2 The Biological Basis of Behavior Flashcards
Psychobiology
The area of psychology that focuses on the biological foundations of behavior and mental processes
Neuroscience
The study of the brain and the nervous system
Neurons
Individual cells that are the smallest units of the nervous system
Dendrites
short fibers that branch out from from the cell body and pick up incoming messages
Axon
single long fiber extending from the cell body; it carries outgoing messages
Nerve (or tract)
Group of axons bundled together
Myelin sheath
white fatty covering found on some axons
Sensory (afferent) neurons
neurons that carry messages from sense organs to the spinal cord or brain
Motor (efferent) neurons
Neurons that carry messages from the spinal cord or brain to the muscles and glands
Interneurons (association neurons)
neurons that carry messages from, one neuron to another
Glial cells (glia)
cells that form the myelin sheath; they insulate and support neurons by holding them together, removing waste products, and preventing harmful substances from passing from the bloodstream into the brain
Ions
electrically charged particles found both inside and outside the neuron
Resting potential
electrical charge across a neuron membrane due to excess positive ions concentrated on the outside and excess negative ions concentrated on the inside
Polarization
The condition of a neuron when the inside is negatively charged relative to the outside; for example, when neuron is at rest
Neural impulse (action potential)
the firing of a nerve cell
Graded potential
a shift in the electrical charge in a tiny area of a neuron
Threshold of excitation
the level an impulse must exceed to cause a neuron to fire
All-or-none law
Principle that the action potential in a neuron does not vary in strength; the neuron either fires at full strength or it does not fire at all
Absolute refractory period
a period after firing when a neuron will not fire again no matter how strong the incoming messages may be
Relative refractory period
a period after firing when a neuron is returning to its normal polarized state and will fire again only if the incoming message is much stronger than usual
Synaptic space (synaptic cleft)
tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrites or cell body of the next neuron
Terminal button (synaptic knob)
structure at the end of an axon terminal branch
Synapse
area composed of the axon terminal of one neuron, the synaptic space, and the dendrite or cell body of the next neuron
Synaptic vessicles
tiny sacs in a terminal button that release chemicals into the synapse
Neurotransmitters
chemicals released by the synaptic vesicles that travel across the synaptic space and affect adjacent neurons
Receptor site
a location on a receptor neuron into which a specific neurotransmitter fits like a key into a lock
Acetylcholine
released at neurotransmitter junction, plays an important role in arousal and attention, loss of ACh producing cells linked to Alzheimer’s disease
Dopamine
affects neurons associated with voluntary movement, plays role in learning, memory, and emotion, loss of dopamine producing cells causes symptoms of Parkinson’s disease
Serotonin
found throughout brain, appears to set “emotional tone,” low serotonin levels are implicated in depression
Endorphins
reduce pain by inhibiting neurons that transmit pain information
Glutamate
involved in long term memory and perception of pain
GABA (Gamma aminobutyric acid)
inhibitory neurotransmitter distributed in central nervous system, implicated in sleep and eating disorders, low levels of GABA linked to extreme anxiety
Glycene
principally responsible for inhibition in the spinal cord and lower brain centers
Neural plasticity
the ability of the brain to change in response to experience
Neurogenesis
the growth of new neurons
Central nervous system
Division of the nervous system that consists of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system
Division of the nervous system that connects that central nervous system to the rest of the body
Hindbrain
Area containing the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
Cerebellum
Structure in the hindbrain that controls certain reflexes and coordinates the body’s movements
Midbrain
Region between the hindbrain and the forebrain; it is important for hearing and sight, and it is one of several places in the brain where pain is registered
Thalamus
Forebrain region that relays and translate incoming messages from the sense receptors, except those for smell
Hypothalamus
Forebrain region that governs motivation and emotional responses
Reticular formation (RF)
Network of neurons in the hindbrain, the midbrain, and part of the forebrain whose primary function is to alert and arouse the higher parts of the brain
Limbic system
Ring of structures that play a role in learning and emotional behavior. Includes Hippocampus and amygdala
Cerebral cortex
The outer surface of the two cerebral hemispheres that regulates most complex behavior
Association areas
Areas of the cerebral cortex where incoming messages from the separate senses are combined into meaningful impressions and outgoing messages from the motor areas are integrated
Occipital lobe
Part of the cerebral hemisphere that receives and interprets visual information
Temporal lobe
cerebral hemisphere. Regulates: smell, hearing, balance, equilibrium, emotion and motivation, some language comprehension, complex visual processing
