video and responding to something new that you learned through watching the video. You should choose from episode 1,5, or 6 for this assignment.

Did someone say something?!

When I read about how sounds are processed in the auditory part of the temporal lobe in the brain, I read that sometimes we hear things that aren't actually real. These are referred to as auditory hallucinations. I found this to be quite weird! There are always times when I think I hear someone calling my name, or I think somebody said something when they really didn't. I think that this means that I have auditory hallucinations A LOT.

So, firstly I would like to know if anybody else has these "hallucinations" all the time too. (calling them hallucinations just makes it seem like I am crazy or something!)

I also think that when we "hear" someone calling our names, it could be that we subconsciously want somebody to be calling our names for some reason, or we just think we hear something because many people are talking at once. When it is a situation that a person is in a big place with a lot of people talking, it is easy to think they are hearing something that isn't real. This doesn't seem so weird. However, if a person is just talking to somebody else and thinks they hear the other person saying something when the other person did not say anything, it could become quite strange! what do you think?!

Parents vs. Peers

As I was reading through chapter three in our book, I was intrigued by the section "How Much Credit (or Blame) Do Parents Deserve." Usually when we come across a crazy child, we tend to blame his/her parents for not disciplining their children. However, in reality this is not so accurate. One of the factors that plays into shaping a child's personality is peer influence. Depending on who a child hangs out with, will influence their behavior. This connects back to the drug conversations/posts that we have been having. If a child is around drugs, he is very likely to use drugs! Therefore, who a child is hanging around has a HUGE impact on what the child will become. A quote from the book: "Direct parental influences on smoking are less important than many people suppose. Rather, teens who start smoking typically have friends who model smoking, who suggest its pleasures, and who offer cigarettes." This is why who you hang out with is so crucial. It also explains why there could be a family where there are children who keep shabbos and children who don't. It usually has to do with who their children's friends are.
Take the feather fad for example. Someone comes into school with a feather in their hair, and within two weeks almost half the school has feathers in their hair! It's almost like everything is a competition between peers. We mimic our peers because their 'cool' or because we can't let them 'get ahead of us.' She has one feather in her hair, so I'm going to get five in mine. This can be very dangerous and can ultimately lead to total irrational thoughts.
Just something to think about! :)

Agonist and Antagonist

We learned about agonist and antagonists today and it really struck me how hard it actually is to make the medicine that will either block or mimic neurotransmitters. How hard must it be to create something like that? To make the perfect dosage and neurotransmitters so that the body will function correctly!

I just cannot believe how technology and medication has improved so much. If I would have lived years before this was created, I would have never believed that this could be done.

Is anyone else also as intrigued as me of this matter?!

Plasticity

Plasticity is something very interesting that we have read in the book and will learn with Mrs. Perl next week. Plasticity is the brains capacity for modification. Meaning, after damages, the brain can reorganize itself. Neurons that are cut off will not regenerate, but neural tissue can reorganize after damage.
So, when a body part is amputated, the sensory fibers adjacent to the sensory cortex can invade the brain tissue that isn't receiving sensory input anymore. The hand's sensory cortex region is between the face and the arm's. So when someone has had their hand removed, if you stroke their face, the person will say that feel it in his/her fingers too. This shows us that the brain can reprogram itself after time, and is not set in stone. When one area is damaged, the other areas in the brain can reorganize themselves and take over its functions.

Questions:
Why do you think this is important?
Is this true in all cases (if you cut of your ear will your body take over its functions)?
Research the phantom ghost syndrome- why do people think that they still feel their amputated body parts once they are gone? Is it painful?

Hello my dear fellow classmates,

My dear friend Zahava posted about drugs, ranting about how unbelievably stupid she thinks it is that people do drugs. This reminded me about something I would like to share with you that I have heard so many times from so many different people, some of whom were actually creditable (Mrs. Perl!!!). I even researched if this theory was actually true and now I would like to hear what you lovely people have to say. Research shows that in a family in which the parents and children have dinner every night, the percentage of them abusing drugs is slimmer than families who do not have dinner every night. (For those of you who don’t have dinner with your parents I’m not implying anything, I promise!)

Left Handedness

I don't know about you but whenever I come across a left handed person I get excited! Left handedness seems so different and exciting! However, in reality, there isn't much of a difference between lefties and righties. Left- handers are more numerous than usual among those with reading disabilities, allergies, and migraine headaches. However left-handedness is also more common among musicians, mathematicians, professional athletes, architects, and artists. As you can see, in the end, it all balances out!
Another thing that interests me is how people use their left hand for some activities/tasks and their right hand for other activities/tasks. For example, some people may shoot a basketball with their right hand but write and eat with their left hand. Why do you think that is? It is hard for me to fathom because my left hand is so much weaker than my right hand. I can't imagine using both successfully. This also gets me thinking on another topic. Why do we tend to chew on a specific side of our mouths. I chew on the right side of my mouth, and I use my right hand. Do you think there is a relationship between the two? Let me know what you think!

Hello everyone!

