InfoGuides: PSYC 222 BioPsychology (Bosworth): The Brain e-Videos/Books

The Brain

Here are some streaming videos related to the Brain and the Nervous System, Neuroanatomy, and Neurons from Films on Demand, as well as book titles. Below is the RIT Libraries Catalog you can use to search for these topics. You can also search Films on Demand to find more videos not listed here. Also, check out The Brain online videos.

Films on Demand This link opens in a new window
Films on Demand is a streaming video platform for educational films and videos including titles from PBS, the BBC, CNN, celebrated documentarians, TED Talks, National Geographic, and more. RIT subscribes to a faculty-curated collection.

David Eagleman Videos

What is Reality?. Part 1 Dr. Eagleman takes viewers on an extraordinary journey that explores how the brain, locked in silence and darkness without direct access to the world, conjures up the rich and beautiful world we all take for granted. "What is Reality?" begins with the astonishing fact that this technicolour multi-sensory experience we are having is a convincing illusion conjured up for us by our brains. In the outside world there is no colour, no sound, no smell. These are all constructions of the brain. Instead, there is electromagnetic radiation, air compression waves, and aromatic molecules all of which are interpreted by the brain as colour, sound and smell. Cutting edge graphics show that data from the outside are rendered into electrochemical signals inside the brain, which map meaningfully onto physical reality. Our experience of reality is an electrochemical rendition of the world outside. Visual illusions are reminders that what’s important to the brain is not being faithful to "reality" but enabling us to perceive just enough so that we can navigate successfully through it. The brain leaves a lot out of its beautiful rendition of the physical world, a fact that Dr. Eagleman reveals using experiments and street demonstrations. Each one of our brains is different, and so is the reality it produces. What is reality? It’s whatever your brain tells you it is
What Makes Me?. Part 2 This episode of The Brain with David Eagleman series explores the question of how the brain gives rise to our thoughts, emotions, our memories and personality. Philosophers and great thinkers have for millennia pondered the question of how physical stuff can give rise to mental processes. Last century, the new field of neuroscience joined the discussion, and Dr. David Eagleman explains that to a neuroscientist, the answers to such questions lie in a deep understanding of the brain. The process of becoming who you are begins at birth. The human brain starts life remarkably unfinished, which accounts for the fact that babies are completely dependent on adults, compared to many mammals that can walk, fly and swim soon after they are born
Who Is In Control?. Part 3 This episode of The Brain with David Eagleman series explores the great deception that greets us each morning when we awake: it feels as though we are in conscious control of our lives but the truth is that we are not. Instead almost every action, every decision, every belief that we hold is driven by parts of the brain that we have no access to. To demonstrate why so many of our actions are governed by the unconscious, Dr. Eagleman competes with a 10 year old world champion in the sport of cup stacking. Wearing EEG caps to record their brain activity as they stack cups reveals that although the young world champion is performing at much greater speed and precision, his brain is almost at rest. Dr. Eagleman’s brain, on the other hand, is working overtime. Deploying consciousness is expensive, compared to running unconscious neural circuits that have been burnt in over many hours of practice. When a skill sinks below the level of conscious control this allows for much greater speed and efficiency. This kind of "automatization" of skills allows the brain to run multiple programs, to multi-task, and it allows the conscious mind to run free. The reach of the unconscious in our lives extends beyond what we physically do to how we behave. Dr. Eagleman reveals that everything from whom we find attractive to how we’ll describe the relationship we have with our mother can be influenced by factors that we have no conscious control over
How Do I Decide?. Part 4 The human brain is the most complex object we've discovered in the universe, and every day much of its neural circuitry is taken up with the tens of thousands of decisions we need to make. "How Do I Decide?" is a journey through the unseen world of decisions, and how they get made. We start with a simple one: choosing a flavour of frozen yoghurt, and learn that every decision we make is born of a "winner takes all" competition between rival neural networks. As David ponders the choice before him - mint verses lemon - inside his brain, two rival networks are fighting it out. As one begins to get the upper hand, it causes the other network to be less active, until a threshold is crossed, the decision is made: he goes for mint. Every decision we make is underpinned by this kind of neural conflict, and what’s more, many of these important battles are won, and lost, without us being consciously aware of it. Professor Read Montague reveals that he can be 95% certain about which political party we will vote for based on our brain’s response to disgusting imagery. The more disgusted a brain response is the more likely that person is to vote conservative
Why Do I Need You?. Part 5 n "Do I Need You?" Dr. David Eagleman explores how the human brain relies on other brains to thrive and survive. This neural interdependence begins at birth. Dr. Eagleman invites a group of babies to a puppet show to showcase their ability to discern who is trustworthy, and who isn't. Brain scans reveal that when we see someone in pain, we feel it too. Circuits within the brain's pain matrix light up in both cases. And this is the basis of empathy. Our social brain draws us together into groups. In groups humans have accomplished great things - from football games to music festivals, from peopling the world to building great civilizations. But there's a darker side. For every "in group" there is always an "out group." Dr. Eagleman's lab has shown that belonging to an "in group" means that at an unconscious level our brains care less about members of the "out group." He journeys to modern day Bosnia to hear from an eyewitness about what happened in 1995 when genocide returned to Europe. What could have allowed for such horrific group on group violence? Dr. Eagleman believes that neuroscience offers important answers. Dr. Lasana Harris at Leiden University has discovered that there are certain circumstances under which the human brain stops perceiving others as human, and when we perceive others as less than human it’s easier to ignore them, and it’s easier to suspend the moral and social rules we normally live by
Who Will We Be?. Part 6 In "Who Will We Be?" Dr. Eagleman journeys into the future, and asks what's next for the human brain, and for our species. Mother nature has evolved a brain that is able to rewire itself according to its environment, which means that as technological advances continue apace, our technology is on a crash course with our biology. Dr. Eagleman describes ways in which we'll be able to plug new sensory inputs into our brains, to perceive more of physical reality than we currently do. For instance, although we now see in the visible spectrum new technologies could allow us to see in ultra violet or infra-red. Or we could have a totally new sense like the vibratory sense that Dr. Eagleman is himself working on. In addition, modern day "brain-machine interfaces" will one day allow us to enhance our physical bodies. The biggest game changer as a species would be if we discovered a way to upload our brains into digital space. Dr. Eagleman explores what it would take to do so

