EXC 7770 Psychoneurological &

Medical Issues in Special Education

Susan B. Brown, Ph.D.Kennesaw State University

Definitions:

Psychoneurology: of, relating to, or concerned with psychology and neurology especially in their clinical aspects http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm?book=Medical&va=psychoneurology

Neuropsychology: a science concerned with the integration of psychological observations on behavior and the mind with neurological observations on the brain and nervous system http://www2.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/mwmednlm

Approaches to study of brain: animal research people with brain damage/mental illness lab experiments with primates/humans brain-imaging technology

chemical composition CAT MRI electrical transmission EEG SQUID BEAM blood-flow patterns PET

Chapter 1 (Drubach, 2000)Brain

3 pints 3 pounds

Brain function Receive: uses sensory/perceptual

processes to take in objects/events Process: draws on memory & problem-

solving to process Act: translates thought & decision into

behavior & language Affect: controls emotions & feelings Control: controls body systems

The Secret Life of the Brain : Mind Illusions

Drubach (2000) Structure of the Brain Neurons Neurotransmitters Glial Cells Brain Structure

Cerebellum Brainstem Thalamus Basal Ganglia Cerebrum Hemispheres Spinal Cord

Neurons Regulate cognitive activity Specialized Collaborative

NeurotransmittersNeuroscience for Kids - Neurotransmitters)

Produced by enzymes Stored in vesicles Communication (autoreceptors – feedback) Electrochemical

Excitatory Inhibiting Depolarize

Selective Synapse

Receptor Enzymes Reuptake Glial ingestion

Glial cells glial cells - multiple sclerosis encyclopaedia

Support & Nourishment (astrocytes) Neurotransmitter ingestion Remove waste Mesh structure

Insulation (oligodendrocytes, Schwann cell Myelin sheath Faster conduction

Alterations in neuronal communication Inadequate level of neurotransmitter

production Decrease in number of presynaptic

neurons Faulty mechanism for release of

neurotransmitters Enzyme levels in synapse Reuptake functions Receptors available

Cerebellum

Coordination of movement Motor learning

Cognition Motor planning Rate of information processing Memory

Brain Stem Command Center Nuclei

Muscle movements Organ control Regulating consciousness

Information highways Axons transmitting information from brain Axons transmitting information to brain

Reticular formation

Central core of the brain stem Regulates attention & flow of sensory

information into a general level of attention

Fluctuates in 90 minute cycles (chemical net to increase/decrease information flow)

High in AM, drop until below consciousness to sleep at night

ThalamusHypothalamusCensor & gatekeeper

Arousal Relay sensory

information to brain Coordindation of

movement Sensory & motor

integration Autonomic

functions Memory

Homeostasis, or maintaining the body's status quo

Neural signals to the autonomic system

Endocrine signals to/through the pituitary

Controls body weight and appetite

Basal Ganglia Movement Cognition

Amygdyla Part of the basal

ganglia Emotional

processing Emotional memory

Autonomic Nervous Systemhttp://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/auto.html

runs bodily functions without our awareness or control

Sympathetic system: "fight-or-flight" response

Parasympathetic system: slowing the heart, constricting the pupils, stimulating the gut and salivary glands, and other responses that are not a priority when being "chased by a tiger“

The state of the body at any given time represents a balance between these two systems.

Cerebrum HierarchicalHemispheres

Functional lobes:

Frontal

Parietal

Temporal

Occipital

Frontal Lobe Initiators &

command post for movement

Left frontal lobe – motor functions of language

Personality

Sensory Lobes

Temporal Lobe Processing

auditory information

Left – Meaning of language

Occipital Lobe

Processing visual information

Parietal Lobe

Processing sensory information

Brain Connectivity: Hemispheres

Left Brain Right Brain

LogicalSequentialRational

AnalyticalObjectiveLooks at

parts

RandomIntuitiveHolistic

SynthesizingSubjectiveLooks at wholes

Corpus Callosum

Communication between brain hemispheres

Spinal Cord Information from brain to body:

Fibers Roots Motor neurons Carry information in opposite direction

Information from body to brain: Sensory receptors Roots Proprioception

Reflexes

Attention Perception Memory Association Responses

The Brain: Information Processing System

Information Processing System

SSenses Sensory

StoreAttention Perception

Long-term memory

Short-term memory

R

Functional Organization

Receptors Electrochemical impulses Axons to thalamus – gatekeeper forms units Primary processing – modality specific Secondary processing – modality specific Tertiary processing – integrate across

modalities & affective components (limbic)

Input Output