Essays on Thalamus

The brain is the most important organ in the human body since it is the one responsible for the interpretation of senses, intelligence, controlling behavior and movement. However, most of the neuroscientists have been unable to conclusively determining the relationship between the various parts of the brain and the outward behavior. For instance, many neurosurgeons have used studies on the preferred hand in the prediction of the dominant part of the cerebral hemisphere. According to Weiten and McCann (2013), cerebral hemispheres are identical in appearance. However, they differ significantly in terms of the structure and functions. The brain lateralization ...

Summary

Over the past few years, there has been a growing interest among neurosurgeons on the potential for therapies that impact on diseases, over and above the movement disorders and pain. One of the biggest targets of this increasing interest has been the nucleus accumbens. It has been studied for long, as an area of the brain that mediates a variety of behaviors, including reward and satisfaction (Salgado & Kaplitt, 2015). With this in mind, the modulation of the biology of the Nucleus Accumbens through either deep brain stimulation or through biological therapies like gene therapy or the transplantation of cells ...

Psychology: Early research into prefrontal lobotomy

Introduction Lobotomy is a psychosurgical procedure where the connections of the prefrontal cortex and underlying structures are severed, or where the frontal cortical tissues id destroyed. Lobotomy is a Greek word where lobos mean brain and tomos stands for cut. According to Raz, psychosurgery is where surgical methods are used on an anatomically normal brain with the aim of treating mental illness. The success of lobotomy during its first years after inception has been attributed to a number of factors by historians. During the early years when lobotomy became popular, there were few effective treatments for mental illnesses. This was ...

[Author’s Name] - Introduction Human brain has been studied by the researchers for years so that they can find its accurate role in cognitive functions. In this particular endeavor, the case of Phineas Gage holds a significant importance as it offers insight into the cognitive functions of the brain and how they are affected by a traumatic brain injury (TBI). The accident of Phineas Gage has been helpful in uncovering the authentic facts about the cognitive functions of brain, areas that support cognitive functioning and the consequences as a result of the occurrence of a traumatic brain injury (TBI) (Willingham, ...

Introduction

Pain is an essential part of the body’s defense system which is perceived as an unpleasant feeling. Pain produces a quick warning to the central nervous system to start motor response as a minimization of harm. Lack of pain perception is dangerous can cause grave problems such as Auto-amputation, corneal scarring or self-mutilation. Researchers in the medical profession have distinguished between pain and what is known as nociception. Nociception occurs when signals get to the central nervous system as a result of the activation of nociceptors (Svokos & Goldstein, 2009). Nociceptors are special sensory receptors which relay information regarding tissue damage. Pain ...

It was originally thought that basal ganglia were responsible for voluntary motor movements, and movement disorders were associated with pathological changes in the basal ganglia. However, it was found that the basal ganglia are associated with different cortexes with distinctive circuits, which are called loops, so a pathological transformation of tissue can manifest as a psychological or motor disorder, depending on the loop affected. The cortico-basal ganglia-thalamocortical loop is a one-way circuit that allows the basal ganglia to receive input from the cortex and send output via the thalamus back to different regions of the cortex. Pathological changes in this loop are ...

Journals

Journals

Introduction to Psychology

Psychology is introduced as a scientific study of behavior. It also has a mental element. The professional is concerned examination and analysis of behavior. This is done in order to understand, predict, control and explain the behavior of that person. In the chapter, one is also able to learn the various approaches to psychology. This fundamental as it equips the learner with basic skills to pursue the course in-depth. The study provides the learner with a broad range of the various fields of study and practice in psychology. It is extremely vital for the students to have a comprehensive understanding of the ...

Consciousness is defined as an inner feeling of selfhood and awareness of external objects. The issue of consciousness is widely discussed and researched. The more humans know about the space and the world around, the more they want to know about themselves. Consciousness as a scientific notion is investigated by philosophers, psychologists, physiatrists, biologists etc. Last time people start thinking of the fact that they are not the only living creatures, which possess consciousness. Mammals, birds, insects demonstrate behavior that can be evaluated as appearance of consciousness. Rene Descartes thought that animals have no soul therefore they cannot posses ...

Introduction

While there may be certain disparities in human memory, studies have shown that human memory has a fairly similar character and undergoes the same process. Memory can be described as the process through which information is usually encoded, stored and retrieved. This process can be said to take place in steps each of which fall in any of the three categories of encoding storage or retrieval. According to research the process of memory mainly involves three areas of the human brain namely: hippocampus, amygdale and thalamus.

Steps in human memory

Sensing Like all other stimuli information is always sensed and transferred to the ...

This paper is aimed at exploring various elements through which our nonverbal behavior affects our communication. This paper starts with a brief introduction about non-verbal communication and then proceeds to defining it. After a brief definition of non-verbal communication this paper presents several elements of non-verbal nature which play vital role in non-verbal communication. Further in the paper these elements are shown in respect of their role in overall communication. The paper is concluded with a brief and concise conclusion at the end. This paper mainly addresses the situation of a public speaker in order to analyze the effects of non-verbal communication in ...

Parkinson’s disease was first described by James Parkinson in 1817 as the “shaking palsy”. A person with Parkinson’s disease suffers from continuous shaking tremors while they are at rest, a phenomenon known as “pill rolling” (Jankovic, 2008). There are several public figures that live with Parkinson’s disease including the actor Michael J. Fox, the boxer Muhammad Ali, and former Attorney General Janet Reno. While tremendous research efforts have uncovered many important aspects of this disease, it is still unclear what determines the onset of this disease. The majority of Parkinson disease cases are idiopathic, meaning that there ...

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Sleep Deprivation & Cognitive Abilities: Attention Introduction Sleep is a state of mind and body in which the sensory organs respond less to external stimuli, the body becomes inactive and a loss of consciousness is experienced, either partial or complete. Sleep is a mechanism that re-energies our body and brain. It is essential to maintain a good physical and mental health. Sleep deprivation is lack of sufficient sleep. In absence of enough sleep, the process of rejuvenation is significantly impacted. It may cause tiredness and lethargy, and render the mind less active. The decrease in activity of mind affects the cognitive system, ...

1. Question 1 Several procedures have been developed to counteract problems of non union bones and bones with delayed healing. Treatments could either be surgical or non-surgical in nature. Both methods have its advantages and disadvantages however; non-surgical treatments are usually done as much as possible. Non-surgical treatments include the use of a small device called bone simulator which delivers ultramagnetic waves when placed over the fractured part to simulate healing. There are currently several alternatives to choose from if surgical treatment is preferred. A bone graft can be used where new bone cells are provided. This is ...

Abstract

Karen Ann Quinlan is a woman who lived between March 1954 and June 1985. She was born to a single mother of American Irish ancestry. Later, her mom gave her up for adoption to Joseph and Julia Quinlan; a childless couple at the time. (Quinlan, 1978). At age 21 in 1975, however, after moving away from her adopted parents to live with friends; she encountered the unfortunate experience of becoming unconscious, remaining in a coma for almost ten years. From reports she was dieting, had very little to eat within two days of the incident and was taking tonics and valium; besides drinking ...

The brain regulates the choice of a person to be physically active. Stimuli from the environment and from the tissues excite receptors and nerves which in turn excite the muscles. The central nervous system has three general areas that are associated with the complexity of the movement and the familiarity of the various stimuli. The areas include the spinal cord which handles simple reflex actions, the lower brain which organizes more complex responses while the cerebral cortex controls the most complicated responses and stores general motor programs. The spinal cord consists of two-way tracks of nerve fibers which carries both ...