Biology and Behaviour Flashcards
1
Q
A
2
Q
What did Franz Gall do?
A
Earliest theory that behaviour, intellect and personality might be link to brain anatomy
Doctrine of Phrenology: if a trait is well developed, the part of the brain responsible for it would expand
3
Q
Who believed to measure psychological attributes by measuring of the head?
A
Franz Gall
4
Q
What did Pierre Flourens do?
A
First to study the functions of major sections of the brain
5
Q
How did Pierre Flourens study the functions of different sections of the brain?
A
By extirpation or ablation on rabbits and pigeons.
You remove a part of the brain and observe the consequences of it
6
Q
Who is known as the father of American psychology?
A
William James
7
Q
What did William James do?
A
Studied how the mind adapts to the environment
Formed the foundation for functionalism
8
Q
What is functionalism?
A
Studies how the mental processes help individuals adapt to their environment
9
Q
What did John Dewy do?
A
An article that criticized the reflect arc
10
Q
What did Paul Broca do?
A
Examining the behavioural deficits in people with brain damage: specific functional impairments could be linked with specific brain lesions
11
Q
What did Herman von Helmholtz do?
A
Measure the speed of a nerve impusle
12
Q
Who is often credited with the transition of psychology out of the realm of philosophy and into quantifiable natural science?
A
Hermann von Helmholtz
13
Q
What did Sir Charles Sherrington do?
A
First to inferred the existence of synapses
14
Q
What are the 3 kind of nerve cells in the nervous system?
A
Sensory neurons, motor neurons and interneurons
15
Q
What are the differences between the 3 types of nerve cells?
A
Sensory/afferent=Collects the information and brings it to the NS
Motor/efferent=Transmit info from NS to the muscles and glands
Interneurons=linked to reflexes, doesn’t need to transmit the info to the NS
16
Q
What are the 2 primary components of the nervous system?
A
Central (brain and spinal cord) and peripheral (nerve tissue and fibers outside of the CNS)
17
Q
How many spinal nerves do we have?
A
31 pairs
18
Q
How many cranial nerves do we have?
A
12 pairs
19
Q
What is the difference between the cranial and spinal nerves?
A
Their number and spinal nerve emanate from the spinal cord and the cranial nerve emanate from the brain
20
Q
Which 2 cranial nerves are outgrowth of the CNS?
A
Olfactory and optic nerves
21
Q
What is the division of the PNS?
A
Somatic and autonomic
Somatic = sensory and motor neurons throughout the muscle, skin and joints
Autonomic= regular heartbeat, digestion, respiration and glandular secretions (involuntary muscles)
22
Q
Which system helps to regulate the body temperature and how?
A
The autonomic system (especially the sympathetic) by activating sweating or piloerection
23
Q
What are the 2 subsections of the autonomic system and what are they to each other?
A
Sympathetic and parasympathetic
They are antagonists
24
Q
What are the functions of the parasympathetic system?
A
Conserve energy & managing digestion
Constricts pupils
Stimulates flow of saliva
Constricts bronchi
Slows heartbeat
Stimulates peristalsis and secretion
Stimulates bile release
Contracts bladder
25
What is/are the neurotransmitter of the parasympathetic NS
Acetylcholine
26
What is/are the neurotransmitter of the sympathetic NS
Acetylcholine as preganglionic
Norepinephrine postganglionic
27
What are the functions of the sympathetic nervous system?
Dilates pupils
Inhibit salivation
Relaxes bronchi
Accelerates heartbeat
Stimulates sweating or piloerection
Inhibits peristalsis and secretion
Stimulates glucose production and release
Secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline
Inhibits bladder contraction
Stimulates orgasm
28
What are the layers covering the brain?
Skin
Periosteum
Bone
Dura mater
Arachnoid mater
Pia mater
29
What are the meninges?
Thick 3-layer connective tissue (dura mater, arachnoid mater and pia mater
30
What are the role of the meninges?
Protects the brain
Resorb cerebrospinal fluid
31
What is the cerebrospinal fluid?
Aqueous solution that nourishes and protects the brain and spinal cord
32
Where is cerebrospinal liquid produced?
By specialized cells that lines the ventricle (internal cavities) of the brain
33
What are the 3 basic parts of the human brain?
Hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain
34
What is the most primitive region of the brain?
Brainstem (hind and midbrain)
35
What is the limbic system?
A group of neural structures primarily associated with emotions and memory
36
What is the other name for the hindbrain?
Rhombencephalon
37
What does the hindbrain controls?
Vital functions necessary for survival:
Controls, balance, motor coordination
Breathing, digestion
General arousal processes (sleeping, walking)
38
What does the rhombencephalon divides as?
Myelencephalon (medulla oblongata)
Metencephalon (pons and cerebellum)
39
What are the functions of the medulla oblongata?
Breathing, heart rate and digestion
40
Where are the pons located?
Above the medulla
41
What contains the pons?
Sensory and motor pathway between the cortex and the medulla
42
What are the functions of the cerebellum?
Maintain posture, balance and coordination
43
What a damage to the cerebellum would cause?
Clumsiness, slurred speech and loss of balance
44
What does alcohol impairs to affect speech and balance?
Cerebellum
45
What is the other name of the middbrain?
Mesencephalon
46
What characterizes the mesencephalon/midbrain?
involuntary reflex responses triggered by visual or auditory stimuli
47
What are the colliculi?
2 of the prominent nuclei in the midbrain
48
What are the roles of the colliculi?
Superior colliculus=visual sensory input
Inferior colliculus=auditory sensory input
49
What is the other name for the forebrain?
Proencephalon
50
What is the prosencephalon associated with?
Complex perceptual, cognitive and behavioural processes
Emotion and memory
51
Which of the 3 parts of the brain has the most influence on human behaviour?
Forebrain
52
What does the prosencephalon divides as?
Telencephalon (cerebral cortex, basal ganglia and limbic system)
Diencephalon (thalamus, hypothalamus, posterior pituitary and pineal gland)
53
What is neuropsychology?
Study of functions and behaviours associated with specific regions of the brain
54
What are the ways to map the brain in neuropsychology?
Extirpation
Creating cortical maps by stimulating the brain and have the assistance of the patient who is awake
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) - blood flow would be increase in part of the brain that are engage
Brain imaging (CT. PET, MRI, fMRI)
55
What is the role of the thalamus?
Is a relay station for incoming sensory information (all senses other than smell)
It sorts and transmit the information to the appropriate section in the cerebral cortex
56
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
4 F's: (a lot of homeostatic functions)
Feeding
Fighting
Flighting
sexual Functioning
57
What does the hypothalamus subdivises in?
Lateral hypothalamus
Ventromedial hypothalamus
Anterior hypothalamus
58
What is the role of the lateral hypothalamus?
Hunger center
Knows when the body need more food or fluids
59
What part of the brain would lead to refuse eating or drinking and then starving to death?
Lateral hypothalamus
60
What is the role of the ventromedial hypothalamus?
Satiety center, knows when to stop eating
61
What does damages to the ventromedial hypothalamus would cause?
Obesity
62
What does the anterior hypothalamus controls?
Sexual behaviour
Also regulate sleep and body temperature
63
What is the role of the posterior pituitary?
Site of release for the hypothalamic hormones:
Antidiuretic hormone (ADH) or also called vasopressin
Oxytocin
64
What is the role of the pineal gland?
Several biological rhythms such as circadian rhythms by secreting melatonin
65
How does the pineal gland knows when to secrete melatonin?
It receive direct signals from the retina for coordination with sunlight
66
What is the role of the basal ganglia?
Coordinate muscle movement with the information from the cortex to the brain and spinal cord (via the extrapyramidal motor system)
Helps make our movement smooth and our posture steady
67
What disease is associated with the basal ganglia?
Parkinson's
May also play a role in schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder
68
What are the mains functions of the limbic system?
Emotion and memory
69
What are the components of the limbic system?
Septal nuclei
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Anterior cingulate cortex
70
What is the septal nuclei associated with?
Pleasure, it is the primary pleasure center in the brain
71
What is the primary pleasure center in the brain?
Septal nuclei
72
What is the amygdala's function?
Role in defensive and aggressive behaviours
73
What does lesions to the amygdala would result in?
Docility and hyper sexual states
(aggression and fear would be reduce)
74
What is the role of the hyppocampus?
