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Behavioral Science > Chapter 3 - Biological Foundations of Behavior > Flashcards

Chapter 3 - Biological Foundations of Behavior Flashcards

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Biology 101 flashcards
1
Q

What is retinal and its purpose in polarizing photoreceptors?

A

It is a molecule derived from vitamin A in rods and cones that changes to an all-trans form when a photon of light is absorbed. The new form triggers the closing of Na+ channels, hyperpolarizing the cells.

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2
Q

Define presbyopia.

A

the inability to focus because of the loss of lens flexibility (with aging)

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3
Q

What are astrocytes?

A

glial cells in the CNS that regulate development and neurotransmitter levels

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4
Q

Which lobe is involved in touch and taste sensations?

A

parietal lobe

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5
Q

What are two major functions of the medulla?

A

It regulates vital autonomic functions and respiratory rhythmicity.

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6
Q

Which photoreceptors are responsible for color vision and acuity?

A

cones

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7
Q

What is spatial summation?

A

EPSPs (excitatory) and IPSPs (inhibitory) from all synapses at a postsynaptic membrane are summed, and based on that total will cause depolarization or hyperpolarization.

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8
Q

What is visual parallel processing?

A

Many aspects of a visual stimulus (form, motion, color, and depth) are processed simultaneously.

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9
Q

What are interoreceptors?

A

They detect stimuli from the internal environment of the body.

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10
Q

Which lobe is involved in voluntary movement, reasoning skills, and problem solving?

A

frontal lobe

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11
Q

With what kind of lens would farsightedness be corrected?

A

convex (converging)

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12
Q

What is temporal summation?

A

A presynaptic neuron fires action potential so frequently that EPSPs (excitatory) or IPSPs (inhibitory) have an additive effect and can cause depolarization or hyperpolarization in the postsynaptic cell.

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13
Q

What is the blood supply called in the endocrine control center of the brain?

A

hypothalamic-pituitary portal system

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14
Q

What is the endocrine control center in the brain?

A

hypothalamus-pituitary control axis

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15
Q

What is the adenohypophysis?

A

anterior pituitary

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16
Q

How is sound volume measured?

A

by the amplitude of its waves (larger waves cause more frequent action potentials)

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17
Q

What is gestalt theory and its relation to perception??

A

The whole exceeds the sum of its parts. Humans perceive an object, rather than all the little parts that make up the object.

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18
Q

Since neuronal repolarization actually hyperpolarizes, how does the membrane get back to resting potential?

A

After hyperpolarization, voltage-gated K+ channels close. K+ leak channels and the Na+/K+ ATPase pump continue to function.

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19
Q

Where are steroid hormones syntheszed and from what?

A

in the smooth ER from cholesterol

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20
Q

What is the neurohypophysis?

A

posterior pituitary

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21
Q

What is negative feedback?

A

inhibitory feedback (the presence of something inhibits the action the caused it)

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22
Q

What is a bipolar neuron?

A

a neuron that has only one dendrite

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23
Q

Where are peptide hormones synthesized and from what?

A

in the rough ER from amino acids

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24
Q

What is a chemical synapse?

A

An action potential is converted into a chemical signal

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25
Q

What are exteroreceptors?

A

They detect stimuli from the external environment.

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26
Q

How are steroid hormones stored?

A

They are not stored; they are made when needed.

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27
Q

How do action potentials propagate when a photon of light is absorbed?

A

Photoreceptors become hyperpolarized and stop releasing glutamate (which is inhibiting to bipolar cells). Bipolar cells and ganglion cells can then depolarize.

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28
Q

What is signal detection theory?

A

Predicts how and when someone will detect a sensory stimulus amidst other sensory stimuli in the background.

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29
Q

What is the difference threshold of a stimulus?

A

Difference threshold is the minimum noticeable difference between any two sensory stimuli 50% of the time.

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30
Q

What is the important physical property of peptide and amino acid derivative hormones?

A

They are hydrophilic and must bind to a receptor on the cell surface.

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31
Q

What are tonic receptors?

A

They fire action potentials as long as a stimulus continues. They may also adapt over time.

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32
Q

Define top-down processing.

A

brain applies experience and expectations to interpret sensory information

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33
Q

What are nociceptors?

A

They detect chemical signs of tissue damage as pain.

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34
Q

Define emmetropia.

A

Normal vision

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35
Q

With what kind of lens would nearsightedness be corrected?

A

concave (diverging)

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36
Q

What are mechanoreceptors?

A

They detect mechanical disturbances (pressure, vibrations, gravity changes).

37
Q

What two gradients make up an ionic equilibrium potential in neuronal cells?

A

1) chemical gradients (concentration)
2) electrical gradients (positive versus negative charges)

38
Q

What are tropic hormones?

A

hormones that regulate hormones

39
Q

Define bottom-up processing.

A

sensory receptors ► complex integration of information in the brain

40
Q

What determines if a postsynaptic membrane becomes depolarized (excited) or hyperpolarized (inhibited)?

A

postsynaptic membrane receptors for neurotransmitters and their associated ion channels: a neurotransmitter can have different effects based on the receptor it binds

41
Q

What are the four properties of a stimulus that must be communicated to the CNS from a receptor?

