study guide #4
How are chromosomes (and which ones) potentially linked to becoming a psychopathic killer?
The X chromosome is linked to becoming a psychopathic killer
What are the meninges? Layers? (text p.45)
meninges: The three protective membranes—dura mater, pia mater, and arachnoid—that surround the brain and spinal cord. dura mater: The outermost of the three meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. pia mater: The innermost of the three meninges that surround the brain and spinal cord. arachnoid: The thin covering (one of the three meninges) of the brain that lies between the dura mater and the pia mater.
General information about the brain e.g. weighs ~ 3 pounds
-3 pounds (48 ounces) -86 BILLION neurons -Cerebral cortex: 16 billion neurons and a 150 TRILLION synapses (where neurons communicate)... each synapse can have anywhere from 1,000-10,000 per neuron. 100,000 miles of myelinated axons - the three major structures are the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem (brain/spinal cord)
What is a motor homunculus? Sensory homunculus? Figure 5.10 (A), (B), & (C) & Figure 5.11 (A) & (B)
-little man (map) -motor homunculus: motor cortex/ precentral gyrus. lots of working muscles in your finders, face as opposed to say your knee. -sensory: somatic sensory cortec/ postcental gyrus
According to the article, "Understanding Lack of Empathy After Brain Injury and How to Cope" What are the types of empathy? Can individuals learn/relearn empathy? Is it true that individuals with autism (Autism Spectrum Disorder) don't possess empathy? Have researchers identified the one area that processes empathy?
1. Cognitive empathy: The ability to understand the positions and feelings of others. 2. Emotional empathy: The ability to share and experience the emotions of others. 3. Compassionate empathy: The ability to respond to others and help them when they are in need. -it is still possible to relearn empathy. Empathy is a skill, and like all skills, it requires intensive practice. You can learn how to practice empathy through training from a neuropsychologist. This is due to neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to rewire itself. -contrary to popular stereotypes, most people with autism do not lack empathy. They just struggle with social norms. -Multiple areas of the frontal lobe play a role in empathy skills including the right supramarginal gyrus and the orbitofrontal cortex
Epigenetics (text p.402)
Epigenetics is the study of factors that affect gene expression without making any changes in the nucleotide sequence of the genes themselves.
What do we mean by the "superior temporal gyrus exhibits lateralization"
Function in the superior temporal gyrus exhibits lateralization with each hemisphere subserving distinct functions: right side: acts as a site of convergence and interface between dorsal and ventral visual streams contributing to processing of both object- and space-related information. processes non-verbal social cues to assess the mental states of others left side: mediates language processing and is involved in auditory short-term memory 4 and both perception and production of speech
Factors that might interact & contribute to psychopathic killers
Genes: MAOA "violence gene" sex-linked (X chromosome) Biological epigenetic, brain damage Environment: experience or witnessing extreme violence or trauma in "3D" Timing (before puberty)
What gene is implicated in serial killers Risk or deterministic?
MAOA gene - "violence gene"
What is a sulci/sulcus? Gyri/gyrus? Fissure?
sulci/ sulcus: small grooves Gyri/ gyrus - elevated ridges fissure: deep grooves
Know AND be able to identify the "brain planes".
- Horizontal section/ cut: (transverse cut)parallel to the ground. Has symmetry (mirror images). Long (oval) -Coronal/ Frontal: vertical to the ground -Sagittal cut/ section: cutting from the side. Does not have symmetry except for the MIDSAGITTAL which is right down the middle
According to the article, "Why Brain Scientists Are Still Obsessed With The Curious Case Of Phineas Gage", what is the one thing many people don't know about Phineas and what is the message for present day individuals who have experienced massive brain damage & massive incapacity?
-There is something about Gage that most people don't know, Macmillan says. "That personality change, which undoubtedly occurred, did not last much longer than about two to three years." -"Even in cases of massive brain damage and massive incapacity, rehabilitation is always possible."
Know AND be able to identify the location of the neuroanatomical directions.
