Biology of Behavior Flashcards
Franz Gall
Developed “phrenology”; the belief that the individual’s formation of the brain can determine the personality of that person
Neurons
The basic cell of the nervous that transmits information, and physical energy (light, sound, smell, pressure) is coded by the sensory systems as an electrochemical impulse (sensory systems don’t smell, taste, hear, and see; it is the brain that does it all)
Transduction
The mechanism by which sensory systems convert external stimuli (like light, sound, and touch) into neural signals
Motor Neurons (Pyramidal motor neuron)
a system of very long axons whose cell bodies reside in the cortex of the brain that affect movement and muscular function
Glial Cells
They help hold neurons in place, supplying nutrients and oxygen, insulating one neuron from another, and destroying pathogens while removing dead neurons.
Dendrite
Branching extensions of neuron that receive messages from other neurons and carry them toward the cell body
Axon
Part of the neuron that carries a message away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, and glands
Neurotransmitter
chemical compounds that traverse the synaptic gap and bind to receptor sites
Threshold for action potential
level of stim required to trigger a neural impulse. once reached, it transmits an impulse down the axon
Action Potential
electrical charge that travels down the axon
Myelin Sheath
white fatty tissue that increases the speed at which the neural impulse travels as it moves from on node of Ranvier to another
Synapse
the space (less than 1/1,000,000 of an inch) filled with fluid the terminal button of one neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron
Reuptake
excess neurotransmitter molecules in the synapse are taken back into the sending neuron
Breakdown of neurotransmitter
enzymes breakdown molecules into constituent elements
CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
General anxiety disorder
feeling of fear, dread
Depression
can be caused by imbalances in the level of neurotransmitters in the synapse
SSRI
Selective serotonin reuptake mechanism
Lysergic acid
is a chemical that bonds to the same receptor as serotonin in the brain to produce a hallucinogenic effect
Somatic system
Controls movement of skeletal muscles
Autonomic system
controls glands and muscles of internal organs
Sympathetic division of ANS
autonomic nervous system; Prepares organism for flight or fight response when threatening stimulus is detected
Parasympathetic of ANS
Controls glands and muscles when the organism is in a state of quiescence (inactivity)
Central nervous system
brain and spinal cord
The brain has 30 billion neurons
Spinal cord
carries messages connecting the peripheral nervous system to the brain
Ascending fibers: from PNS - Brain
Descending fibers: from Brain - PNS
Reflex
most, but not all are mediated by the spinal cord
Afferent paths
sensory neurons
Efferent
motor neurons
