The document discusses five important aspects of neuropsychology: 1) Everything psychological originates from thoughts in the brain in response to sensory input. 2) Neurons transmit messages through action potentials and synaptic transmission. 3) The brainstem controls arousal, movement, breathing, and heart rate. The limbic system controls emotions and drives. 4) The cerebral cortex is divided into four lobes controlling movement, senses, vision, and language. The hemispheres control opposite sides of the body. 5) The peripheral nervous system connects the central nervous system to the body, and is divided into the autonomic and somatic systems. The central nervous system is the brain and spinal cord.

1. By Marcia Bathke

2. The First Important Aspect of Neuropsychology

3. “Everything psychological is simultaneously biological.”
What does this mean exactly? Basically, everything we do comes from a
thought whether it is conscious or subconscious. These thoughts originate
from the brain as a result of various kinds of sensory input. The brain gathers
this input, considers how it should respond, and initiates a reaction. Then,
after the action is complete the mind thinks about how to react further, thus
creating a chain reaction.

4. The Second Important Aspect of Neuropsychology

5.  A neuron, a.k.a. a nerve
cell, is considered to be
the basic building block
of the nervous system. It
contains a cell body and
its branching fibers,
which include the
dendrites, axon, and
terminal branches.

6.  Neurons can transmit messages when they are triggered by signals from our
senses or when they are stimulated by chemical signals from other neighbor
neurons. In response to this, the neuron will fire what is known as an action
potential which is generated by depolarization.
 The action potential then travels along the axon to the terminal branches
where it will cross a synaptic gap and onto the dendrites of the receiving
neuron.

8. The Third Important Aspect of Neuropsychology

9.  The brainstem is the brain’s oldest and innermost region.
 Structure: Thalamus, Reticular formation, pons, medulla, and cerebellum.
 Functions:
Thalamus- receives and relays sensory information to the appropriate locations
Reticular Formation- filters incoming stimuli, controls arousal and alertness
Pons- coordinates movements and controls sleep
Medulla- controls heartbeat and breathing
Cerebellum- learning and skill memory, coordinates voluntary movement

10.  The limbic system lies between the older and newer brain and contains the
amygdala, the hypothalamus, and the hippocampus.
 Functions:
Amygdala- controls aggression and fear
Hypothalamus- influences hunger, thirst, body temperature, the pituitary
gland, and sexual arousal
Hippocampus- processes memories

11. The Fourth Important Aspect of Neuropsychology

12.  The cerebral cortex is a thin layer of neural cells that covers the two
hemispheres of the brain. Each hemisphere’s cortex is divided further into
four lobes. Which are:
Frontal lobe: behind your forehead;
involved in speaking, muscle
movements, making plans and
judgement
Parietal lobe: top and to the rear;
receives sensory input for touch
Occipital lobe: back of the head;
receives info from visual fields
Temporal lobe: above the ear;
receives auditory info

13.  The important things to remember about the hemispheres in the brain are:
-Left hemisphere controls speech, calculations, and the right side of the body
-Right hemisphere controls interpretation, perception, and the left side of the
body

15. The Fifth Important Aspect of Neuropsychology

16.  The PNS is a part of the nervous system that is responsible for gathering and
transferring CNS information to other areas in the body.
 The PNS is composed of two smaller system, which are the somatic and
autonomic systems.
-The autonomic nervous system has even smaller systems called the
sympathetic (alarm) and parasympathetic (calm) nervous systems.
-The somatic nervous system allows control of our skeletal muscles.

17.  The CNS is composed of the brain and spinal cord.
 The brain is what processes and coordinates our information, as well as
forms neural networks for fast connection.
 The spinal cord acts as a two-way information highway that connects the PNS
to the brain. It relays information to and from the brain and coordinates
reflexes.