Sample Video Titles

Brain and nervous system:: Your information superhighway This program explores the brain and nervous system, using the analogy of computers and the Internet. Topics discussed include electrical impulses and how nerve messages travel; parts of the brain and their functions; how the brain and spinal cord are protected; the senses; and diseases, drugs, and their effects on the brain and nervous system
Brain Structure and Function This clip explores the brain-the three pound, spongy mass that regulates, controls or otherwise directs nearly everything we humans do. Along with its explanation of brain function, the clip also looks at the structure of the brain, explaining where each major section of the brain is located and what it does
Introduction to the Nervous System This clip provides an overview of the nervous system, including the central nervous system, which is comprised of the brain (functioning as the body's control center), and the spinal cord, (serving as the main communications throughway of the nervous system). The clip also explores the peripheral nervous system, with its elaborate network of nerves that relay messages back and forth to the brain and every organ of the body
The Nervous system and the senses This program discusses the development, organization, and functions of the nervous system and the input organs that stimulate it. Beginning with an introductory overview of neural anatomy, the video outlines the organization of the central and peripheral nervous systems and the processes of sensation, transduction, and perception. In addition, the senses of vision, hearing, taste, smell, and equilibrium are analyzed, as well as sensitivities to temperature, pressure, and pain; bodily movement via the somatic neurons is illustrated; and the neural mechanics of sleep and wakefulness are considered
Neural Transmission This clip explores neural transmission, the process by which the nerve cell, or "neuron," transmits information within the nervous system by electrical and chemical signaling. The clip includes a discussion of neurotransmitters, chemicals which diffuse across the gap between the pre-synaptic transmitting axon and the membrane of the post-synaptic cell
Neurobiology Neurons' electrical activity results in the release of neurotransmitters that account for everything from survival to addiction to learning and memory. This session explains how neurons communicate to achieve all these functions
Mysteries of the Mind Although it's smaller than some varieties of grapefruit, the human brain remains a vast, unexplored territory-and a marvel of design and function. This classic program evokes lingering questions about the brain's structure, how it works, the roles that experience and genetic history play in its development, the biology behind emotion and memory, and what happens when things go wrong inside the brain. Can physiology identify the mind of a killer, of a saint? What distinguishes a genius from a cretin, brain-wise? And perhaps the most fascinating question of all: Is there any way to steer brain development away from its natural course?

