Foundations of Neuroscience, Psychology and the Brain

In this video, you’ll explore the cerebral cortex—the brain’s outer layer responsible for higher-level thinking, perception, and decision-making. You’ll learn the unique functions of its four lobes (frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital) and discover how they work together to shape thought, sensation, memory, and behavior.

In this video, you’ll learn about the frontal lobe, the brain’s control center for decision-making, planning, problem-solving, and personality. You’ll also discover its role in movement and emotional regulation, and how it helps guide behavior, focus, and social interactions in everyday life.

In this video, you’ll explore the parietal lobe, the brain region that processes touch, spatial awareness, and body positioning. You’ll learn how it helps you sense temperature, pressure, and pain, as well as how it allows you to navigate space and coordinate movements.

In this video, you’ll discover the temporal lobe, the part of the brain that processes sound, language, and memory. You’ll learn how it helps you recognize voices, understand speech, and store important experiences, making it essential for communication and learning.

In this video, you’ll explore the occipital lobe, the brain’s visual processing center. You’ll learn how it interprets shapes, colors, and movement from the eyes, allowing you to make sense of the world through sight and connect vision to perception and memory.

In this video, you’ll learn the difference between sensation—the raw data your senses collect—and perception, how your brain organizes and interprets that data. You’ll see how the two work together to shape the way you experience the world around you.

In this video, you’ll explore how the eyes capture light and transform it into neural signals the brain can understand. You’ll learn about the retina, rods and cones, and the occipital lobe’s role in turning visual input into the images you see every day.

In this video, you’ll discover how sound waves travel through the ear and are converted into neural signals. You’ll learn about the roles of the cochlea, auditory nerve, and temporal lobe in allowing you to detect pitch, volume, and meaning in the sounds around you.

In this video, you’ll explore the limbic system, the brain’s emotional and memory center. You’ll learn about key structures like the amygdala and hippocampus, and how they influence feelings, motivation, learning, and the way experiences are stored and recalled.

In this video, you’ll learn about the amygdala, the brain’s emotion center that helps detect threats and trigger fear, anger, and stress responses. You’ll see how it influences survival instincts, decision-making, and emotional memories, as well as its role in the “amygdala hijack.”

In this video, you’ll explore what happens when strong emotions override rational thought. You’ll learn how the amygdala triggers the fight-flight-freeze response, why this can lead to impulsive reactions, and practical strategies to recognize and manage emotional hijacks in everyday life.

In this video, you’ll learn about the hippocampus, the brain’s memory hub. You’ll discover how it helps form new memories, connect experiences to learning, and support spatial navigation, as well as why damage to this area can lead to difficulties in memory and learning.

In this video, you’ll explore the thalamus, the brain’s sensory relay station. You’ll learn how it processes incoming information from the senses (except smell) and directs it to the appropriate areas of the cerebral cortex, making it essential for perception, attention, and awareness.

In this video, you’ll discover the cerebellum, the brain’s coordination and balance center. You’ll learn how it fine-tunes movement, posture, and motor skills, and how it also plays a role in learning new physical tasks and even certain cognitive processes.

In this video, you’ll explore how the teenage brain develops, focusing on changes in the prefrontal cortex and limbic system. You’ll learn why teens are more likely to take risks, experience intense emotions, and show greater adaptability through neuroplasticity during this unique stage of development.

In this video, you’ll learn how the brain and nervous system begin forming before birth. You’ll explore the stages of prenatal development, the influence of genetics and environment, and how early growth lays the foundation for learning, behavior, and health throughout life.

In this video, you’ll explore the endocrine system, the body’s network of glands that release hormones. You’ll learn how hormones influence growth, metabolism, stress, and behavior, and how the endocrine system works with the nervous system to regulate the body and maintain balance.

In this video, you’ll learn why sleep is essential for the brain and body. You’ll explore the stages of sleep, how it supports memory and learning, and the effects of sleep deprivation, gaining insight into why rest is so critical for health and daily functioning.

In this video, you’ll explore the stages of the sleep cycle, from light sleep to deep sleep and REM. You’ll learn how the brain moves through these stages each night, why they matter for memory and health, and what happens when the cycle is disrupted.