lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
Inleiding psychologie 06-09-18
Lecture 2, the brain and the Nervous system
Chapter 3 (p. 69-101).
Genen x environemnt make the phenotype.
Building blocks of the nervous system
The nervous system consists
of o The glia
Has a supportive
role. o Neurons
Are the cells that receive info and brings it to the
cells Consists of a cell body, dendrites and axon.
From dendrites to the cell body and the axons. Not the other way
around. Afbeelding uit presentatie
Different types of neurons
o Sensory receptors
Reacts to pressure changes on your skin. Receptors sense things.
o Sensory (afferent) neurons
Carry the information provided by the receptors to the brain
o Interneurons
A lot of neurons in between the process
o Motor (efferent) neurons
Info from the brain to the muscles
Neuron is covered by a membrane (Semitransparent).
Communications among neurons.
Afbeelding actie en rust potential
Sodium = na+
Neurons either fire or the do not
fire. All or non-law
Intensity variations by:
Variations in the number of neurons
firing Variations in the firing rate
Neurons interact
o Via synapses
The place where a signal passes from one nerve cell to another
Through chemical substances
o Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron
to another
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
The binding of a neurotransmitter with a
receptor produces an excitatory or inhibitory
signal Excitatory: action potentials increase
Inhibitory: action potentials decrease
o Lock and key model
Afbeelding uit presentatie
o Effect is terminated by
Autoreceptors
Tell that there is enough.
Synaptic reuptake
Enzymes
Actively clean up neurotransmitticaly
mess Afbeelding uit presentatie
- Drugs
Agonists
o Increases of precursor
o Counteracting the cleanup enzymes
o Blocking the re- uptake (Prozac bijvoorbeeld)
o Mimicking the transmitters action
Antagonist
o Decreases precursor (or neurotransmitter)
o Increase effectiveness cleanup enzymes
o Enhance the re- uptake
o Blocking of receptors
Communication of the brain with the body.
- Somatic nervous system
Communication with the body (muscles, skin etc)
- Automatic nervous system
Consists of the:
sympathetic division
Prepares the body for action
Parasympathetic system
Returns the body to a resting state
The brain also communicates to the body through:
- The endocrine
system Hormones.
Studying the brain
19th century > Phrenology
- Bumps on the skull were interpreted in terms of personality traits.
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
Methods for studying the brain
- Clinical observation of patients with brain damage
May help us to understand different parts and functions of the brain.
- Experimental techniques
Invasive: animal studies (e.g., single – cell recordings etc)
- TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
- Other techniques
Electrophysiological: EEG
ERP: event- related potential technique
- Brain imaging
fMRI, PET
Occipitale lobe > vision (primary visual cortex)
Temporal love> hearing, memory also for vision (primary auditory cortex)
Parietal lobe > touch, spatial relations (motor cortex, somatosensory cortex)
Frontal lobe> Thought, planning, movement (prefrontal cortex)
Corpus callosum: the connection between the left and right brain half.
Left hemisphere: better with language
Right hemisphere: better with spatial relationships
Left and right hemisphere connected by corpus callosum.
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
Inleiding psychologie 10-09-2018
Lecture 3
Consciousness
H4 p 121-158
Consciousness
One’s subjective experience of the world, resulting from brain activity
- The brain and the mind are inseparable.
- Each of us experiences consciousness personally
o We cannot know if two people experience the world in exactly the same
way
Consciousness arises as a function of which brain circuits are active -> global work
space model.
Sometimes unconscious processes lead people to do things that their conscious
minds struggle to explain -> after- the- fact explanations.
Consciousness following injury
- Conditions of impairs consciousness provide useful points of contract to
‘normal’ (fully functioning) consciousness.
o Brain death
o Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome >open eyes but no response
o Minimally conscious state > patients respond sometimes
o Locked- inn syndrome > result of blood clot in the pons. Brain cannot send
signals to the body. They can only make eye movement.
Variations in consciousness
- Variation in normal
consciousness o Attention
There is a limit to the number of things you can be conscious of at
the same time
Attention refers to the process that enables you to focus
selectively on some things and avoid focusing on others
o Cocktail party phenomenon (Cherry, 1953)
o Broadbent’s filter theory (1958)
Afbeelding slide attention
- What if we do not attend at all?
o Change blindness
o Subliminal perception
Inleiding psychologie 06-09-18
Lecture 2, the brain and the Nervous system
Chapter 3 (p. 69-101).
