Chapter 2 - Biological Foundations Of Behavior

Question 1

Sensory and Motor Neurons

Answer 1

S - Send messages from brain to the body

M - everything else

Question 2

Glial Cells

Answer 2

Small cells in the nervous system that support neurons and form the myelin sheath on axons

Question 3

How Neurons Communicate

Answer 3

Neurons sit at negative charge and the neuron is resting, waiting for an impulse to make it fire - resting potential
There is then a depolarization where there are chemicals released to get the neuron prepared to work. During this there is a Change in electrial charge from negative to positive - action potential
The neuron then sends messages down the axon
There is then a refractory period where the neuron rests for less than a second. It then goes through the process until neurotransmitters tell it to stop

Question 4

Neurotransmitters

Answer 4

Terminal buttons release neurotransmitters that go across the synapse looking for receptor sites. This connection tells the neuron what to do. Each neurotransmitter and receptor site has a key and lock fit, they are unique

Question 5

Glutamate

Answer 5

Neurotransmitter that is an excitatory one. Excites neuron so that it works, it is the primer before the action potential - during depolarization

Question 6

GABA

Answer 6

Neurotransmitter that shuts a neuron down

Question 7

Dopamine

Answer 7

Neurotransmitter that is related to muscles movement and control
Also memory, thought, pleasure

Question 8

Serotonin

Answer 8

Neurotransmitter Wake/sleep cycles

Low levels can lead to anxiety and depression

Question 9

Norepinephrine

Answer 9

Pepares our bodies for action

Acts like adrenaline, but goes through neurons instead of blood

Question 10

Agonists

Answer 10

A process that fits into receptor cites and mimics what the neurotransmitter would do, possibly doing a better job

Question 11

Antagonist

Answer 11

It goes into receptor cite and prevents neurotransmitter from doing its job

Question 12

Central Nervous System

Answer 12

Spinal cord and brain
Spinal cord is the connection to the rest of the body for the brain
The spinal cord can process a few messages like reflexes
The brain controls everything

Question 13

Peripheral Nervous System

Answer 13

Connects and communicates everything from our body to our brain

Question 14

Somatic

Answer 14

Carries information from our sensory organs and motor commands

Question 15

Autonomic

Answer 15

Responsible for actions that we do and don’t think about, like digestion

Question 16

Sympathetic

Answer 16

Prepares us for action and danger and can help us survive

Question 17

Parasympathetic

Answer 17

Counter acts the sympathetic to calm us down, build up reserves, especially energy

Question 18

Hindbrain and Midbrain

Answer 18

Made up of:
Cerebellum
Medulla
Pons
Reticular Formation
Brain Stem

Question 19

Cerebellum

Answer 19

Responsible for balance (califlower)

Question 20

Reticular Formation

Answer 20

Responsible for noticing change in environment, breathing, heart-beat
dead - not producing electrical stimuli

Question 21

Pons

Answer 21

Bridge between brain stem and cerebral cortex

Question 22

Thalamus

Answer 22

Responsible for intergrating sensory input

Question 23

Hypothalamus

Answer 23

Responsible for maintaining homeostasis

Question 24

Amygadala

Answer 24

Responsible for danger

Question 25

Hypocampus

Answer 25

Gatekeeper for memory

Question 26

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 26

Made up of four lobes:
Frontal
Parietal
Temporal
Occipital

Question 27

Frontal

Answer 27

Motor cortex - motor control/movement

Prefrontal Cortex - responsible for executive control or problem solving, logic, etc

Question 28

Parietal

Answer 28

Sensory cortex
Physical memories
Somata sensory cortex - motor senses and senses
Touch, pressure, hot and cold, pain, body movement

Question 29

Temporal

Answer 29

Auditory and language cortex
You making sense of information
Cohearant sense
Wernickes area - responsible for coheancy (making sense)
Auditory membranes

Question 30

Occipital

Answer 30

Vision

Visual prophecies

Question 31

Broca’s Area

Answer 31

In the frontal lobe, but it can move around due to damage

Speech production

Question 32

Laterization and Intergration

Answer 32

Brain is contratralateral (works opposite)
Left hemisphere - right side of body - verbal processing
Right hemisphere - left side of the body - non verbal processing

Question 33

Plasticity

Answer 33

How we adapt to injury
Ex: pinneas gage - rod up through frontal = attitude change
1st case study of the brain

Question 34

Nature vs nurture

Answer 34

Genes v brought up - blank slate
Nurture - result of experience
Nature - genes

Question 35

Twin studies

Answer 35

Comparison of twins and fraternal twins and traits

Question 36

Neuron

Answer 36

Soma - contains the nucleus, makes the neuron the same as every other cell
Dendrites - on ends of axon the receive messages from other neurons
Axon - tube structure that carries messages away from the cell body towards other neurons
Terminal buttons - on the axon on tips of axon which neurotransmitters are dispatched into the synapse
Synapse - where the axon meets dendrites
Neurotransmitters go through the the terminal buttons though the synapse to another neuron
Myelin Sheath - insulates the charge of the neuron
Impulses go down the axon and the myelin sheath builds up around the axon to keep the electrical charge within the axon.
The loss of the myelin sheath causes the cell to loss its ability to transmit messages

Question 37

Family association

Answer 37

Studies shared traits and relationships

Question 38

Adoptive studies

Answer 38

Looks at twins raised in different homes