Parietal lobe
Part of the cerebral cortex that receives sensory information from throughout the body, association areas, visual/spatial abilities
Primary somatosensory cortex
Area of the parietal lobe where messages from the sense receptors are registered
Frontal lobe
Part of the cerebral cortex that is responsible for: goal-directed behavior, concentration, emotional control and temperament, motor projection and association areas, coordinates messages from other lobes, complex problem solving, involved in many aspects of personality
Primary motor cortex
The section of the frontal lobe responsible for voluntary movement
Corpus callosum
A thick band of nerve fibers connecting the left and right cerebral cortex
Spinal cord
Complex cable of neurons that runs down the spine, connecting the brain to most of the rest of the body
Somatic nervous system
The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries messages from the senses to the central nervous system and between the central nervous system and the skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system
The part of the peripheral nervous system that carries
Noroepinephrine
affects arousal, wakefulness, learning, memory, and mood
Pons
hindbrain, regulates sleep-wake cycle
Medulla
hindbrain, regulates respiration, heart rate, blood pressure
Hippocampus
formation of new memories
Aamygdala
Governs emotions related to self-preservation
Microelctrode techniques
used to study functions of single neurons
Macroelectrode techniques
used to obtain overall picture of activity in particular brain region
Broca’s area
involved in speech production. Damage affects ability to talk, but understanding spoken or written language hardly affected
Wernicke’s area
involved in understanding of spoken or written language. Damage affects comprehension of languages but speech is hardly affected
Structural imaging list
CAT, MRI
Functional imaging list
EEG, MEG, MSI, PET, SPECT, fMRI
sympathetic division
branch of the autonomic nervous system; prepares body for quick action in emergency
Parasympathetic division
branch of the autonomic nervous system; calms and relaxes body
Endocrine glands
glands of the endocrine system that release hormones into the bloodstream
Hormones
chemical substances released by the endocrine glands that regulate bodily activities
Thyroid gland
endocrine gland located below voice box; produces hormone thyroxin
Parathyroids
four tiny glands embedded in the thyroid; secrete parathormone
Pineal gland
gland located roughly in center of brain that appears to regulate activity levels over the course of the day
Pancreas
organ lying between stomach and small intestine; secretes insulin and glucagon to regulate blood-sugar levels
Gonads
reproductive glands, testes in males and ovaries in females
Pituitary glands
gland located on underside of brain, produces largest number of body’s hormones
Adrenal glands
2 endocrine glands located just about the kidneys
Behavior genetics
study of the relationship between heredity and behavior
Evolutionary psychology
A subfield of psychology concerned with the origins of behaviors and mental processes, their adaptive value, and the purposes they continue to serve
Genetics
study of how traits are transmitted from one generation to the next
Genes
Elements that control the transmission of traits; they are found on the chromosomes
Chromosomes
pairs of threadlike bodies within the cell nucleus that contain the genes
Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
complex molecule in a double helix configuration is the main ingredient of chromosomes and genes and forms the code for all genetic information
Human genome
full complement of genes withing a human cell
Dominant gene
member of a gene pair that controls the appearance of a certain trait
recessive gene
member of a gene pair that can control the appearance of a certain trait only if it is paired with another recessive gene
Polygenic inheritance
process by which several genes interact to produce a certain trait; responsible for our most important traits
Strain studies
studies of the heritability of behavioral traits using animals that have been inbred to produce strains that are genetically similar to one another
Selection studies
studies that estimate the heritability of a trait by breeding animals with other animals that have the same trait
Family studies
studies of heritability in humans based on the assumption that if genes influence a certain trait, close relatives should be more similar on that trait than distant relatives
Twin studies
studies of identical and fraternal twins to determine the relative influence of heredity and environment on human behavior
Identical twins
twins developed from a single fertilized ovum and therefore identical in genetic makeup at the time of conception
Fraternal twins
twins developed from two separate fertilized ova and therefore different in genetic makeup
Adoption studies
research carried out on children, adopted at birth by parents no related to them, to determine the relative influence of heredity and environment on human behavior
Natural selection
mechanism proposed by Darwin in theory of evolution, states that organisms best adapted to their environment tend to survive, transmitting their genetic characteristics to succeeding generations, whereas organisms with less adaptive characteristics tend to vanish
