Meet Your Master - Getting to Know Your Brain: Crash Course Psychology #4

CrashCourse
24 Feb 201412:34
EducationalLearning
32 Likes 10 Comments

TLDRThe video discusses how different parts of the human brain control specific behaviors and psychological processes. It begins by describing phrenology - the debunked theory that personality traits correlate with skull shape. However, the idea that localized brain regions govern function proved valid. The narrator uses Phineas Gage, a railroad worker who survived a spike through his skull but experienced personality changes, as an example of this localization. She then explains the brain's evolution, comparing it to Russian nesting dolls - the innermost regions control automatic functions while newer regions handle complex cognition. She describes key parts like the frontal lobes, which impact personality, and the motor cortex, which controls movement. Ultimately, she conveys that biological factors like traumatic memories can profoundly impact emotions, reminding us of the deep psychology-biology connection.

Takeaways
  • 😀 Franz Joseph Gall was the first phrenologist who believed personality was linked to skull shape
  • 😮 Phineas Gage survived a rod penetrating his skull, but his personality changed afterwards
  • 🧠 The central nervous system is the command center that makes the body's big decisions
  • 👂 The peripheral nervous system gathers sensory information and reports it to the central nervous system
  • 🐢 Old brain systems like the brainstem control basic functions like breathing and heartbeat
  • 😡 The amygdala regulates emotions like fear and aggression
  • 🙂 The cerebral cortex handles higher functions like thinking, speaking, and perceiving
  • 🎨 The left and right hemispheres govern different functions but work closely together
  • 🔬 Different lobes and cortical regions have specialized roles
  • 📝 Association areas throughout the cortex integrate information and link up memories
Q & A

  • Who was Franz Joseph Gall and what was his contribution to the field of study regarding the brain?

    -Franz Joseph Gall was a German physician and the first phrenologist. He contributed to the field by proposing that a person's personality was linked to their skull morphology, suggesting that the bumps and ridges on the skull indicated aspects of their character. Although phrenology was later dismissed as pseudoscience, Gall's proposition that different parts of the brain control specific aspects of behavior was correct and influential.

  • What is the significance of Phineas Gage's accident in the study of the brain?

    -Phineas Gage's accident in 1848 is significant because it provided early evidence that specific areas of the brain are linked to certain functions and aspects of personality. After a tamping iron passed through his skull, Gage's personality changed drastically, suggesting that physical and biological factors in the brain can reflect in psychological ways. This case illustrated the concept of localized brain function and its impact on behavior.

  • What is the myth about human brain usage and what does neuroscience actually tell us?

    -The myth suggests that humans only use about 10 percent of their brains and that unlocking the rest could grant extraordinary mental powers. However, neuroscience disproves this by showing that nearly every region of the brain is active during simple tasks, and brain scans indicate widespread activity. The brain requires a significant amount of the body's energy, suggesting high levels of activity and utilization.

  • How does the central nervous system differ from the peripheral nervous system?

    -The central nervous system (CNS), consisting of the brain and spinal cord, is the command center for the body, making major decisions and controlling major functions. The peripheral nervous system, on the other hand, comprises sensory neurons that gather information and report it back to the CNS, acting as a network of scouts to sense the external and internal environments.

  • What role does the limbic system play in the brain?

    -The limbic system is crucial for emotional processing, memory, and basic drives. It includes structures like the amygdala, which is involved in fear and aggression responses; the hypothalamus, which regulates bodily steady states like temperature and hunger; and the hippocampus, central to learning and memory. It acts as a border region between the brain's older parts and the newer, higher cerebral areas.

  • What is the function of the cerebral cortex?

    -The cerebral cortex is the outermost layer of the brain, involved in high-level functions such as thinking, perceiving, producing, and understanding language. It contains billions of interconnected neurons and is divided into four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal), each with specific duties related to different aspects of sensory processing, motor control, and cognitive abilities.

  • How did the case of Phineas Gage contribute to our understanding of the frontal lobes?

    -Phineas Gage's accident, where a tamping iron passed through his skull, affecting his frontal lobes, demonstrated the role of this brain region in personality and social behavior. After the accident, Gage exhibited significant changes in personality, indicating that the frontal lobes are involved in planning, judgment, emotional regulation, and aspects of personality.

  • What evidence debunks the 10 percent brain usage myth?

    -Brain scans and neurological research debunk the 10 percent myth by showing activity throughout the entire brain, even during simple tasks. The brain's high energy demand, accounting for 20 percent of the body's energy usage, further indicates that a significant portion of the brain is active and essential for functioning.

  • What does the story of Phineas Gage reveal about the relationship between the brain and behavior?

    -The story of Phineas Gage reveals that specific brain areas are closely linked to certain behaviors and personality traits. Gage's personality change after the injury showed that damage to the frontal lobes can alter an individual's behavior and social interactions, highlighting the brain's role in determining personality and behavior.

  • What is the significance of glial cells in the nervous system?

    -Glial cells are the unsung heroes of the nervous system, providing support, insulation, and nourishment to neurons. They form a network that supports the brain's structure and function, playing a critical role in maintaining the health and efficiency of neural communication.

