Brain Structure and Sensation and Perception

Nick Wankier
In this unit of learning I learned about how the brain works and where the parts of brain are
located. This unit focused on the basics of how we function and transitioned to complicated
communication systems. This essay should be a summation of what I learned in this unit of
psychology.
The brain communicates using electrical impulses to give the body commands. The neuron
is the key communicator for the whole body with the glial cell. The dendrite branches out to receive
an electrical impulse just like a big antenna. The axon branches away from the cell body to
physically send the message just like an arm reaching to link with another arm. Axon is coated with
the myelin sheath that protects the cell from harmful electrical impulses. All these signals are sent
down the brainstem communicated to the body by pons.
This communication system is a way for the body also receive other neurotransmitters that
control movement, mood, hunger and pain. Acetylcholine controls muscle actions, learning and
memory. Dopamine controls movement, learning, attention ,and emotion. Serotonin controls mood,
hunger, sleep and arousal. Norepinephrine helps control alertness. Gaba is an inhibitory
neurotransmitter. Glutamate is a major excitatory neurotransmitter and helps memory. Drugs can
mimic or block these neurotransmitters. Agonist drugs mimic neurotransmitters and antagonist drugs
block neurotransmitters.
With all these communication waves being sent down into the body we learned what
happens when you lose a limb and still receive the signals to your limbs. This causes phantom limb
where you can still feel the missing limb due to the brain still sending signals to the body. This can
cause pain because the body can still think it is in a traumatic experience.
After learning of the communication of the brain we learned of sensation and perception.
Sensations is the incoming stimuli that sends electrical signals to the brain. Perception organizes all
of your sensations. With all of our senses we learned about multi sensory perception is when your
body uses not just one sense to organize a situation but uses more than one to assess the situation.
We simultaneously do this to make judgements about every situation we are in. The grouping effect
is decisions we make about or surrounding environment. This can help us to survive or just fit in.
Our brain uses transduction to break down the chemical to send an electric wave to the rest
of the body. Without this none of these brain functions would be possible. In the same category the
eyes have rods and cones to bring in waves of light to our eyes. Rods bring in color to our eyes and
cones bring in black and white. Our brain receives information from almost every part of our bodies.
In conclusion all the information of our body passes through our brain. Our brain can make
us feel the world around us. We can use all of our senses to make our lives easier. Our bodies work
on a large scale and on a microscopic scale just to feel the world around us.