Chapter 1-3 Flashcards
Allele
an alternate version of a gene; can be dominant or recessive
Behavioral Neuroscience
the branch of psychology that studies the relationships between behavior and the body, particularly the brain
Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)
doublestranded chain of chemical molecules that looks like a ladder that has been twisted around itself; genes are composed of DNA
Dominant
term referring to an allele that will produce its effect regardless of which allele it is paired with in the fertilized egg
Dualism
idea that the mind and the brain are separate
Embryo
organism in the early prenatal period; in humans, during the first 8 weeks
Empiricism
produce of obtaining information through observation
Equipotentiality
an idea that all of the brain are equally able to perform a task
Expression (of genes)
the process of turning genes into proteins or other functional products
Fetus
Gene
the biological unit that directs cellular process and transmits inherited characteristics
Genome
the entire collection of genes in the chromosome of a species
Genotype
the combination of genes a person has
Heritability
the percentage of variation in a trait within a population that can be explained by genetic differences
Heterozygous
having a pair of alleles for a specific characteristic that different from each other
Homozygous
having a pair of alleles for a specific characteristics that are identical with each other
Human Genome Project
a large scientific effort to map out and sequence all the genes in the human DNA
Localization
the idea that specific parts of the brain carry out specific functions
Materialistic Monism
the view that the body and the mind and everything else are physical
Mind-Brain Problem
the issue of what the mind is and its relationship to the brain
Monism
idea that the mind and body consist of the same substance
Natural Selection
organisms with traits that better suit their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing those genes to their offsprings
Nature vs. Nurture
the issue of the relative importance of heredity (nature) and environment (nurture)
Phenotype
in heredity, the characteristic of a person
Phrenology
theory that “faculties” of emotion and intellect were located in precise areas of the brain and could be assessed by feeling bumps on the skull
Polygenic
determined by several genes rather than a single gene
Recessive
a genetic trait that only shows up when a person inherits 2 copies of the same recessive gene from both parents
Vulnerability
people are more likely to experience s negative outcome when faced with stress or challenging situations because of their genotype
X-linked
in heredity, a condition in which a gene on the X chromosome is not paired with a gene on the shorter Y chromosome, so that a single recessive gene is adequate to produce a characteristic
Zygote
a fertilized egg
Models of Brain Function
left brain, right brain model, triune brain model and the system 1, system 2 model
Galvani and Helmholtz
Galvani identified the electrical nature of muscle contractions, while Helmholtz quantified and refined our understanding of nerve impulses through his experiments
Brocas’s Area
part of the brain that is in the frontal lobe of the dominant hemisphere linked to speech production
Cell Types of the Nervous System
neurons, glial cells- (astrocytes, oligodendrocytes, ependymal cells, and microglia), choroid plexus cells, cells related to blood vessels and coverings
Structure of a neuron
The roots of a neuron are the dendrites, the small stem connecting to the myelin (fatty round cell surronding the axon), the end of the roots are the axon terminal. the ranvier is where action potentials occur
cell membrane of a neuron
an ionic potential by separating various ions across its cell membrane
causes of cell polarization
uneven distribution of specific proteins and molecule across a cell membrane
protein channels vs pumps
pumps move ions against a concentration gradient. channels allow ions to flow down a concentration gradient
our neurons at rest
while at rest our neurons are not actively sending electrical signals
ion concentration gradients of a neuron
cg is the difference in ion concentration between the inside of the neuron and the outside of the neuron
forces moving ions (electrostatic, diffusional)
electrostatic forces (electrical charge attraction and repulsion) diffusional forces (concentration gradients, moving ions from areas of high concentration to low concentration)
local (graded) potential vs action potential
local (graded) potential are short lived changes in a cell’s membrane potential that are caused by stimuli. action potentials are large depolarizations that travel long distances
