Today

• Structures involved in thinking

• Functioning
Biological Basis of Psychology
• Organization

Intro Psychology
Georgia Tech
Instructor: Dr. Bruce Walker

Recall the “Machine” Analogy Seeing Structure and Function

• The brain is the key to cognition • Structure:
• So how is the brain structured? – Dissection, MRI
• How does it operate? • Function:
• What else do we need to know? – Case studies, ablation,
PET, fMRI, EEG

Recall the Neuron Doctrine Nervous System

• Neurons do the work
• Fissures/Sulci
• Actually, networks of neurons do the work
• Gyri
• Neurons are connected by synapses
• Nerves
• So we need to know how these “building
blocks” work, and how they form “networks” • Tracts
• Ganglia
• Nuclei
 Nervous System Nervous System

• Fissures/Sulci • Fissures/Sulci
• Gyri • Gyri
• Nerves • Nerves
• Tracts • Tracts
• Ganglia • Ganglia
• Nuclei • Nuclei

Cellular Anatomy of the Nervous

Gray & White Matter
System
• Hard to study! • Neurons are small…
• Billions of cells in NS – Cell body 1-100 mm
– ~1010 in brain • Same color
• 2 categories • Complicated
– Neurons connections
– Glial cells

Myelin Glial Cells

• White – leading to distinction between • “Support system” for neurons
“white” and “grey” matter • ~50% of cells in brain are glia
• 2 Basic functions • Astrocytes (Astroglia)
– Speeds nerve conduction – Physical matrix for neurons
• Neural depolarization occurs at nodes, then jumps – Metabolic support
to next node Glucose - Lactate
• Can increase conduction from 30 to 120 ms/sec. Glycogen
– Phagocytosis
 OUTSIDE CELL INSIDE CELL
Cell Membrane + -
osmotic pressure
• Lipid bilayer
K+ K+
+ - membrane is
• Semipermeable + osmotic pressure relatively
• Membrane potential
Na Na+
impermeable
+ - to Na+
• Membrane proteins osmotic pressure
– Pumps Cl- + -
Cl-

– Ion channels electrostatic pressure

• Leak channels
+ -
• Mechanically gated
• Voltage gated A-
• Chemically gated + - cannot
• Many types
cross
membrane
 Firing of a neuron Firing of a neuron
• Signal of a neuron is carried by an electrical • Concept of Threshold
charge that moves from one end of the – All or None – Neurons fire or they don’t
neuron to the other – “Intensity” information carried by frequency of
• Electrical activity firing
– Resting potential – Firing may increase or decrease likelihood of
connected neurons firing
– Action potential
• Neural “Inhibition”

Where the action is at

• Synapse
– Connection point between neurons
– Electrical activity carrying neural signal along
axon is converted into chemical signals to
transfer to the next neuron
 Neurotransmitters Upcoming
• Acetylcholine – one of the most common • Brain regions & organization
• Norepinephrine – important to bodily and
psychological arousal/alertness – released by
• Vision as an example of neural computation
amphetamine • Motivation & learning
• Dopamine – central in schizophrenia, depleted in • Sensation & perception
Parkinson’s disease, important in higher cognitive
functions
• Endorphins – stimulate certain neurons that
disrupt messages from pain centers – placebo
effects, acupuncture