A2 Biology Topic 8 Grey Matter You’ve gotta nerve! LO: Locate and state the functions of the regions of the human brain’s cerebral hemispheres (ability.

A2 BiologyTopic 8

Grey MatterYou’ve gotta nerve!

LO: Locate and state the functions of the regions of the human brain’s cerebral hemispheres (ability to see, think, learn and feel emotions), hypothalamus (thermoregulate), cerebellum (coordinate movement)

and medulla oblongata (control the heartbeat).

Cerebral cortex - lobes

Cerebral cortex - regions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Li5nMsXg1Lk

(1.23 min)

Cartoon: Parts of the brain!

A bit of fun!!!

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Part and Function

A. Frontal Lobe – concerned with higher brain functions such as decision making, reasoning, planning and consciousness of emotions. It includes the motor cortex which stores information about how to carry out different movements.

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Part and Function

B. Parietal lobe – concerned with orientation, movement, sensation, calculation and types of recognition and memory.

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Part and Function

C. Occipital lobe – Visual cortex, concerned with processing information from the eyes including vision, colour, shape and perspecive.

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Part and Function

D. Cerebellum – coordinates movement and balance.

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Part and Function

E. Temporal Lobe – concerned with processing auditory information i.e. Hearing, sound, recognition of speech. Also involved in memory.

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Parts of the Brain

1. Cerebrum2. Corpus callosum3. Visual cortex4. Cerebbellum5. Brain stem6. Medulla oblongata7. Pituitary gland8. hypothalamus

What does each part do?

The BrainThe Brain

Cerebrum

Corpus callosum

Cerebellum

Medulla oblongata

Pituitary gland

Hypothalamus

Thalamus

In Brief

• Cerebral hemispheres (ability to see, think, learn and feel emotions),

• Hypothalamus (thermoregulate),

• Cerebellum (co-ordinate movement)

• Medulla oblongata (control the heartbeat)

A blow to the back of the head may result in you seeing stars? Suggest

why?• The region of the brain

concerned with visual processing is the occipital lobe which sits at the back of the cortex and is closest to the back of the head. Thus, a blow to this area would cause a disturbance in vision.

Imagine that you are whizzing downhill on a bike and come across an unexpected sharp bend in the road.

You need to apply the hand breaks or turn your handlebars to stop yourself falling. Which regions of

the brain are involved in the action?

• Frontal lobe, parietal lobe, motor cortex and cerebellum

Parkinson’s disease results in the inability to select and make

appropriate movements due to neurones dying in that area. Suggest

which lobe is damaged.• Parietal lobe/basal ganglia

The diagram below shows a human brain seen from the side.

(a)Name the parts labelled B and C. (2) (b)Give two functions of the part labelled A. (2)

(Total 4 marks)

Answer• (a) B = medulla (oblongata); C = cerebellum; 2• (b) 1. to receive sensory input / eq;• 2. idea of {interpretation/coordination} (of

information);• 3. {initiates / transmits} impulses to effector;• 4. idea of control of voluntary action / eq;• 5. reference to {thought / learning / intelligence /

memory };• 6. reference to speech;• 7. reference to {personality / emotion}; max 2• [4]

Now complete the other examination questions on the

brain.

How do neuroscientists know?

1. Looking at pathological specimens

2. Examining damaged areas3. Animal studies4. Study during surgery5. Non-invasive techniques

Studies of individuals with damaged brain regions

• By studying the consequences of accidental brain damage it is possible to determine the functions of certain regions of the brain– Injuries– Destroyed neurones produce lesions– Non-human animal ‘models’– Removal of brain tissue

Phineas GageThe tamping iron was 3 feet 7 inches long and weighed 13 1/2 pounds. It was 1 1/4 inches in diameter at one end (not circumference as in the newspaper report) and tapered over a distance of about 1-foot to a diameter of 1/4 inch at the other. The tamping iron went in point first under his left cheek bone and completely out through the top of his head, landing about 25 to 30 yards behind him. Phineas was knocked over but may not have lost consciousness even though most of the front part of the left side of his brain was destroyed. Dr. John Martyn Harlow, the young physician of Cavendish, treated him with such success that he returned home to Lebanon, New Hampshire 10 weeks later.

Use A2 orange Biology page 229 write notes on the story of curious

incident of Phineas Gage

The strange case of Lincoln Holmes

Lincoln Holmes can see perfectly well - but he cannot recognise his own face. Thirty years ago, Lincoln was in a car accident that damaged an isolated part of his brain. As a result, he has no ability whatsoever to recognise people's faces - he is completely "face blind". "In those moments when I am suddenly alone, and I don't know where anybody that I am with is, there can be a surge of fear, and it is lonely in that sense. "The very thought of something so basic as recognising faces being lost is not only hard to image, it is pretty scary.“

Effects of Strokes

• Brain damage• Problems with speaking,

understanding speech, reading and writing.

• Some patients can recover some abilities after a stroke, showing the potential of neurones to change in structure and function. Known as neural plasticity.

Signs of a stroke

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGHcDuXY6kk (1.01 min) man

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXONEHmupy0&feature=related (1.02 min) women

Damage to Broca's Area(Broca's aphasia)

• prevents a person from producing speech

• person can understand language • words are not properly formed • speech is slow and slurred.

Damage to Wernicke's Area(Wernicke's aphasia)

• loss of the ability to understand language

• person can speak clearly, but the words that are put together make no sense. This way of speaking has been called "word salad" because it appears that the words are all mixed up like the vegetables in a salad.

Plenary Task: Complete the A3 summary sheet.

Test the knowledge gained in Today’s Lesson.

Prep: Research Brain imaging and discuss the advantages and

disadvantages to each. CT, MRI, fMRI