Learning and memory processes
Helps to form long-term memory
75
How does the hippocampus communicates with other portions of the limbic system?
Fornix
76
What is the fornix for?
Communication of the hippocampus to other portions of the limbic system
77
What is anterograde amnesia?
Not being able to establish new long-term memory
Memory before the brain injury are still intact
78
What is retrograde amnesia?
Memory loss of events before the brain injury
79
What is the function of the anterior cingulate cortex?
Regulation of impulse control and decision-making
Maintains connections to other parts of the limbic system and plays a role in emotion and motivation
80
What is the neocortex and why is it called that?
It's the cerebral cortex
Called that because it is the most recent region to evolve
81
What are the bumps and folds called on the cerebral cortex?
Gyri (bumps) and sulci (folds)
82
What are the effect of the gyro and the sulci?
Increase surface area in the cerebral cortex
83
In what is the cerebral cortex divided in?
Cerebral hemisphere
4 loves (frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal)
84
What are the 2 basic regions of the frontal lobe?
Prefrontal cortex
Motor cortex
85
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex?
Supervising and directing the operations of other brain regions
(attention, alertness, perception, memory, emotion, impulse control, long-term planning)
86
What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in memory?
Not to store the memory, but to remind the individual that they have something to remember
87
What is an association area? An example?
Area that integrates input from diverse regions of the brain
Example: prefrontal cortex
88
What are projection areas?
Perform more rudimentary perceptual and motor tasks
Example: primary motor cortex
89
Where is located the primary motor cortex?
On the pre central gyrus in front of the central sulcus
90
What is the central sulcus?
Divides the frontal and parietal lobes
91
What is the role of the primary motor cortex?
Initiate voluntary movements
92
What is the motor homunculus?
An organized pattern of which the neurone in the motor cortex are arranged systematically according to the parts of the body to which they are connected
93
Where is located the Broca's area?
In the frontal love.
Usually in the dominant hemisphere
94
Which hemisphere is usually the dominant one?
Left
95
Which cortex is located on the precentral gyrus and on the postcentral gyrus?
Precentral = motor cortex (frontal)
Postcentral = somatosensory cortex (parietal)
96
What is the sensorimotor cortex?
A complex of both the motor cortex and the somatosensory cortex
97
What is the function of the central region of the parietal lobe?
Spatial processing and manipulation (visualize and object in 3D, manipulate objects and map reading)
98
What is the role of the somatosensory cortex?
Destination for all incoming sensory signals for touch, pressure, temperature and pain
99
What does the occipital love contains?
The visual cortex (also called the striate cortex)
100
What is the striate cortex?
Visual cortex
101
What is located in the temporal lobe?
Auditory cortex and Wernicke's area
102
What is the auditory cortex for?
Sound processing
103
What is the Wernicke's area for?
Language reception and comprehension
104
What are the functions of the temporal lobe?
Auditory perception, language perception and comprehension, memory processing and emotion
105
What does it mean to communicate contralaterally?
With the opposite side of the brain
106
What does it mean to communicate ipsilaterally?
Which the same side of the body
107
What defines the predominant hemisphere?
The one that is more heavily stimulated during language reception and production
108
What are usually the characteristics of the dominant hemisphere?
Analytic, well-suited to manage details (language, logic, math skills)
109
What are usually the characteristics of the non dominant hemisphere?
Intuition, creativity, music cognition and spatial processing
Less dominant role in language, but is more sensitive to the emotional tone and mood)
110
What is called a drug that mimics the action of some neurotransmitter?
Agonist
111
What is called a drug that blocks the action of a neurotransmitter?
Antagonist
112
What is acetylcholine used for in both the CNS and PNS?
Central: attention and arousal
Peripheral: transmit nerve impulse to muscles
113
What are catecholamines?
Epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine
114
What are the catecholamines also classified as?
Monoamines or biogenic amines
115
In what does catecholamines plays an important role?
Experience of emotions
116
What is controlled with adrenaline and noradrenaline?
Alertness and wakeness
Fight or Flight response
117
What is the difference between the adrenaline and the noradrenaline?
Noradrenaline plays a role more local
Adrenaline plays a role systemic
118
What system has noradrenaline and adrenaline as the primary neurotransmitter?