Web Videos

Organization and Evaluation of Brain Function This module introduces the general external topography of the brain. To illustrate the relationship between specific behaviors and brain function, the module begins by showing a racecar driver exercising his skill, and then presents graphic illustrations of the internal activity of his brain. The module reviews several methods of studying brain activity including the CAT scan, PET scan, EEG, and MRI.
The Effects of Hormones and the Environment on Brain Development This module presents some startling and significant findings relating to the effects of sex hormones on brain development. Beginning with in utero photography and then visiting an animal laboratory, this module shows how Dr. Marian Diamond's ground-breaking research has revealed structural differences in the brains of men and women, as well as factors influencing these differences.
The Divided Brain This module begins with graphic representations of the cerebral hemispheres' specialized functions. It continues with a description of the brain's asymmetry, showing diagrams of how the two halves communicate. The extreme case of a patient who has undergone split-brain surgery for treatment of epilepsy illustrates the role of hemispheric organization in sensory perception and verbal skills.

Sample Book Titles

The brain book No Ordinary Organ -- Investigating the Brain -- Landmarks in Neuroscience -- Scanning the Brain -- A Journey through the Brain -- The Brain and the Body -- Brain Anatomy -- The Senses -- Movement and Control -- Emotions and Feelings -- The Social Brain -- Language and Communication -- Memory -- Thinking -- Consciousness -- The Individual Brain -- Development and Aging -- Diseases and Disorders
Development of the Nervous System Development of the Nervous System, Fourth Edition provides an informative and up-to-date account of our present understanding of the basic principles of neural development as exemplified by key experiments and observations from past and recent times. This book reflects the advances made over the last few years, demonstrating their promise for both therapy and molecular understanding of one of the most complex processes in animal development. This information is critical for neuroscientists, developmental biologists, educators, and students at various stages of their career, providing a clear presentation of the frontiers of this exciting and medically important area of developmental biology. The book includes a basic introduction to the relevant aspects of neural development, covering all the major topics that form the basis of a comprehensive, advanced undergraduate and graduate curriculum, including the patterning and growth of the nervous system, neuronal determination, axonal navigation and targeting, neuron survival and death, synapse formation and plasticity.
Encyclopedia of the Human Brain A single source for information on the human brain covering anatomy, physiology, neuropsychology, clinical neurology, neuropharmacology, evolutionary biology, genetics, and behavioral science Includes bibliographical references and index v. 1. A-Cog -- v. 2. Col-Mem -- v. 3. Men-Ph -- v. 4. Pi-Z, Index
Great Brain Debate Whether our personality, intelligence, and behavior are more likely to be shaped by our environment or our genetic coding is not simply an idle question for today's researchers. There are tremendous consequences to understanding the crucial role that environment and genes each play. How we raise and educate our children, how we treat various mental diseases or conditions, how we care for our elderly--these are just some of the issues that can be informed by a better understanding of brain development. In "The Great Brain Debate," the eminent neuroscience researcher John Dowling looks at these and other important issues. The work that is being done on the connection between the brain and vision, as well as the ways in which our brains help us learn new languages, are particularly revealing. From this groundbreaking new research, Dowling explains startling new insights into how the brain functions and how it can (or cannot) be molded and changed. By studying the brain across the spectrum of our lives, from infancy through adulthood and into old age, Dowling shows the ways in which both nature and nurture play key roles over the course of a human lifetime.