Chapter 2 The Biology of Behavior Flashcards
What do biological psychologist study?
The connection between biology and behavior
What is a Neuron?
The building block of the neural information system. It is composed of dendrites, a cell body, and an axon. Draw and axon now and label all parts.
What is a dendrite?
Fibers at the end of neuron that receive information and take it to the cell body.
What is the Axon?
The axon is a long fiber that passes messages to the terminal branches to other nuerons
What is the cell body?
The cells life support center that processes all of the messages received.
What is the mylein sheath and what is its purpose?
A layer of fatty tissue surrounding the neuron. It acts as insulation to allow the signals to travel down axon more quickly.
What are glial cells?
The worker bees of the neural system. They provide nutrients and clean up after the neurons.
What is an action potential?
An electric charge that travels down the axon
What is a threshold?
The amount of stimuli required to cause the neuron to fire. A neuron either fires or doesn’t. There is no half way.
What is a synapse?
The meeting point between two neurons
What is the synaptic gap?
The tiny space between one neurons dendrites and another neurons terminal axon.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical messenger that crosses the synaptic gaps between neurons and delivers messages via binding to receptors on receiving neurons.
What is reuptake?
when the sending neurons take back extra neurotransmitters that aren’t use by the receiving dendrite.
What are sensory neurons?
Neurons that carry messages from body tissue to the brain
What are motor neurons?
Carry messages from Central Nervous System out to the body
What are inter-neurons?
Processor between Sensory and Motor travel (majority)
What is the Central Nervous System?
The brain and spinal cord (bodies decision maker)
What is the peripheral nervous system?
Gathers info and sends CNS instructions to other parts of the body
What is the Somatic Nervous System and which overlying system is it a part of?
It is a part of the PNS. The role of this system is to enable voluntary control of skeletal muscles. Example; Turning the page
What is the Autonomic Nervous System and what is it a part of?
This is a part of the PNS. The role is to control involuntary actions (ex: breathing/organ stuff)
What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
Under the ANS, this arouses and expands energy. If something is challenging heartbeat increases, hands sweat, blood sugar rises.
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
Under the ANS, this converses energy while calming the body when challenge disappears. (basically allows energy to go back to doing non required things ei digestion, bladder control, blood to sex organs)
What is spatial summation?
when several neurons are close to one another they are easily stimulated to fire together by one stimulant
What is temporal summation?
One stimulant causes one neuron to fire over time
What is the cortex?
Area in brain responsible for filtering outside world. 2/3 of neurons reside here.
Acetyl Choline
Chemical messenger that effects muscle action, learning, muscle memory
Seratonin
Effects mood, hunger, arousal
What can low seratonin uptake lead to?
Depression and need for prozac to upregulate seratonin
Adrenaline
flight or fight response. Cortizol can influence adrenaline
Endorphins
Bodies own morphine to help ease pain and helps mood
Agonist
Chemical that excites neurons (can mimic NT or block uptake)
Antagonist
Chemical that inhibits neurons from firing (can block release/receptor sites
What is L-Dopa?
A synthetic form of dopamine (for parkinsons)
What is Morpine/Heroin?
An endorphin mimic
What is Botulin?
Botox used to block AcH and cause partial paralysis
Brainstem
Oldest part of the brain. Has survival functions
What is the medulla and where is it found?
found in brainstem. Controls breathing and heartbeat
What is the reticular formation?
Portion of brainstem that controls arousal, pain, sleep (kind of a gatekeeper)
Thalamus
The sensory switchboard. Relays information with the cortex to different portions of the brain.
Cerebellum
Looks like a tiny brain. Coordinates voluntary movement and balance
Limbic System
Made up of the amygdala, hypothalamus, and hippocampus
Amygdala
conrols fear and agression. Found in the limbic system
Hypothalamus
Controls fighting, feeding, fleeing, fornicating
Hippocampus
Forms and retreives memories (part of limbic system)
Cerebral Cortex
2/3 of neurons found here. Control and processsing center
Corpus Callosum
axon fibers connecting the two cerbral hemispheres
Frontal Lobe
Involves speaking and muscle movements. Also place where we plan and judge
Parietal Lobe
Recieves input for touch and body position
Occipital Lobe
Receives info from visual fields
Temporal Lobe
Includes auditory ability, recieving info from opposite ears
Motor Cortex
Found in back of Pariatel lobe, controls volunatry movement (sends messages out to body)
Sensory Cortex
Found at front of parietal lobe, registers and processes body touch/movement sensations
What is the Broca area?
Area in temporal lobe responsible for speech production
What is Wernicke Area?
Area in temporal lobe processing the incoming speech
What did Franz Gall do?
created phrenology. Attempted to map brain based on bumps/ridges on the skull and correlated them to brain function.
Computed Technology Scan (CT/CAT)
Measures structure of brain by taking multiple xrays
MRI
Uses magnetic resonance imaging to measure structure
EEG (Electroencephalography)
Detects brain activity (function)
*gives time and location of activaition
PET (Position Emission Tomography)
Tracks blood flow in brain to measure function *have to swallow radioactive substance)
fMRI
Tracks blood/oxygen levels to detect function in brain
Left Brain Hemispheres Major Functions
Controls speech, mathematic skills
Right Hemisphere
Controls perception, makes speech clearer and organized, controls self awareness