Sympathetic nervous system
119
What are high level and low level of noradrenaline and/or serotonin associated with?
Low= depression
High = anxiety and mania
120
What is the role of dopamine?
Movement and posture
121
Where would you normally find high level of dopamine?
Basal ganglia (helps with smooth movements)
122
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
Theory that schizophrenia (delusions, hallucinations and agitation) arise from too much dopamine or oversensitivity to dopamine
123
What is serotonin classified as?
Monoamine or biogenic amine
124
What is the role of serotonin?
Regulating mood, eating, sleeping and dreaming
125
What is the full name of GABA neurotransmitters?
''y''-aminobutyric acid
126
What is the role of GABA neurotransmitter?
Stabilizing neural activity in the brain (hyperpolarization of the postsynaptic membrane)
127
What is the role of glycine as a neurotransmitter?
Inhibitory in the CNS by increasing chloride influx into the neuron
128
What is the difference and similarity of glycine and glutamate as neurotransmitters?
Both acts on the SNC, but glycine is an inhibitory and glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter
129
What is the difference between neurotransmitters and neuromodulators?
Neuromodulators are relatively slow and have longer effets on the postsynaptic cell
130
What is the most important peptide in neurotransmission to know?
Endorphins
131
What are endorphins?
Peptides that are natural pain killers
Effect similar to morphine and other opioids
132
Why are hormones slower than neurotransmitter?
They have to travel through the bloodstream
133
What is the hypophyseal portal system?
Connects the hypothalamus and the pituitary gland
134
What is the pituitary gland divide as?
Anterior and posterior pituitary
135
What is the role of the anterior pituitary?
Release hormones that regulate activity of endocrine system glands everywhere in the body
(however, the anterior pituitary is controlled by the hypothalamus)
136
What do the adrenal glands divide as?
Adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex
137
What does the adrenal glands releases?
Adrenal medulla: epinephrine and norepinephrine
Adrenal cortex: corticosteroids (cortisol) and testosterone and estrogen
138
What is an innate behaviour?
Something that is genetically programmed, would happen regardless of one environment and experiences
139
What are learned behaviours?
Based on experience and environment
140
What is an adaptive value?
The extent to which a trait or behaviour positively benefits a species
141
What is nature vs nurture
Nature = inherited characteristics
Nurture = influence of an environment and physical surroundings
142
What are the 3 methods to determine a degree of genetic influence on behavior?
Family studies, twin studies and adoption studies
143
What is a limit of family studies?
Families share both genetics and environment, so it's hard to know which of is in cause
144
What are a concordance rates?
The likelihood that both twins exhibit the same trait
145
What are critical periods?
Specific periods in development that a child if particularly susceptible to environment factors
146
146
What are the 2 plates of the neural tube?
Alar plate = sensory neurons
Basal plate = motor neurons
147
What could cause exposure to X-Rays of the baby?
Retardation, defects of the skull/spinal chords/eyes, cleft palate and limb deformities
148
Which medication is associated with neural tube defects?
Anti-epileptic medications
149
What is a primitive reflex?
A reflex that disappear with age
150
What is the Moro reflex?
A primitive reflex when a infant react to abrupt movements of their heads by flinging of their arms, then slowly retracting their arms and crying
151
How could the Moro reflex hint of problems?
If it is continued after one year = strong suggestion of development difficulties
If it is asymmetrical = maybe an underlying neuromuscular problem
152
What is the grasping reflex?
When the baby grabs whatever is put in his or her hand
153
What is the difference between gross and fine motor skills?
Gross motor skills involve large muscle groups (walking, crawling, etc.)
Fine motor skills involve smaller muscles (drawing, catching, waving)
154
What is stranger anxiety?
Fear and apprehension of infamiliar individuals
155
What is separation anxiety?
Fear of being separated from a parental figure
156
When does stranger and separation anxiety happens?
Apport 7 months and 1 year respectively
157
What is parallel play?
When children play side by side, without influencing each other behaviour
158
When does parallel play occurs?
2 years
159
At what age does a child starts engaging in sex-types play, knows its gender identity and knows its full name?
3 years
160
When does romantic feelings for other begins?
Age 5
161
What are developmental milestones?
Several abilities that are expected to emerge at a particular time in a person's development
