The Brain and Its Disorders

The Brain and Its Disorders

The Brain
How To Study the Brain
Psychopathologies
Amnesias, Language Disorders, and
Prosopagnosia
The Neuron
 The Neuron
The brains most basic functional unit
 The Neuron
Soma Dendrites

Myelin
Sheath

Axon
Axon Terminals
 The Neuron
Soma (cell body) contains nucleus,
cytoplasm, organelles
Dendrites receive info
Axon transmits info
Myelin sheath covers the axon to
increase transmission speed (cause of
sensory and motor disturbances in
multiple sclerosis)
Action Potentials
 Action Potentials
How neurons transfer info
Changes neurons membrane potential
Rising phase membrane depolarizes
Overshoot
Falling phase membrane repolarizes
Undershoot
Restoration of resting potential
 Neurodegeneration
Involved in disorders like Alzheimers,
Huntingtons, Parkinsons
The Synapse
The Synapse
Axon terminal
releases
neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters
cross the synapse
and bind to receptors
on another neuron
Neurotransmitters
released, taken up
again by first neuron
 Neurotransmitters
Acetylcholine movement (respiratory paralysis)
Serotonin mood, sleep, appetite, anxiety
(depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder,
panic disorder)
Dopamine motivation, pleasure
(schizophrenia, Parkinsons)
Epinephrine and Norepinephrine attention,
anxiety, stress (epilepsy, mania in bipolar
disorder)
Neuropharmacology
 Reuptake Inhibitors
Prevent reuptake of neurotransmitters
from the synapse
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
Example: Prozac
Treats depression, OCD, panic disorder
The Blood-Brain Barrier
 The Blood-Brain Barrier
Endothelial cells in blood vessels in the
brain fit closely together
Only some molecules can pass through
Protects the brain from foreign molecules
and hormones and neurotransmitters from
other parts of the body
Can be damaged by infections, head
trauma, high blood pressure, etc.
The Brain
The Brain
 The Brain
Cerebral Cortex thought, language,
reasoning, movement, sensation
Corpus Callosum connects the right and
left hemispheres
Cerebellum movement, balance
Brainstem breathing, heart rate
Lobes of the Brain
 Lobes of the Brain
Frontal Lobe personality, planning,
emotion, problem solving
Motor cortex - movement
Brocas area speech production
Parietal Lobe - touch
Temporal Lobe hearing
Inferotemporal Cortex object recognition
Wernickes area language comprehension
Occipital Lobe - vision