-anterior/rostral: toward the nose end -posterior or caudal: towards the tail end -dorsal: towards the surface of the back or top of the head -ventral: toward the surface of the chest or bottom of the head -superior: top -inferior: bottom -medial: toward the midline of the body -lateral: away from the midline toward the body's lateral surfaces. looking at the brain from the side (bilateral is both sides) -Ipsilateral: same side -Contralateral: opposite sides -distal: distant -proximal: close to
Know the 4 lobes, their location & how they got their name
1. Frontal lobe: The most anterior portion of the cerebral cortex. Most reciprocal (goes back/forth) interconnections with other brain structures Represents nearly a third of your entire brain Last region of the brain to develop First to decline with age Plays an integral role in the following behaviors and more: working memory, decision making, problem-solving, personality, motor function, spontaneity, language, judgment, impulse control, reasoning, emotional regulation, empathy 2. Parietal lobe: The large region of cortex lying between the frontal and occipital lobes in each cerebral hemisphere. Somatosensory cortex aka S1 on postcentral gyrus integrates & conveys somatosensory information from the contralateral side of the body (check out fig 3.18 pg. 78) including touch, temperature, pressure, pain, & proprioception (your awareness of the position and movement of your body) An essential element of spatial information Controls the ability to read and write Processes taste 3. Occipital lobe: A large region of cortex that covers much of the posterior part of each cerebral hemisphere. Processes visual stimuli, analyzing distances, shapes, colors, and movements Primary visual cortex aka V1 aka Striate Cortex Much of the visual cortex is tucked into the calcarine sulcus or fissure 4. Temporal lobe: the large lateral region of the cortex in each cerebral hemisphere. It is continuous with the parietal lobe posteriorly and separated from the frontal lobe by the Sylvian fissure. The primary auditory cortex, aka A1 located on the Superior temporal gyrus Processes complex sounds transmitted from lower auditory pathways Wernicke's Area: language comprehension or receptive language Usually in your left hemisphere -Each of the four lobes is named after the bone that it's under, so the imaginatively named frontal lobe sits under the frontal bone.
What is the cerebral cortex? Cerebrum?
Cerebral cortex: The thin outer covering of the cerebral hemispheres, which consists largely of nerve cell bodies and their branches. thin outermost layer of gray matter cererbum: most anterior part of the brain in vertebrates, located in the front area of the skull and consisting of two hemispheres, left and right, separated by a fissure. It is responsible for the integration of complex sensory and neural functions and the initiation and coordination of voluntary activity in the body. white matter
What was Dr. James Fallon's theory about violence, 3D etc.
Dr. Fallon's theory if you have a variant of the MAOA gene then in utero there will be increased levels of 5-HT and your brain will become insensitive to 5-HT (& it's calming effects) In order to express this gene, you have to be exposed to "violence" BEFORE PUBERTY. A "recipe for disaster" - Psychopathic killer
How accurate is the representation? Can the representation change or is it fixed for life? How? Example? Postcentral gyrus & akas? Location? Functions? (pp. 39, 128-129, 144-145)
Motor representations in M1 are not static; they change as a result of training. For ex-ample, M1 is wider in piano players, especially in the hand area, than in nonmusicians. The younger the musician was at the start of musical training, the larger the gyrus is in adulthood, so this expansion of M1 seems to be in response to the experience of musical training. postcentral gyrus: The strip of parietal cortex, just posterior to (behind) the central sulcus, that receives somatosensory information from the entire body.
Precentral gyrus & M1? Figure 5.24 (A), (B) & (C)
Primary Motor Cortex aka M1 aka Brodmann's area 4 & located on the precentral gyrus: controls or initiates movement to the contralateral/ opposite side of the body. Motor representations are not static they can change as a result of training precentral gyrus: The strip of frontal cortex, just in front of the central sulcus, that is crucial for motor control pg. 143-144
How does serotonin potentially contribute to an individual becoming a psychopathic killer?
Serotonin - (5-HT scientific abbreviation.) Among many other behaviors, 5 -HT is "supposed to make you calm & relaxed" • Dr. Fallon's theory if you have a variant of the MAOA gene then in utero there will be increased levels of 5-HT and your brain will become insensitive to 5-HT (& it's calming effects)
Know the names & locations of the various sulci, gyri & fissures. pg. 39
Sylvian fissure: Also called the lateral sulcus. A deep fissure that demarcates the temporal lobe central sulcus: A fissure that divides the frontal lobe from the parietal lobe. postcentral gyrus The strip of the parietal cortex, just posterior to (behind) the central sulcus, that receives somatosensory information from the entire body. precentral gyrus The strip of the frontal cortex, just anterior to (in front of) the central sulcus, that is crucial for motor control
Info on Phineas Gage, what parts of the brain etc. were damaged, symptoms he exhibited.
The accident damaged Phineas Gage's prefrontal cortex/ left frontal lobe. This caused him to go through a big personality shift. He became extravagant, profane, a liar, anti-social.
Difference between gray matter & white matter & location
The gray matter (cerebral cortex) in the center of the spinal cord contains interneurons and the motor neurons that send axons to the muscles. Gray matter is simply eas of the brain that are dominated by cell bodies and are devoid of myelin. Gray matter mostly receives and processes information. The surrounding white matter (cerebrum) consists of myelinated axons communicating up and down the spinal cord.
Brain structures?
cerebral cortex, frontal lobe, motor cortex, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe, sensory cortex In psychopaths, there is damage to the orbital cortex and the anterior temporal cortex
