Unit 2 Objectives:
- Describe the structure and types of neurons and explain how neural impulses are generated.
- Describe how nerve cells communicate and discuss the impact of neurotransmitters and drugs on human behavior.
- Identify the major divisions of the nervous system.
- Identify the methods used to study the brain.
- Describe the structure and functions of the limbic systems and explain the relationship between the hypothalamus and the endocrine system.
- Describe the structure and functions of the cerebral cortex and discuss how damage to different cortical areas can impair language functioning.
Neuroscience is concerned with the functions of the brain, its component neural systems, and their genetic blueprints, which provide the basis for all human behavior. Under the direction of the brain, the nervous and endocrine systems coordinate a variety of voluntary and involuntary behaviors and serve as the body’s mechanisms for communication with the external environment.
The brain consists of the brainstem, the limbic system, and the cerebral cortex. Knowledge of the workings of the brain has increased with recent advances in neuroscientific methods. Studies of split-brain patients have also given researchers a great deal of information about the specialized functions of the brain’s right and left hemispheres.