biological basis of behavior

Question 1

the nervous system

Answer 1

Part of an animal’s body that coordinates its behavior & transmits signals between different body parts

Question 2

the central nervous system

Answer 2

• Referred to as the central because the brain & spinal cord are primarily responsible for processing sensory information
• It communicates largely by sending electrical signals through individual nerve cells called neurons

Question 3

Neurons

Answer 3

• There are approximately 100 billion neurons in the human nervous system & has many contacts with other neurons, called synapses
• The function of neurons is to receive & transmit information

Question 4

Three Major Parts of Neurons

Answer 4

• Cell body or soma: contains the nucleus of the cell & keep the cell alive
• Dendrite: a branching treelike fiber that collects information from other cells & sends information to the soma
• Axon: a long, segmented fiber that transmits information away from the cell body towards other neurons of to the muscles & glands

Question 5

the brain

Answer 5

Largest single part of the central nervous system
It consumes 20% of the total oxygen & calories we consume even though it is only, on average, about 2 % of our overall weight

Question 6

Major structures & functions of the brain

Answer 6

The brain stem: relay center connecting the cerebrum & cerebellum to the spinal cord; responsible for breathing, heart rate, body temperature, wake & sleep cycles, digestion, sneezing, coughing, vomiting & swallowing
The limbic system:
Cerebellum: coordinate muscle movements, maintain posture & balance
Cerebrum or cerebral cortex: touch, vision, hearing, speech, reasoning emotions, learning & fine motor skills

Question 7

Four Lobes of the brain

Answer 7

Occipital: 
-Visual reception and visual interpretation 
 -Color discrimination  
-Motion perception  
Parietal:
 -Touch perception (somatosensory cortex)
 -Sensory discrimination 
 -Body orientation  
-Understanding spatial relations
Temporal:
-Auditory processing (hearing)  
-Olfactory processing 
 -Memory retrieval 
-Wernicke’s Area  
-Language comprehension
Frontal:
-Premotor cortex 
-Motor control (premotor cortex) 
-Prefrontal area  
-Problem solving  
-Judgment, reasoning 
 -Memory  
-Personality 
-Broca’s area  
-Speech production

Question 8

Neuroplasticity

Answer 8

The brain is able to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life: function- location seems sometimes quite flexible
Allows nerve cells in the brain to compensate for injury & disease & to adjust their activities in response to new situations or changes in their environment