biological bases of behavior (modules 9-15) Flashcards
acetylcholine function
enables muscle action, learning, and memory
dopamine function
influences movement, attention, learning, and emotion (male)
serotonin function
affects sleep, hunger, arousal and mood (sham)
norepinephrine function
helps control alertness and arousal
GABA function
a major inhibitory neurotransmitter
glutamate function
a major excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory
agonist
a molecule that increases a neurotransmitter’s action
antagonist
a molecule that inhibits or blocks a neurotransmitter’s action
endorphins function
neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain
neurotransmitter
chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons
synapse
the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite of the receiving neuron
schwann cell
cells that create the myelin sheath
Alzheimers disease
this is when ACh producing neurons deteriorate
oversupply of dopamine
linked to schizophrenia
undersupply of dopamine
linked to tremors and parkinson’s disease
undersupply of serotonin
linked to depression
undersupply of norepinephrine
can depress mood
undersupply of GABA
linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia
oversupply of glutamate
overstimulates the brain causing migraines and seizures
oversupply of opiate drugs
suppresses the body’s natural endorphins, rendering them useless
action potential
a neural impulse or a brief electrical charge sent down the axon
thyroid gland
affects metabolism and releases thyrotropin
hormones
chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands
neuron
a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system
cell body
part of the neuron that contains the nucleus and is the cell’s life-support center
dendrites
a neuron’s bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body
axon
the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands
myelin sheath
-a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons
-enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next
glial cells
-cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
-also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory
threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
action potential
-a neural impulse
-a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
refractory period
-a brief resting pause that occurs after a neuron has fired
-subsequent action potentials cannot occur until the axon returns to its resting state
all-or-none response
a neurons reaction of either firing with a full strength response or not firing
selectively permeable
the axons surface is selective about what it lets through
resting potential
state where the axon is negative inside and positive outside
depolarization
the loss of the inside/outside charge difference that then results in the next set of axon channels opening and positive charges flow inward
excitatory neural signals
are like pushing a neuron’s gas pedal
inhibitory neural signals
are like pushing a neurons brake pedal
synaptic gap
the space that separates the axon terminal of one neuron from the receiving neuron
reuptake
a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending neuron
nervous system
the body’s speedy electrochemical communication network consisting of all the nerve cells of peripheral and central nervous systems
central nervous system
the brain and spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body
nerves
bundled axons that form neural cables connections the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs
sensory neurons
-aka afferent neurons
-carry messages from the body’s tissues and sensory receptors inward to the brain and spinal cord for processing
motor neurons
-aka efferent neurons
-carry instructions from the CNS outwards to the body’s muscles and glands
interneurons
-neurons in the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and process information from the sensory inputs to the motor outputs
somatic nervous system
enables voluntary control of our skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system
controls our glands and internal organ muscles
sympathetic nervous system
-subsystem of the ANS that arouses and expends energy
-fight or flight
parasympathetic nervous system
-subsystem of the ANS that calms the body and conserves energy
sympathetic nervous system effects
-pupil dilation
-accelerating heart beat
-inhibits digestion
-stimulates glucose release by liver
-stimulates secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine in adrenal glands
-stimulates ejaculation in males
parasympathetic nervous system effects
-pupil contraction
-slows heartbeat
-stimulates digestion
-stimulates gallbladder
-contracts bladder
-allows bloodflow to sex organs
reflex
a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus such as the knee-jerk response
endocrine system
the body’s slow chemical communication system
-a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
hypothalamus
brain region that controls the pituitary gland
adrenal glands
triggers the fight or flight response
-release epinephrine and norepinephrine
thyroid gland
impacts metabolism
pituitary gland
-controls the hypothalamus
-secretes different hormones some of which affect other glands
-regulates growth
brain lesion
a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue
EEG (electroencephalogram)
an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brains surface with electrodes placed on the scalp
MEG (magnetoencephalography)
a brain imaging technique that measures magnetic fields from the brains natural electrical activity
CT/CAT scan
a series of x-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain’s structure
PET scan
a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a task
MRI
a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue and show brain anatomy
fMRI
a technique for revealing bloodflow and therefore brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans
-shows brain function and structure
brainstem
the oldest part and central core of the brain
-responsible for automatic survival functions
-the medulla, the pons, the reticular formation, the thalamus and the cerebellum
medulla
the base of the brainstem that controls heart beat and breathing
thalamus
the top of the brainstem and the brains sensory control center
-directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla
reticular formation
nerve network that travels through the brainstem into the thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal
cerebellum
the rear of the brainstem that coordinates movement, balance, nonverbal learning and memory, and the sensory input
the pons
sits above the medulla and relay signals to the cerebellum that coordinates movement and controls sleep
the limbic system
neural system associated with emotions and drives and is located beneath the cerebral hemispheres
-amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus
amygdala
two lima bean sized structures in the limbic system that deal with emotion
hypothalamus
neural structure below the thalamus that directs maintenance activities such as eating, drinking, body temperature, and helps govern the endocrine system via pituitary gland
hippocampus
neural center located in limbic system that helps process storage for explicit memories of facts and events
which scans show brain function?
CT scans and MRIs
which scans can reveal brain function?
EEG, MEG, PET and fMRI recordings
cerebral cortex
the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres
-the body’s ultimate control and information processing center
frontal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead
-involved with speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgements
parietal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towards the rear
-receives sensory information for touch and body position
occipital lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head
-areas receives information from the visual fields
temporal lobes
the portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears
-includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily rom the opposite ear
motor cortex
an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements
somatosensory cortex
an area at the front of the parietal loves that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations
association areas
areas of the cerebral cortex that are involved with higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, speaking
plasticity
the brain’s ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
neurogenesis
the formation of new neurons
split brain
a condition that isolates the brain’s two hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them
corpus callosum
the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
consciousness
our subjective awareness of ourselves and our environment
cognitive neuroscience
the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked cognition including perception, thinking, memory, and language
dual processing
the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks
blindsight
a condition in which a person can respond to a visual stimulus without consciously experiencing it
sequential processing
processing one aspect of a problem at a time
-used to process new information or solve difficult problems
parallel processing
processing multiple aspects of a problem at a time
-used to process well learned information or to solve easy problems
behavior genetics
the study of the relative power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
heredity
the genetic transfer of characteristics from parents to offspring
environment
every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us
chromosomes
threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes
DNA deoxyribonucleic acid
a complex molecule containing the genetic information that makes up the chromosomes
genes
the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomesg
genome
the complete instructions for making an organism consisting of all the genetic material in that organisms chromosomes
identical (monozygotic) twins
develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into creating two genetically identical individuals
fraternal (dizygotic) twins
develop from separate fertilized eggs
interaction
the interplay that occurs when the effect of one factor such as environment depends on another factor such a heredity
molecular genetics
the subfield of biology that studies molecular structure and the function of genes
molecular behavior genetics
the study of how the structure and function of gens interact with our environment to influence behavior
epigenetics
the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change
evolutionary psychology
the study of the elution of behavior and the mind using principles of natural selection
natural selection
the principle that inherited traits that better an organism to survive and reproduce in a particular environment will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations
mutation
a random error in gene replication hat leads to a changes
social script
a culturally modeled guide for how to act in various sitution