Outlines
00:00
🧠 The Curious History and Functions of the Brain

This paragraph discusses the history of phrenology and localization of brain function. It introduces Franz Joseph Gall, the first phrenologist who believed bumps on the skull indicated aspects of character. Though eventually dismissed as pseudoscience, Gall correctly proposed that different brain regions control specific behaviors. The interplay between biology and psychology depends in part on localized brain functions like vision, movement, memory and personality. Function is localized in the brain.

05:03
💪 Debunking Myths About Brain Usage

This paragraph debunks myths about humans only using 10% of their brains. Brain scans show even simple tasks activate nearly all brain regions, and the brain consumes 20% of the body's energy, so it would be wasteful for much of it to go unused. More complex animals have brains built upon older structures, like Russian nesting dolls. The innermost 'old brain' handles basic survival functions. 10% brain use is as wrong as the idea skull bumps indicate personality.

10:03
🧠🗺 A Tour of Brain Structures and Functions

This paragraph provides an overview of brain structures and functions. It describes the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, brain stem, cerebellum, limbic system, amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus and cerebral cortex. It highlights how the two brain hemispheres govern different functions but work closely together, dispelling myths about 'right-brained' vs 'left-brained' people. Each cortical lobe also handles specific duties related to higher mental functions.

Mindmap
Keywords
💡phrenology
Phrenology was a pseudoscience popular in the 1800s that claimed a person's character and mental abilities could be determined by feeling the bumps on their skull. Franz Joseph Gall was an early advocate of phrenology. The video explains that while phrenology has been completely discredited, Gall was correct that different parts of the brain control specific behaviors.
💡localized brain function
The video emphasizes the concept that specific regions of the brain control specific functions, like vision, movement, memory, etc. This is called localized brain function. For example, stimulating one part of the brain could cause a body part to move, while another part stores memories. This connects physical brain structure to psychological processes.
💡Phineas Gage
Phineas Gage was a railroad worker who survived an accident where an iron rod shot through his skull. Despite his physical recovery, his personality and behavior dramatically changed. This demonstrated how damage to certain brain areas can affect aspects of one's mind, personality, and conduct.
💡10% brain myth
The common myth that humans only use 10% of their brain power is completely false. Brain scans show even simple activities utilize nearly all regions of the brain. The video debunks this myth and explains how the brain has evolved complex structures that require substantial energy.
💡brain structures
The video outlines main structural components of the brain and their functions, like the brain stem, cerebellum, amygdala, cerebral cortex, etc. More evolutionarily advanced brain structures control more complex cognition and behavior. This illustrates the physical basis behind many mental processes.
💡limbic system
The limbic system includes structures like the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. It controls emotions, motivation, hunger, pleasure and other aspects outside the brain's most basic functions but below higher cognition. Damage here can profoundly impact personality and memory.
💡cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain divided into four lobes. It controls advanced functions like planning, judgment, language, etc. Different regions process specific sensations and associations. Injury to certain cortex areas causes deficits reflecting their specialized roles.
💡frontal lobes
The frontal lobes located behind the forehead manage functions like judgment, abstraction, personality and movement control. The famous case of Phineas Gage demonstrated that damage to the frontal lobes can dramatically alter personality and behavior.
💡association areas
Association areas integrate sensory information, link perceptions to memories, and coordinate complex mental processing. Unlike sensory/motor regions, association areas have diffuse, subtle roles distributing coordinated cognition throughout the brain lobes. Their interconnectivity enables advanced thought.
💡localization
The concept that specific psychological functions localize to particular brain structures/regions. This localization allows physiology to manifest as mental activity. It's key to linking brain biology with the mind and behavior. Examples include memory formation in the hippocampus, aggression in the amygdala's certain areas, etc.
Highlights

Gall believed that a person's personality was linked to their skull morphology, that its bumps and ridges indicated aspects of their character.

His lasting and correct proposition was that different parts of the brain control specific aspects of our behavior.

If you could stimulate different parts of my brain in any way you wanted to, you could control my movements, my memories, and even my personality.

Some neuroscientists like to say that the mind is what the brain does, so one of the driving questions of psychology is 'How do our brains' functions tie to the behavior of the mind?'

Phineas Gage is a great, if extreme, example of how function is localized in the brain and how physical and biological factors can be reflected in psychological ways.

Nearly every region of the brain lights up during even simple tasks like walking and talking. Not only that, but the brain itself requires 20 percent of all the body's energy.

We're actually able to trace our evolutionary history as we come to understand these structures. Less complex animals have simpler brains designed for basic functioning and survival.

The innermost wooden doll is the oldest, most basic. It's like a fossil in your head.

This is pretty much where the brain stops for reptiles.

Yes, some tasks are distributed to one side, but the sides are deeply and constantly connected.

Remember that each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body, so my left temporal lobe processes sounds heard through my right ear.

You've probably seen enough brain diagrams to know that the cerebral cortex's left and right sides are subdivided into four lobes: the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal, all separated by especially prominent folds, or fissures.

There are few more fascinating examples of this than how we sense and perceive the world around us, so that's where we're gonna pick up next week.

You learned the basics of the central nervous system, specifically the brain, which can be understood in terms of old or more evolutionary ancestral structures, along with the limbic system, and new structures.

If you would like to sponsor an episode and give your own shout-out, you can learn about that and other perks available at Subbable.com.

This episode was written by Kathleen Yale, edited by Blake de Pastino and myself, and our consultant is Dr. Ranjit Bhagwat.

Transcripts

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