Contralateral and the Corpus Collosum

  (This image is from here.)

      The corpus collosum is a bundle of fibers that connects the left and right hemisphere of the brain.  There are surgeries that cut the corpus collosum which are called split-brain surgery and this is done with patients that have severe epilepsy. After this surgery takes place, there are still moments of epilepsy, but they are decreased.
      Contralateral control means opposite side; for example, the right hand is controlled by the left hemisphere of the brain.  The corpus collosum passes information from the left side of the brain to the right side of the brain, and vice versa.  For those that are left-handed, sometimes there is crossover between the left and right hemisphere, especially with language and writing. The left hemisphere is responsible for language, and the right hemisphere is responsible for the intonation within language; which would mean that the right hemisphere is able to detect sarcasm, upward inflections, and so on. The right hemisphere is also responsible for images, as in visualizing the face on a coin. Linguistic thinking is thought to be originated in the left hemisphere.
     The most amazing aspect of contralateral control is that when someone is being asked a question, depending on the type of question, there eyes will move in the direction that is opposite to the hemisphere that is being activated. So, if you the eyes move to the left, then the right hemisphere is being activated, and if you moves your eyes to the right after being asked a question, then the left hemisphere of your brain is being activated. That bit of information should be fun to try on your friends!!!
       The right hemisphere is able to "appreciate" music and see things holistically, while the left hemisphere see things in an analytical manner.  The picture below shows some key differences between the left and right hemisphere. So, please take a moment to look at the image below.

(This image is from here.)

     Thank you for viewing this post on contralateral control and the two different hemispheres of the brain. Hope you enjoyed the above information. Thanks again for reading this post of psych knowledege!

Oxytocin, the love hormone

     Oxytocin, as described by James W. Kalat, is a hormone that is released within the brain that is also a neurotransmitter which is important for sexual and parental behaviors.  One way to think of oxytocin is to think of it as a chemical in the brain that can provide a euphoric feeling when an individual is engaged in sexual activity, and it is also released when a mother gives birth to her child. So, therefore it is important for reproductive behavior. It "stimulates contractions" withing the uterus during labor and also causes stimulation in the mammary glands so that milk is released. Oxytocin is released during sexual pleasure at the time of orgasm. After orgasm is experienced, there is an obvious state of relaxation which is the result of oxytocin being released.
    There have been studies done on rats that showed an increased in exploring areas that they had not gone before, which could be potentially dangerous, after they had experienced orgasm-which reduced their anxiety of the area. Therefore if the release of oxytocin was blocked, then it would seem that oxytocin is responsible for calm and the lack of anxiety after orgasm occurs.
     The link below is from a TED talk by Paul Zak who talks about oxytocin, but not really the way that I have said above. He talks about oxytocin and it's relationship to moralality, rather than focusing on the familiar notion of "love". Also, my favorite part of the talk is when he mentions hugs and the effect that it can have on individuals. His 'doctorly' advice is to have eight hugs a day, which will increase your happiness. Please do watch the video, it's a great talk!!!

Paul Zak: Trust, morality...and oxytocin

    Thank you for reading this entry, and that some useful information was absorbed. Or at least that you enjoy this blog post. Thanks again, and 

Memory, oh sweet memory!

   
    There are various types of memories that psychologists refer to and they are episodic, explicit, implicit, semantic, short-term, long-term, sensory, declarative, and procedural memory.

    Usually memory can be simply divided into long-term and short-term memory, but sensory memory can be grouped along with these types of memories. Sensory memory lasts less than a second and is based on touch, taste, smell, sight, and hearing. Short-term memory, or working memory, lasts about a minute or so. Long-term memory is something that is stored within the brain throughout your life. With long-term memory that are various types of memories that help you throughout your life.

    Long-term memory can be broken into Declarative, or explicit, Memory and Procedural, or implicit Memory.  Declarative Memory is made of events and facts, things that are certain and can be recalled consciously. This type of memory is called Explicit because the information has been stored and it can be recalled explicitly. Declarative Memory can still be divided into episodic and semantic memory, which I will speak about a little later.  Procedural Memory is unconscious and it is consists of skills that are a "to do" task or motor functions.  A familiar is example is riding a bike; once you have learned the skills you don't have to think about what you need to do. This type of memory works with skills that have been mastered and are procedures. Procedural Memory can be called Implicit Memory when a past experience influences a certain task without consciously being aware of the past experiences.

    Episodic Memory and Semantic Memory are part of Declarative Memory. Episodic Memory is memory of specific events and experiences. It can be thought of as autobiographical memory because it is knowledge of your own life and the things that happened to you.Semantic Memory is more worldly and focuses on events, facts, and knowledge of the world that is around us. It is knowledge of a specific event or place without having experience of that specific place. 

     Those are the basics of the types of memories that psychologists have broken down.  Not only is there short-term and long-term memory, but also sensory memory. And within long-term memory, our memories can be broken down into unconscious and conscious memory. I think memory is an amazing thing because without it we would have a hard time functioning in our lives, especially with school. Hope you enjoyed the Psych Knowledge for today, and feel free to ask any questions, comments, or even suggestions for a topic. Thanks for reading!

 

 

Human Memory Information

(This information and picture are from the link provided above...)