CAS PS 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Reward System, Endocrine System, Putamen

• School: Boston University
• Department: Psychological & Brain Sciences
• Course: CAS PS 101
• Professor: Anne Gehrenbeck- Shim

Document Summary

Brain stem - includes medulla oblongata & pons. Medulla oblongata - breathing, heart rate (hr), blood pressure (bp), digestion. Pons (above medulla) - connects 2 halves of cerebellum, regulates states of arousal. Pon"s raphe nucleus - contains serotonin which triggers and maintains. Cerebellum - balance, smooth coordinated movements slow wave sleep. Midbrain: all information between the brain and spinal cord passes through the midbrain. Substantia nigra - part of the extrapyramidal motor system (ems) - movement (smoothness, initiation, termination, directedness) is modulated by ems. Degeneration of substantia nigra result in low levels of dopamine in the basal ganglia - disease is characterized by tremors and disorders of voluntary movement. Reticular formation - connects spinal cord, hindbrain, midbrain to thalamus & forebrain involved in sleep, arousal, reflexes. Extends to the thalamus - crucial for maintaining waking state, arousal, and attention - filters out irrelevant information. Forebrain: consists of central core (diencephalons) & right and left hemispheres (cerebrum)