Genen x environemnt make the phenotype.
Building blocks of the nervous system
The nervous system consists
of o The glia
Has a supportive
role. o Neurons
Are the cells that receive info and brings it to the
cells Consists of a cell body, dendrites and axon.
From dendrites to the cell body and the axons. Not the other way
around. Afbeelding uit presentatie
Different types of neurons
o Sensory receptors
Reacts to pressure changes on your skin. Receptors sense things.
o Sensory (afferent) neurons
Carry the information provided by the receptors to the brain
o Interneurons
A lot of neurons in between the process
o Motor (efferent) neurons
Info from the brain to the muscles
Neuron is covered by a membrane (Semitransparent).
Communications among neurons.
Afbeelding actie en rust potential
Sodium = na+
Neurons either fire or the do not
fire. All or non-law
Intensity variations by:
Variations in the number of neurons
firing Variations in the firing rate
Neurons interact
o Via synapses
The place where a signal passes from one nerve cell to another
Through chemical substances
o Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that transmit signals from one neuron
to another
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
The binding of a neurotransmitter with a
receptor produces an excitatory or inhibitory
signal Excitatory: action potentials increase
Inhibitory: action potentials decrease
o Lock and key model
Afbeelding uit presentatie
o Effect is terminated by
Autoreceptors
Tell that there is enough.
Synaptic reuptake
Enzymes
Actively clean up neurotransmitticaly
mess Afbeelding uit presentatie
- Drugs
Agonists
o Increases of precursor
o Counteracting the cleanup enzymes
o Blocking the re- uptake (Prozac bijvoorbeeld)
o Mimicking the transmitters action
Antagonist
o Decreases precursor (or neurotransmitter)
o Increase effectiveness cleanup enzymes
o Enhance the re- uptake
o Blocking of receptors
Communication of the brain with the body.
- Somatic nervous system
Communication with the body (muscles, skin etc)
- Automatic nervous system
Consists of the:
sympathetic division
Prepares the body for action
Parasympathetic system
Returns the body to a resting state
The brain also communicates to the body through:
- The endocrine
system Hormones.
Studying the brain
19th century > Phrenology
- Bumps on the skull were interpreted in terms of personality traits.
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
Methods for studying the brain
- Clinical observation of patients with brain damage
May help us to understand different parts and functions of the brain.
- Experimental techniques
Invasive: animal studies (e.g., single – cell recordings etc)
- TMS (transcranial magnetic stimulation)
- Other techniques
Electrophysiological: EEG
ERP: event- related potential technique
- Brain imaging
fMRI, PET
Occipitale lobe > vision (primary visual cortex)
Temporal love> hearing, memory also for vision (primary auditory cortex)
Parietal lobe > touch, spatial relations (motor cortex, somatosensory cortex)
Frontal lobe> Thought, planning, movement (prefrontal cortex)
Corpus callosum: the connection between the left and right brain half.
Left hemisphere: better with language
Right hemisphere: better with spatial relationships
Left and right hemisphere connected by corpus callosum.
, lOMoARcPSD|383 406 3
Inleiding psychologie 10-09-2018
Lecture 3
Consciousness
H4 p 121-158
Consciousness
One’s subjective experience of the world, resulting from brain activity
- The brain and the mind are inseparable.
- Each of us experiences consciousness personally
o We cannot know if two people experience the world in exactly the same
way
Consciousness arises as a function of which brain circuits are active -> global work
space model.
Sometimes unconscious processes lead people to do things that their conscious
minds struggle to explain -> after- the- fact explanations.
Consciousness following injury
- Conditions of impairs consciousness provide useful points of contract to
‘normal’ (fully functioning) consciousness.
o Brain death
o Unresponsive wakefulness syndrome >open eyes but no response
o Minimally conscious state > patients respond sometimes
o Locked- inn syndrome > result of blood clot in the pons. Brain cannot send
signals to the body. They can only make eye movement.
Variations in consciousness
- Variation in normal
consciousness o Attention
There is a limit to the number of things you can be conscious of at
the same time
Attention refers to the process that enables you to focus
selectively on some things and avoid focusing on others
o Cocktail party phenomenon (Cherry, 1953)
o Broadbent’s filter theory (1958)
Afbeelding slide attention
- What if we do not attend at all?
o Change blindness
o Subliminal perception
