Chapter 2 The Biology Of Behavior Flashcards
Study of interaction between biological, psychological, and social systems
Biopsychosocial
Brains ability to change by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
Plasticity
Nerve cell: the basic building block of the nervous system
Neuron
Part of a neuron that contains the nucleus, the cells life support center
Cell body
Neuron’s often bushy, branching extensions that receive and integrate messages, conducting impulses toward the cell body
Dendrites
Neuron extension that passes messages through it’s branches
Axon
Fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hop from one node to the next
Myelin sheath
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they may also play a role in learning, thinking, and memory
Glial cells
Neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Action potential
Junction between the terminal button of the message sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny Gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft
Synapse
Chemical Messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. When released by The sending neuron, this will travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether the neuron will generate a neural impulse
Neurotransmitters
(a process) neurotransmitters reabsorption by the sending neuron (the absorption of transmitters by terminal button)
Reuptake
Messenger between our motor neurons and our muscles. Also helps with learning and memory as well as attention, alertness, and mental health. Helps with sleep cycles. Helps protect us against infections. An overabundance can lead to schizophrenia and panic disorder. Only an excitatory neurotransmitter. (Memory)
Acetylcholine
(Morphine within) Primarily inhibitory. Naturally occurring opiate in the body. Involved in pain suppression, appetite, decreases stress, can bring on depression due to its inhibitory properties. Responsible for the runner’s high. (
Endorphins
Both excitatory and inhibitory. It increases attention, improves cognitive functioning, and stimulates creativity. Alertness, focus, sex drive, motivation, and happiness are also affected by this (rewards, movements, sensations)
Dopamine
Primarily inhibitory. It is involved in sleeping, eating, and pain. Other benefits include memory, happiness, hunger, and body temperature regulation. Also involved in sexual arousal and behavior. Eye and heart health also. Major depressive disorder, OCD, and anxiety can result from low levels. (Mood, hunger, sleep)
Serotonin
Carry incoming information from the body’s tissue and sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord
Sensory neurons
Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands
Motor neurons
The neurons within the brain and spinal cord, they communicate internally and process information between the sensory inputs and motor outputs
Interneurons
Responsible for gathering information and for transmitting CNS decisions to other body parts. Consists of two sub systems: The autonomic and somatic nervous systems
Peripheral nervous system (PNS)
Controls involuntary responses. Part of the peripheral nervous system. Controls more self regulating internal functions like heartbeat, swallowing, blinking, digestion, and breathing. Gets broken down into parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems.
Autonomic nervous system
(fight or flight) Sub-set of the nervous system responsible for arousing and expending energy (making heartbeat faster)
Sympathetic nervous system
(rest or digest) Sub-set of the nervous system that calms and reserves energy (slowing heartbeat)
Parasympathetic nervous system
Controls voluntary movement. The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles. Controls stuff you do with your body that you learned overtime. Like getting up when an alarm goes off or putting stuff away when teacher says class is over
Somatic nervous system
The three broad things this does is take in sensory information, process said information, and send out motor signals. Consists of brain and spinal cord. Responsible for the knee jerk when a doctor taps your knee
Central Nervous System
Body’s slow chemical communication system. A set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Endocrine system
Chemical messengers (not neurotransmitters) that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
Hormones
Pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress. Responsible for fight or flight.
Adrenal glands
The endocrine system’s most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands. Growth gland, responsible for height and weight. This gland is in charge of all other glands
Pituitary gland
Division of vertebrate brain. Pons, cerebellum, and medulla. Controls breathing, heart rate, sleep and wake cycle, coughing and sneezing, and fine motor skills
Hindbrain
Area that connects the fore brain to the hindbrain. Regulates movement and assists in processing auditory and visual information
Midbrain
By far the largest brain division. It includes the cerebrum and cerebral cortex.
Forebrain
Contains the medulla, thalamus, reticular formation, and cerebellum. Oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull. Is responsible for automatic survival functions.
Brain stem
Base of the brain stem. Controls heartbeat and breathing
Medulla
The body’s information relay system. All of the bodies sensory information except for smell is processed through this before being sent to higher parts of the brain like the cerebral cortex. Also plays a role in sleeping wake cycles, consciousness, and learning and memory
Thalamus
Responsible for the production of neurotransmitters and modulation of motor and sensory functions. Controls level of arousal, in terms of circadian rhythm (when you feel sleepy or not)
Reticular formation
(little brain that hangs off of the big brain) part of the brain that is responsible for voluntary muscle movements like walking, standing up, and pulling. Also responsible for specific complex motor skills like balance, coordination, and posture. (Coordinates voluntary movement and enables non-verbal learning and memory)
Cerebellum
This neural system is located mostly in the fore brain. This object’s hypothalamus controls the nearby pituitary gland. Neural system including the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus. Located below the cerebral hemispheres and associated with emotions and drives motivations
Limbic system
Two lima bean sized neural clusters in the limbic system. Linked to emotions and memories. Associated with fear and pleasure. Helps process emotions, especially fear and aggression
Amygdala
Neural structure lying below the thalamus. It directs several maintenance activities including eating, drinking, and body temperature. Helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward. Keeps body in homeostasis
Motivations (sex, eat, drink)
Maintenance (hormones, metabolism)
Hypothalamus
Neural center located in the limbic system. Helps process explicit conscious memories of facts and events. Used for storing declarative memories like life events and birthdays. Also helps with everyday living like remembering directions, driving a car, and cooking. Also stores spatial memory. Which is the retrieval of information on how to plan a route to a desired location and to remember where an object is located or where an event took place
(Memory and awareness)
Hippocampus
Wrinkled outer portion of the brain. The body’s ultimate control and information processing center.
Cerebral cortex
The classic halves of the brain. The two hemispheres communicate with each other via the corpus callosum. Each hemisphere controls the opposite side of the body. Left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. The left hemisphere is responsible for language and speech. Producing words and interpreting words received. The right side is mostly involved in visual processing of information and spatial information.
Cerebral hemispheres
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead, involved in speaking and voluntary muscle movements and in making plans and judgments. This area is what sets us apart from other animals.
Frontal lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and towards the rear, receives sensory input for touch, body position, and taste. Keeps track of where limbs are.
Parietal lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the back of the head, includes areas that receive information from the visual fields from the retina.
Occipital lobes
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears. Includes the auditory areas, each of which receives information primarily from the opposite ear. Also includes auditory memory, language, and speech.
Temporal lobes
Located in the frontal lobes and involves motor movements
Motor cortex
An area that receives incoming messages from skin, senses, and movement of body parts. It lies just in front of the parietal lobe and is parallel to the motor cortex. Allows us to pinpoint the exact location of touch, pain, and pressure.
Somatosensory cortex
Sends visual information it receives to other task specialized areas. Facial recognition and emotion detection
Visual cortex
Processes information from the ears. Right side process information from the left ear and vice versa
Auditory cortex
Enables judgment, planning, social interactions, and new memory processing. Can alter personality and inhibitions when damaged, disconnects moral behavior from behavior (A flexible rule setting machine JP)
Prefrontal cortex
The creation and or development of new neurons
Neurogenesis
Increased activity with perpetual task and organized self-awareness (what the temperature is, where your feet are). Summed up I handle facial recognition and spatial tasks. Am I the right or left hemisphere?
Right hemisphere
Responsible for speech production and language comprehension. Also responsible for math skills and reasoning. Am I the right or left hemisphere?
Left hemisphere
The large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them
Corpus callosum
