CHAPTER 2
NOTES - CNS/PNS, neurons, neurotransmitters
Brain structures, lateralization
For more information about the brain, try HowStuffWorks. For more information about neurons, try this site. If you are interested in computer neural nets, continue on with the material discussed in the next few pages.
If you need some help understanding hemispheric lateralization, try this
activity.
Get a dowel (about .5" di. and about 1 yard long) and practice balancing
it on your index finger of your right hand and then your left hand. After about
10 minutes, you should be able to continue on with the next part. Have someone
time how long you can do this task using both hands. Now, do the same task,
except this time count backwards from 100 by 3. You should find that you can
still do the task using your left hand, but you have difficulty with your right
hand. Why? The left hemisphere not only controls your right hand, but also
controls language. *Note - there are variations in how people's brains are
organized. This task works best if you are right handed.
Here is an interesting survey on bioethics. At what point do you stop with drug and genetic interactions? Why?
Chapter 2 exercises - Biopsychology: NOTE: Make sure that you reword this information in YOUR words. If you just copy word for word from the book or links, the assignment will not count. In addition, if you can't find the material on the web site, try using your book.
EXERCISE 1 - Brain injury.
The Traumatic Brain Injury Guide is an
on-line book about brain trauma. In the section "How the brain is
hurt," how many people incur a brain injury each year? What are the 3 ways
in which the brain is hurt (briefly define)? In the section "Coping with
Everyday problems", what are three of the difficulties people with brain
injury may face? Make sure you list and then briefly describe.
EXERCISE 2 - Evolutionary Psychology
What is evolutionary psychology? Briefly describe 3 areas that evolutionary
psychology is studying. Try this site:
http://dmoz.org/Science/Social_Sciences/Psychology/Evolutionary_Psychology/
It is a list of a variety of evolutionary sites. If you go through the list,
you will find links to different areas. Just try to do the best you can with
these sites - they are a bit difficult to read. Or try to find some sites on
your own. Tell me what they are and what you learned.
EXERCISE 3 - Different neurological disorders.
NINDS
web site - select two disorders related to the BRAIN (carpel tunnel
syndrome, for example, won't work). Choose 2 that have a brief description
(some don't - they only have studies listed). Summarize what you have read
about these disorders.
EXERCISE 4 - Learning the brain
Hand-draw a series of brain diagrams (in cross section - similar to the book).
For each of the sections, you should color and label the appropriate structure
and list one or two of its major functions. Draw one for the hindbrain region
(medulla, pons, cerebellum), midbrain region (thalamus, hypothalamus, amygdala,
hippocampus), and the cerebral cortex (4 lobes). DO NOT JUST TRACE THE PICTURE.
It doesn't matter if you can't draw; just do your best.