Lecture Notes: AP Psychology - The Brain

Introduction

• Topic: Unit 2, Topic 6 of AP Psychology
• Goals:
  • Identify key brain structures
  • Understand their functions
  • Learn about contributions to brain understanding

Brain Overview

• Importance:
  • 86 billion neurons
  • 100,000 miles of axons
  • 10 trillion synapses
  • Consumes 20% of body's oxygen
• Historical Context:
  • Hippocrates speculated about brain halves in the first century BC

Significant Contributors

• Paul Broca:
  • Identified Broca's area (left cerebral hemisphere of frontal lobe)
  • Function: Controls facial muscles for speech
  • Broca's aphasia: Loss of speech ability, comprehension intact
• Carl Wernicke:
  • Identified Wernicke's area (left temporal lobe)
  • Function: Creates meaningful speech
  • Wernicke's aphasia: Loss of meaningful speech and comprehension

Brain Regions

• Central Nervous System: Brain as a part
• Major Regions:
  1. Hindbrain: Includes pons, medulla oblongata, cerebellum
  2. Midbrain: Difficult to see, surrounded by forebrain
  3. Forebrain: Largest, responsible for complex thoughts and behaviors

Hindbrain

• Medulla: Regulates autonomic functions (cardiovascular, respiratory)
• Pons: Bridge in the nervous system, associated with sleep and dreams
• Cerebellum: Maintains balance, coordination, and fine motor skills

Midbrain

• Reticular Formation:
  • Function: Arousal, awake/sleep cycle
  • Damage: Coma
• Reticular Activating System: Stimulates higher centers for important stimuli

Forebrain

• Cerebrum: Performs complex processes beyond survival
• Cerebral Cortex: Covers the brain, involved in higher cognitive functions
• Corpus Callosum: Connects two hemispheres, enables communication

Lobes of the Brain

• Frontal Lobe:
  • Location: Behind forehead
  • Functions: Higher level thinking, speech, voluntary movement
  • Key Areas: Prefrontal cortex, Broca's area, motor cortex
• Parietal Lobe:
  • Location: Behind frontal lobe
  • Function: Sensory information processing
  • Key Area: Somatosensory cortex
• Occipital Lobe:
  • Location: Back of head
  • Function: Visual processing
• Temporal Lobe:
  • Location: Above ears
  • Functions: Auditory processing, language comprehension
  • Key Areas: Wernicke's area, auditory cortex

Additional Brain Structures

• Thalamus: Sensory information hub
• Limbic System: Emotion, learning, memory
  • Hippocampus: Memory creation
  • Amygdala: Emotional reactions
  • Hypothalamus: Homeostasis, drives, works with pituitary gland
• Nucleus Accumbens: Pleasure and reward
• Basal Ganglia: Intentional movement, related to certain diseases

Conclusion

• Complexity: Overview of brain’s complex structures
• Practice: Engage with questions and resources for deeper understanding
• Resources: Ultimate review packet, practice sheets, and Mr. Sin's content

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• Mr. Sin provides additional resources and a Discord server for student engagement.