Appendix C
Brain Response of Behavior
Part I
Note: Parts II and III follow below, complete all three.
Write a 350- to 700-word response to the following: Explain the communication process of neurons in the brain. List some common neurotransmitters and describe their effect on behavior.
To have a better understanding of how a neuron communicates with each other you need to have an understanding of what exactly a neuron is and what they are made of. When you are talking about the neurons in the brain you are talking about approximately 100 billion of them. The neurons are not identical but yet vary not only in size but in shape as well. They are strictly responsible for transmitting information. Each neuron consist of a nucleus, cytoplasm, as well as a cell membrane. Now on the outside of the neurons they are covered with long little fibers called dendrites that pick up the incoming messages as well as to help transmit the outgoing messages. When it comes to the neurons communicating with each other they use what is called an electrochemical impulses. This mean that when at rest the neuron is blocked from other neurons but when the neuron receives a message it wakes and starts it process. There are many common neurotransmitters. For instance Acetylcholine is involved with our arousal, memory, attention and the feeling of motivation. Dopamine is involved with our movement, our learning, memory, as well as memory and emotions. Glutamate is involved with our long term memory as well as our perception of what we think is pain. Serotonin is responsible for regulating sleep, mood, pain, and behavior. Knowing this it give you a better understanding of the possibilities of how to treat the problems that may come up with people that you are involved with. I know that it gave me a better understanding to why the girls I work with are on the medications that they are on, and why they are on those forms of medications.
Part II
Write a 350- to 700-word response identifying the major regions of the brain and what functions of behavior the systems of each region control.
The brain as a whole is made up of three regions, the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain. Within each region of the brain there are different parts of the brain. To understand what functions of behavior the region controls you need to have an understanding of what parts of the brain are in each region. For instance the hindbrain which is located at the back of the skull and is the lowest portion of the brain includes the medulla, cerebellum and the pons. The medulla is responsible for controlling your breathing, your reflexes, and maintaining an upright posture. The cerebellum is responsible for coordinating the movements of the body. Now when it comes to the pons they take on the responsibility of creating a bridge to the midbrain and takes on the responsibility of monitoring a person’s sleep and arousal. The midbrain is responsible for making sure that information gets from the hindbrain to the forebrain and from the forebrain especially the information coming from the eyes and ears. Then you have the final region of the brain which is called the forebrain and contains the limbic system, the thalamus, the hypothalamus, the basal ganglia, and the cerebral cortex. The limbic system overall responsibility is the involvement in memories and emotions. The thalamus is responsible for regulating states of sleep as well as wakefulness. The hypothalamus monitors the activities that we find pleasurable such as eating, drinking, and sex. The basal ganglia is responsible for coordinating the involuntary movements like typing and riding a bike. The cerebral cortex is made to make up 80%of the volume of the brain. Now the cerebral cortex is broken into two hemispheres known as the left and the right hemisphere. The left hemisphere is responsible for our verbal processing when it comes to speech and grammar as well as mathematics.