Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards
Neurons are also known as…
“Messengers”
Approximately how many Neurons are there?
100 Billion
Dendrites, a part of neurons, do what?
Receive messages from other cells.
Which part of a neuron receives messages from other cells?
Dendrites
What do an axon do?
Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands.
What part of the neuron Passes messages away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, or glands?
Axon
What is action potential?
Electrical signal traveling down the axon.
What is electrical signal traveling down the axon?
Action potential
What does the myelin sheath do?
Covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses
“Sausage skin”
What covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses?
Myelin sheath
What is the soma?
The cell body
What’s another name for the cell body?
The soma
What do terminal buttons do?
They form junctions with other cells
What part of a neuron forms junctions with other cells?
Terminal buttons
How fast do signal travel from neuron to neuron?
anywhere from 2mph to 180mph
Action Potential is…
Electrical charge created by an exchange of Ions
An electrical charge created by an exchange of ions is…
Action potential
Is Sodium is positive or negative?
Positive
Is potassium positive or negative?
Negative
Terminal buttons can be remembered using which analogy?
The toilet flushing analogy. Pressure must be applied to the handle in order to flush it. Terminal buttons apply that pressure and release signals.
Neurotransmitters decide what?
Whether to “stop it” (a signal) or “push it along”
What decides to “stop” or “send along” a signal?
Neurotransmitters
Synapse is…
The space between neurons.
What the space between neurons called?
Synpase
What was the Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter?
The first neurotransmitter discovered
What was the first neurotransmitter discovered?
Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter
What does the Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter do?
Controls muscles (Involuntary muscle contractions, but also controls learning, memory, and sleep)
What happens if Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter works to hard?
Depression
What happens if Acetylcholine (ACh) neurotransmitter doesn’t work enough?
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Paralysis
What does Dopamine do?
Make us feel good (reward neurotransmitter)
What does Dopamine involve?
Movement, learning, ATTENTION, and emotion
What happens if you have too much Dopamine?
Anxiety, Schizophrenia
What happens if you don’t have enough Dopamine?
Parkinson’s, Addiction
What does Serotonin affect?
Mood, HUNGER, sleep, and arousal
What happens if you have too much serotonin?
Sexual arousal
What happens if you have too little serotonin?
Depression, aggression
What is involved when it comes to Norepinephrine & Epinephrine (Adrenaline)?
Energy and glucose metabolism; alertness and arousal
What is GABA Gamma-aminobutyric acid?
Helps regular anxiety - inhibitory
Slows down neurotransmitters
What do Glutamates (opposites of GABA) do?
Excitatory - helps learning and memory (LTP)
Speeds up neurotransmitters
What slows down neurotransmitters?
GABA
What speeds up neurotransmitters?
Glutamates
What do Endorphins do?
Counteract stress and pain (natural painkiller)
Where do Antagonist and Agonist neurotransmitters sit?
In the synpase
What do Antagonists do?
“Block”
Block a receptor site inhabiting the effect of the neurotransmitter or agonist
What do Agonists do?
“Bind”
Agonists may mimic a neurotransmitter and bind to its receptors sit to produce the effect of the neurotransmitter
“Block”
Antagonists
“Bind”
Agonists
Nervous System Category: Central controls the…
brain and spinal chord
What part of the Nervous System controls the brain and spinal cord?
Central
Peripheral is split into two categories…
Somatic and Autonomic
What does somatic do?
Controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles
What controls voluntary movement of skeletal muscles?
Somatic
What does Autonomic do?
controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands
What controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands?
Autonomic
Autonomic can be split into two parts…
Sympathetic and Parasympathetic
Sympathetic relates to…
arousing, flight or fight
Parasympathetic relates to…
calming, rest;digest
What example can you use for sympathetic vs. parasympathetic?
The parachute analogy. If your parachute works, you are relaxed. If it doesn’t, you are energized.
What is the Endocrine System?
“Secondary Communication System”
A “slower” system, but effect and durable (lasts a while)
What is a “slower” system, but is effective and durable and is also known as the Secondary Communication System?
The Endocrine System
The nervous system relates to neurotransmitters, whereas the endocrine system relates to…
Hormones (made by glands of the body)
Hormones are related to which system?
The Endocrine System
Melatonin reales to…
Sleep and 24 hour internal clock
The Hypothalamus is…
a key link between the nervous system and endocrine system
What is a key link between the nervous system and the endocrine system?
The Hypothalamus
What do the Hypothalamus do?
Directs the Pituitary Gland, which is the most important gland
What tells the Pituitary gland what to do?
The Hypothalamus
What is the Pituitary Gland?
The “Master Gland”
Controls all glands
What part of the endocrine system controls all glands?
The Pituitary Gland
What does the Thyroid gland affect?
Metabolism
What does the Parathyroid gland do?
Helps the thyroid gland function
What does the Adrenal Gland do?
Controls Adreneline
What gland controls Adreneline?
The Adrenal Gland
What does the Pancreas do?
Controls Insulin (keeps glucose levels in check)
What part of the endocrine system controls Insulin?
The Pancreas
What part of the Endocrine system is associated with diabetes?
The Pancreas
Estrogen deals with…
Ovaries (females)
Testes deal with…
Testosterone (males)
What is Phrenology?
It was once considered an actual science saying that we could decipher aspects of people’e behavior, personality, etc. by reading the bumps on people’s head.
It no longer exists, because it is false.
What “science” read the bumps on people heads?
Phrenology
What are Lesions?
Tissue damage
Tissue damage is…
Lesions
What does an EEG or Electroencephalograph do?
Can tell which stage of sleep we are in
What machines can tell which sleep stage we are in?
An EEG
What does a CT Scan or Computed Tomography do?
An x-ray of the brain
What is an x-ray of the brain?
A CT Scan
What does a PET Scan or Positron Emission Tomography do?
Puts a radioactive substance in your bloodstream through an IV and has a machine read which parts of your brain are most active using it
What type of scan uses radiation to see the inner workings of your brain?
A PET Scan
What is an MIRO or a Magnetic Resonance Imaging?
Uses magnetic fields that alter ions and such, which they use to take an image, which presents which areas of the brain are more active
