Biological Basis of Behaviour Flashcards
NT that activates motor neurons controlling skeletal muscles
Acetylcholine
NT that contributes to regulation of attention, arousal and memory
Acetylcholine
An agonist for Acetylcholine
Nicotine
An antagonist for Acetylcholine
Curare
Deterioration of ACh neurons is involved in what disease?
Alzheimers Disease
Acetylcholine is excitatory/inhibitory?
excitatory
Monamines include what 3 NT’s?
dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin
NT that contributes to control of voluntary movement
Dopamine
NT that is involved with the reward system of the brain
Dopamine
Depletion of dopamine is involved with which disease?
Parkinson’s Disease
Cocaine, nicotine and amphetamines directly/indirectly lead to an increase of which NT by inhibiting reuptake?
Dopamine
NT involved in sleep and wakefulness, eating and aggression
Serotonin
Abnormal levels of this NT can produce depression and or OCD
Serotonin
Is glutamate excitatory or inhibitory?
excitatory
What is the most common NT?
Glutamate
NT assumed to be involved with memory storage
Glutamate
NT with a key role in long term potentiation for learning
Glutamate
Is GABA inhibitory or excitatory?
inhibitory
NT plays a role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system, acts to relax muscles (opp. of ACh)
GABA
most sedative, anti-anxiety drugs are designed to enhance the effects of which NT?
GABA
Agonists
enhance receptor site activity, mimic action of a NT
Antagonists…
decrease receptor site activity
example of agonist
nicotine is an agonist for ACh
example of antagonist
schizophrenia drugs block dopamine receptors
Spider Venom and Botulinum example
spider venom causes ACh to be released
Botulinum inhibits ACh (major organs shut down)
How does nicotine affect ACH
mimics ACh, stimulates receptor molecules
How does curare affect ACh?
blocks receptor molecules, antagonist
what composes the CNS?
the brain and spinal cord
what composes the PNS?
nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord
the 2 subdivisions of the PNS
somatic and autonomic nervous system
what is the somatic nervous system?
nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal muscles and to sensory receptors
In the somatic Nervous System what is the difference between Afferent and Efferent Nerve fibres?
Afferent- Axons that carry info inward to the CNS from the body
Efferent- Axons that carry info outward from the CNS to the body
What is the autonomic Nervous System?
nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, muscles and glands
What are the 2 divisions of the Autonomic Nervous System?
Sympathetic Division and Parasympathetic Division
What are the responsibilities of the Sympathetic Division of the Autonomic Nervous System
- prepares us for action (for emergencies)
- slows digestive processes, increase heart rate, increase respiration, secretion of adrenal hormones
What are the responsibilities of the Parasympathetic Division of the Autonomic Nervous System
- prepares us for relaxation
- promotes digestion, slows heartbeat, lowers blood pressure
- conserves bodily resources
- uses hormones
What is the pituitary gland?
-“the master gland” that controls other bodily glands and is under control of the hypothalamus
What are the adrenal glands?
- release epinephrine (adrenaline), and cortisol during physical and psychological stress
- activated by sympathetic nervous system
Sexual Reproductive Glands
- testes produce testosterone
- ovaries produce estrogen
Hindbrain is composed of what 3 parts?
Medulla, pons, reticular formation
what is the medulla
responsible for vegetative function, heartbeat and breathing
What are the pons?
- connects medull and thalamus and brainstem with cerebellum
- sleep, arousal, and connects cerebellum with the brain stem
What is the reticular formation
- thick bundle of fibres
- regulates sleep and wakefulness and modulates muscle reflexes, breathing and pain perception
Where is the midbrain?
between hindbrain and forebrain
What is the midbrain?
bundle of cells that has the highest concentration of dopamine
Forebrain is composed of 4 important parts?
thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system and cerebrum
what is the thalamus?
structure through which all sensory info (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex
What is the hypothalamus?
a structure involved in basic biological needs, link between the brain and the endocrine system
What is the cerebrum?
largest part of the brain including the cerebral cortex, the cerebral hemispheres and the corpus callosum
What is the cerebral cortex?
the convoluted outer layer of the cerebrum, folded to increase surface area
What is the corpus callosum?
- a structure that connects the 2 cerebral hemispheres
- thick bundle of fibres
What are the responsibilities of the right and left hemispheres?
Left- handles verbal processing (language, speech, reading and writing), controls and receives info from right side of body
Right- handles non verbal processing (spatial, musical and visual), controls and receives info from the left side of the body
What is EEG
- a device that monitors the electrical activity of the brain over time by means of recording electrodes attached to the surface of the scalp
- can see what activity is happening under the electrode
- overview of ELECTRIC activity in the brain
What is a CT scan?
- computer enhanced x-ray of the brain structure
What is ESB (electrical stimulation of the brain)?
send a weak electric current into a brain structure to stimulate (activate) it
What is TMS
technique (using a magnetic field) that permits scientists to temporarily enhance or depress activity in a specific area of the brain
What is lesioning?
destroying a piece of the brain
What is a PET scan?
-examine brain function, mapping actual activity in the brain over time
What is a MRI?
- uses magnetic fields, radio waves and computer enhancement to map out brain structures
- better than CT scan because the produce 3D images with high resolution
What is fMRI?
- new variance of MRI that monitors blood flow and oxygen consumption in the brain to identify areas of high activity
- better than PET scan because it is more precise
Global slowing – a theory about age-related changes in cognition – states that neural transmission is slower in old than young brains. What factors might be contributiong to this slowing?
loss of myelin sheath on neurons that allow for impulses to travel more quickly down the axon
If you had access to a fMRI machine (as opposed to another kind of brain imaging machine), what would you be able to study?
you can monitor blood flow and oxygen consumption in the brain to identify areas of high activity when certain stimulus is presented
What device/method/equipment would you use if you want to learn about the brain events which occur within 300 ms of hearing a surprising sound?
ERP (gives you precise time but not location) whereas fMRI is precise with location but not time
A patient presents with problems in language comprehension (s/he is able to speak fluently & clearly). Which area of the brain is likely to have been damaged?
The left hemisphere is likely to have been damaged
What behavioral change will you likely see if as a result of a tumor, a persons amygdalae are damaged?
They would experience loss of emotion
What contribution is made by the cerebellum when driving a car?
it coordinates the muscle movement needed to steer, push the gas and brake and eye movement to see upcoming obstacles
