Behavioural Neuroscience Flashcards
Behaviour definition
= the observable actions of humans
Divisions of the nervous system
Nervous
Central - brain and spinal cord
Peripheral - somatic and autonomic ( Enteric, Parasympathetic, sympathetic)
Rostral
towards the beak
caudal
towards the tail
dorsal
towards the back
ventral
towards the belly
lateral
towards the side
medial
towards the midline
ipsilateral
on the same side of the midline
contralateral
on the opposite side of the midline
Forebrain subdivisons
telencephalon
diencephalon
mid brain subdivision
mesencephalon
hind brain subdivisions
metencephalon
myelencephalon
telencephalon structures
cerebral cortex
basal ganglia
limbic system
basal ganglia role
controls involuntary movement
limbic system components and role
hypothalamus, thalamus, hippocampus, amygdala and nuclei of the brain
‘emotional circut’
diencephalon components
thalamus
hypothalamus
thalamus role
relays sensory info to the cerebral cortex
hypothalamus role
regulates survival behaviours
controls autonomic and endocrine systems
midbrain components and role
controls motor movement, eye movement, auditory and visual processing
tectum
metacephalon components
cerebellum
pons
cerebellum role
receives sensory info
pons role
regulates sleep and arousal
myencephalon component and role
medulla oblongata
controls autonomic functions e.g. breathing and HR
primary visual cortex
location
role
occipital lobe
recipes sensory info from the retina
parietal love role
attention and spatial awareness
temporal lobe role
auditory processing and complex visual processing e.g facial recognition
primary auditory cortex
location
role
superior part of temporal lobe
processes auditory information
primary somatosensory cortex
location
role
between frontal and parietal lobes
receives sensory information from the skin
primary motor cortex
location
role
precentral gyrus
controls motor movement
frontal lobe roles
voluntary and controlled behaviour
impulse control and emotional regulation
abstract reasoning and planning
social cognition
language
action potential stages
- resting potential
- threshold
- depolarisation
- refractory period
- resting potential
- hyperpolarisation
threshold
Na+ ions flow into cell and if the membrane potential reaches -55mV, action potential is fired
resting potenial
neuron at -70mV
depolarisation
K+ channels open and K+ flows out of the cell
refractory period
Na+ channels close and K+ ions still exit the cell
hyperpolarisation
as the K+ channels close the membrane becomes more negative until the remains K+ can diffuse away
structures of the synapse
terminal button
synaptic cleft
pre and post synaptic membrane
synaptic vesicles
microtubule
neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that are synthesised within the brain/neurons
Release of neurotransmitters
synaptic vesicles merge with the presynaptic membrane and the contents are released into the synaptic cleft
reuptake of neurotransmitters
neurotransmitters are reabsorbed via endosymbiosis and reused by the synapse
excitatory neurotransmitters
depolarise the postsynaptic cell and increase the likelihood that an action potential will be fired
e.g. glutamate
inhibitory neurotransmitters
hyperpolarise the post synaptic cell and decrease the likelihood that an action potential will be fired
e.g. gabba aminobutyric acid GABA
neural integration
the combined effect of both EPSP’s and IPSP’s
the neuron will only fire if the excitatory inputs are sufficiently greater than the inhibitory inputs so that the threshold can be reached
neuromodulator e.g
dopamine
noradrenaline
histamine
serotonin
2 drug types
antagonists
agonists
agonist
activate the receptor like the natural compound
antagonists
block the receptor and prevent the compound from activating it
EEG
tracks the electrical activity of the brain
EEG pros
cheap
good temporal resolution
portable
safe
EEG cons
poor spatial resolution
only detects surface activity
electrophysiology
record of action potential of a single neuron
electrophysiology pros
records individual neurons
electrophysiology cons
invasive high risk of infection
neurons work in networks not isolation
MRI
magnetic field passes through brain causing H+ ions to align with the magnetic field
MRI pros
high spatial resolution
can identify specific anatomical structures
functional brain properties
MRI cons
very expensive
large equipment that requires specialist operation
safety risks
fMRI
as a brain region uses energy there is a increased blood flow to the area which is measured
PET scan
uses radioactive substances to visualise glucose metabolism or the neurotransmitter function
PET pros
can detect chemical in the brain associated with metabolism or function
PET cons
expensive
low spatial resolution
risks associated with the radioactive substances
brain enhancement
improvement of healthy function to above or better than normal using drugs or brain stimulation
electron brain stimulation
reveals precise cortical functions
non-invasive EBT
used to treat severe depression
electrical stimulation of the brain to cause seizure
non-invasive magnetic brain stimulation
TMS generates a brei, focal magnetic pulse which activates a small region of cortex
acts as a lesion and temporality disrupts the tissue
synaptic plasticity
= adaptability of neural connections
long term potentiation
the strengthening of a synaptic connection due to repeated stimulation
what does LTP do
increases the chance that th post-synaptic neuron will fire an action potential
long term depression
the post synaptic neuron becomes less sensitive to the neurotransmitters and decreases its likelihood to fire due to a lack of stimulation
neurogenesis
generation of new neurons
emotion
patterns of physiological response ad species-typical behaviour
3 components of emotion
behavioural
autonomic
hormonal
