Neurons,
Hormones, and
the Brain
Chapter 2
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Study of the brain
Neuropsychologists
Study the brain and the rest of the nervous system in hopes
of gaining a better understanding of behavior.
Includes the study of the biological foundations of
consciousness, perception, memory, emotion, stress, and
mental disorders.
The Nervous System
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The central nervous
system
Brain
Spinal cord
A collection of neurons and
supportive tissue running from the
base of the brain down the center
of the back
Protected by spinal column
The peripheral nervous
system
Handles the central nervous
system’s input and output
Somatic nervous system
Autonomic nervous system
Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system
Organization of the
nervous system
Communication in the
Nervous System
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Neurons
The brain’s communication specialists, transmitting
information to, from, and within the central nervous system
Glial cells
Provide the neurons with nutrients, insulate them, protect
the brain from toxic agents, and remove cellular debris
when neurons die. They also communicate chemically
with each other and with neurons.
Structure of a neuron
Dendrites
Receive information from other neurons
and transmit messages toward the cell
body.
Cell body
Keeps the neuron alive and determines
whether it should fire.
Axon
Transmits messages away from the cell
body to other neurons, or to muscles or
glands.
Your turn
Which part of a neuron is tree-like or “branchy”?
1. Dendrites
2. The axon
3. The cell body
4. The nucleus
Myelin sheath
A fatty material that may surround the axon of a neuron
Prevents signals in adjacent cells from interfering with each
other
Speeds up the conduction of neural impulses
Types of neurons
Action potential
A brief change in electrical Produces an electric impulse that
voltage that occurs between the travels down the axon into the
inside and outside of an axon axon terminal and stimulates the
when a neuron is stimulated release of neurotransmitters
How neurons
communicate
Axon terminals release
neurotransmitters from synaptic
vesicles.
Neurotransmitters enter synapse.
Neurotransmitters bind to
receptors that they fit.
Neurotransmitter
Chemical released by a transmitting neuron at the
synapse that alters the activity of a receiving neuron
The plastic brain
Plasticity
The brain’s ability to change and adapt in response to experience,
by reorganizing or growing new neural connections
The endocrine system
Endocrine glands release …Hormones are chemical
hormones into the substances that affect the
bloodstream… functioning of other organs.
The Brain
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The brain stem
Pons
Involved in sleeping, waking, and
dreaming
Medulla
Responsible for certain automatic
functions such as breathing and heart rate
Reticular activating
system
Arouses cortex and screens incoming
information
What do you know?
The part of the brain that is involved in sleeping,
waking, and dreaming is called the:
A. Pons
B. Medulla
C. Reticular formation
The cerebellum
Regulates movement and
balance
Involved in remembering simple
skills and acquired reflexes
Plays a part in
Analyzing sensory information
Solving problems
Understanding words
The thalamus
Relays sensory messages to the
cerebral cortex
Includes all sensory messages
except those of smell, which are
“processed” by the olfactory
bulb
Hypothalamus and
pituitary gland
Involved in drives vital to
survival
Hunger, thirst, emotion, sex, and
reproduction
Controls the autonomic nervous system
Pituitary gland
Small endocrine gland which releases
hormones and regulates other endocrine
glands
The amygdala
Responsible for
Arousal
Regulation of emotion
Initial emotional response to
sensory information
Plays important role in
Forming and retrieving emotional
memories
The hippocampus
Responsible for
Storage of new information in
memory
Comparing sensory information with
what the brain expects about the world
Enabling us to form spatial memories
for navigating the environment
What do you know?
The part of the brain responsible for the
regulation of emotion is called the:
A. Hypothalamus
B. Amygdala
C. Hippocampus
The cerebrum
Largest brain structure
Two cerebral hemispheres connected by a bundle
of nerve fibers called the corpus callosum
In charge of our higher forms of thinking
Surrounded by cerebral cortex, a collection of
several thin layers of cells (gray matter)
Lobes of the cerebral
cortex
Phineas Gage
Gage was a railroad construction
foreman.
An 1848 explosion forced a steel
tamping rod through his head.
Others said he was “no longer
Gage”.
What do you know?
Phineas Gage’s brain injury was located in
his:
A. Amygdala
B. Visual cortex
C. Prefrontal cortex
