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Key Concepts in Physiological Psychology

Sep 25, 2024

Lecture Notes: Physiological Psychology and Psychopharmacology (Part 2)

Expansion of Lecture

  • Original Plan: Two parts
  • Current Plan: Expanded to three parts
    • Part 2: Subcortical and cortical structures of the forebrain and neuroimaging techniques
    • Part 3: Causes and symptoms of neurological disorders and psychoactive drugs

Subcortical Structures of the Forebrain

  • Hypothalamus

    • Maintains body homeostasis: temperature, blood pressure, appetite, thirst
    • Influences sexual behavior and stress response
    • Suprachiasmatic nucleus: Biological clock, controls circadian rhythms
    • Mammillary bodies: Important for memory

  • Thalamus

    • Relay station for sensory information (except olfaction)
    • Involved in memory and motor functions
    • Korsakoff Syndrome: Caused by thiamine deficiency, affects thalamus and mammillary bodies

  • Basal Ganglia

    • Includes caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus
    • Roles in movement, emotion, procedural memory, cognitive functions
    • Damage linked to disorders: Huntington's, Parkinson's, OCD, schizophrenia, ADHD

  • Limbic System

    • Amygdala: Emotion processing, fear, anger
    • Hippocampus: Memory consolidation, spatial memory
    • Disorders linked to abnormal amygdala function: PTSD, anxiety disorders, depression

Cerebral Cortex

  • Hemispheres: Right and Left
    • Connected by the corpus callosum

Frontal Lobe

  • Prefrontal Cortex: Executive functions, emotion regulation
  • Primary Motor Cortex: Executes voluntary movements
  • Broca's Area: Language production; Broca's aphasia impacts speech and repetition

Parietal Lobe

  • Somatosensory Cortex: Processes touch and body position
  • Damage can lead to agnosias, contralateral neglect, Gerstmann syndrome

Temporal Lobe

  • Auditory Cortex: Sound processing
  • Wernicke's Area: Language comprehension; Wernicke's aphasia impacts comprehension, repetition
  • Arcuate Fasciculus: Connects Broca's and Wernicke's areas; damage causes conduction aphasia

Occipital Lobe

  • Visual Cortex: Processes visual information
  • Damage can cause visual agnosia, hallucinations, color vision loss

Neuroimaging Techniques

  • Structural Neuroimaging: CAT, MRI

    • CAT: Cost-effective, quick, usable with metal implants
    • MRI: Detailed, doesn't use radiation

  • Functional Neuroimaging: PET, SPECT, fMRI

    • PET: Radioactive tracer
    • SPECT: Similar to PET, less detailed
    • fMRI: Blood, oxygenation, and flow changes

Practice Questions and Answers

  1. Emotion Attachment in PTSD: Amygdala
  2. Wernicke's Aphasia: Effortless but incoherent speech, impaired comprehension
  3. Adolescent Decision Making: Prefrontal cortex development
  4. Split Brain Syndrome: Corpus callosum severing prevents seizures

These notes provide a structured overview of key concepts in physiological psychology, focusing on brain structures and their functions, as well as neuroimaging techniques. Review and understand these concepts to excel in exams and practical applications.

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