First of all, I would love to mention once again how I'm loving how this class relates to some of my other classes. As I started my questions for chapter two this past week, I realized that it began with neurotransmitters, which is something that I am familiar with from last year's anatomy class. It was nice to refresh my memory on some ideas that we covered in class last year and also connect what we previously learned with something new.

As I began to read about the affects of drugs on the brain, I started to think how interesting it truly is. I read about the natural opiates that our brains make as pain killers for whatever pain we feel. Then, when I read how drugs destroy these opiates and bring in unnatural opiates, I thought that it was pretty much stupid. After stopping drug use, the body just feels more pain due to the lack of natural opiates. The body was just fine without the drugs in the first place! So, I think that it is very sad and unfortunate how little people really know on the subject of how drugs affect them before using drugs. The thought crossed my mind that if more people knew about this, there would be less drug use in the world. But, then i realized that no matter how much knowledge people have on the matter, drug use is addicting and would most likely not lessen that much. This just makes me very sad.

Nature vs Nurture

I know we have only breafly discussed the debate between nature vers nurture, but I wanted to ask you what your thoughts are on that debate before we are going to learn it. After we have learned it you might come back to your comment and see how your view point has changed, and how much knowledge you gained.

To what extend does nature or nurture affect us in our everyday lives, and which one is the reason for our actions?

Do not be scared to state your opinion because every opinion has a value :)

Hello my dear fellow classmates,

So I actually went on line and found a really interesting article that I felt like sharing. I am convinced that this will be a great topic to discuss amongst ourselves since it is a debate that is going on to this day. We all learned that a psychologist is a little different from a psychiatrist. Psychiatrists are doctors and have the ability to prescribe medication to their patients. Many people feel highly uncomfortable with the fact that psychiatrists have the ability to prescribe us with medication. Obviously, the article brought forth numerous examples of psychiatrists who sometimes prescribed patients with an unnecessary or sometimes even incorrect medication. Now here are my questions: Do you think that psychiatrists should have the right to prescribe medication to patients (since many don’t even consider them real doctors)? Do you think that should only be a doctor’s job (although they make mistakes as well)? Let me know what you think!

What We Have Left Will Still Be Right

The brain is split into two hemispheres- the right and the left one. It used to be that people thought the left hemisphere was the dominant one and that the right one was just kind of there. We now know that the right hemisphere isn't as limited as we once thought. In 1961, Philip Vogel and Joseph Bogen thought that major seizures were caused by an amplification of abnormal brain activity between the two hemispheres. They thought that they could reduce seizures if they cut the corpus callosum, which would mean cutting the connection between the two hemispheres.

This procedure was done, and indeed, the seizures were reduced. But there was even more to be discovered. After the procedure, people with "split brains" were left with brains that still functioned, and although they worked a bit differently, they were still right. Something very interesting occurred after the procedure. Both hemispheres functioned but no longer worked together. Here is one example:
When people who had gone through the surgery were shown a picture of a spoon via the right hemisphere, they could not say what they had seen. However, when feeling different objects they could identify the spoon as the object they had been shown.

Your assignment: Pick a question and go!
1) Give other examples of what else happened to patients who had split brain surgery?
2) Has anything else been recently discovered about this procedure?
3) Why do you think this was/is important for the world?
4) Explain why splitting the two hemispheres has an affect and changes certain things?

Poor Lucy

As I was reading through chapter one in our book, I came across a cute comic entitled "Peanuts" on page 45. In this comic, a boy and a girl are playing baseball together, and the boy is disgusted by the terrible baseball skills Lucy has. The boy says, "Lucy, you're the worst player in the history of the game!" In all seriousness, Lucy probably isn't the worst player in the history of the game of baseball and the boy's statement had no proof (as Lucy pointed out). This is a cute cartoon, but it also sheds light unto our own lives. There are probably many times in a day where you make a complete generalization and exaggeration. For example, think about how many times you've said, "That's the funniest thing I've ever heard." If you really think about it, all of this is part of our every day lives. We are always saying these strong statements about the tiniest things. I also think this has something to do with overconfidence and 'underconfidence.' Someone's confidence or boldness will stir them to make these huge statements. Usually when you say these short yet powerful sayings, you feel very sure of yourself, and if anyone were to argue you would have justification right at the tip of your tongue. To conclude, I think we should all try to work on how much we make these generalizations and exaggerations because they can come to hurt someone's feelings like poor Lucy who doesn't know how to play baseball very well. They can also come back to bite you in the future.

Drugs-REPOST

hope it works this time!

We are currently working on questions in chapter for homework, and the answer to question 3 interested me. The question was about drugs and how they affect neuro-transmissions, and about agonists and antagonists.
The book explained that we don’t want to use to many chemicals to boost our endorphins, because when flooded with opiate drugs the brain might stop making its own natural opiates. And then once the drug is not used anymore, the brain will have no opiate.
Basically you are messing up your brain. So why do people who are perfectly happy and are just hanging out with their friends at a party use drugs? You know you are only causing harm to yourself. And why do people let their friends do it? You're only being a horrible, horrible friend. And when you push other people to do it- that's also a terrible (if not worse) friend. People need to stop acting like when you're young you should have fun and experience with drugs.
Does it not disturb you?