A

1) Modality: what kind of stimulus
2) Location: overlapping receptive fields
3) Intensity: frequency of action potentials
4) Duration: length of time action potentials fire

42
Q

What are electromagnetic receptors and what is an example in humans?

A

They detect electromagnetic waves. Humans have rods and cones in their retinas.

43
Q

How much energy does the Na+/K+ ATPase pump consume in unmyelinated axons compared to myelinated axons?

A

It consumes much more in the unmyelinated axons, because it must establish a potential across the entire membrane. In myelinated axons, it only needs to establish potential at the nodes of Ranvier.

44
Q

How do thyroid hormones carry out their function in a target cell?

A

They incorporate iodine into their structure, diffuse through the plasma membrane, bind to a cytoplasmic receptor, which alters gene expression in the nucleus.

45
Q

Does the neuronal membrane have more K+ or Na+ leak channels?

A

It has more K+ leak channels, which establishes the resting potential.

46
Q

What are chemoreceptors?

A

They detect particular chemicals.

47
Q

Which photoreceptors are responsible for night vision?

A

rods

48
Q

What is the major function of the cerebellum?

A

It regulates coordination and balance.

49
Q

What is the threshold potential for an action potential?

A

~-50mV

50
Q

What is the difference between absolute and relative refractory periods?

A

Absolute refractory periods cannot be depolarized because voltage-gated Na+ channels have been inactivated. Relative refractory periods can be depolarized with a strong enough stimulus, since it has hyperpolarized.

51
Q

Which lobe is involved in visual sensation?

A

occipital lobe

52
Q

What are bundles of neuronal cell bodies called in the CNS?

A

nuclei

53
Q

What kind of cells make up the posterior pituitary?

A

neuroendocrine cells (their axons descend from the hypothalamus)

54
Q

Define proprioception.

A

awareness of body position

55
Q

How are peptide hormones stored?

A

in vesicles in the cell

56
Q

Define myopia and its cause.

A

Nearsightedness: caused by over-curvature of the lens resulting in too short of a focal point

57
Q

What is the absolute threshold of a stimulus?

A

Absolute threshold is the minimum stimulus intensity required to activate a sensory receptor 50% of the time. It varies by individual.

58
Q

What is an autocrine activity?

A

A signaling molecule modifies the activity of the cell that secreted it.

59
Q

How do steroid hormones carry out their function in a target cell?

A

They diffuse through the plasma membrane, bind to a cytoplasmic receptor, and get transported to the nucleus to alter gene expression.

60
Q

What is an electrical synapse?

A

Action potentials are spread directly from cell to cell via gap junctions (smooth and cardiac muscle).

61
Q

What is positive feedback?

A

The present of something amplifies the action that caused it.

62
Q

What is the organ of Corti?

A

Within the cochlea, it is the final place of stimulus reception in the ear that converts sound vibrations to nerve impulses.

63
Q

What are phasic receptors?

A

They fire action potentials only when a stimulus begins.

64
Q

Which lobe is involved in auditory and olfactory sensations, short-term memory, launguage comprehension, and emotion?

A

temporal lobe

65
Q

What are ependymal cells?

A

glial cells in the CNS that produce cerebrospinal fluid

66
Q

Weber’s law of stimulus detection

A

Two stimuli must differ by a constant proportion in order for their difference to be perceptible.

67
Q

What are bundles of neuronal cell bodies called in the PNS?

A

ganglia

68
Q

What 3 structures make up the brainstem?

A

1) midbrain
2) pons
3) medulla

69
Q

What is the role of kinesin in neurons?

A

It drives movement of vesicles and organelles along microtubules in axons toward the axon terminus.

70
Q

What is meant by integrative function in the CNS?

A

processing sensory information in order to act on it

71
Q

What are the ultimate organs of motor neurons called?

A

effectors (muscle and glands)

72
Q

Sound waves propagate through what 3 mediums in your ear?

A

air ► bone ► cochlear liquid

73
Q

How do polypeptide hormones carry out their function in a target cell?

A

they bind with receptors on the cell membrane and cause a second-messenger cascade to alter enzyme activity

74
Q

What is the important physical property of steroid hormones?

A

They are hydrophobic and bind to receptors inside the cell.

75
Q

What is feature detection theory?

A

Specific neurons in the brain detect particular visual features (lines, edges, angles, and movement).

76
Q

What is the major function of the right cerebral hemisphere?

A

visual-spatial reasoning

77
Q

Is epinephrine a neurotransmitter or hormone?

A

It is a hormone that acts like a neurotransmitter (rapid effects).

78
Q

Define hyperopia and its cause.

A

Farsightedness: caused by a flat lens resulting in too long of a focal point

79
Q

How is sound pitch measured?

A

by the frequency (different regions of the basilar membrane will be stimulated)

80
Q

What is reciprocal inhibition?

A

Muscles on one side of a joint contract, while muscles on the other side relax to accommodate that contraction.

81
Q

What is the purpose of the ciliary muscle?

A

It changes the curvature, and thus the refractive power of the lens

82
Q

Which hormone type how rapid, but short-lived effects?

A

peptide hormones

83
Q

Once the neuronal membrane has been depolarized, which channels open/close?

A

Voltage-gated Na+ channels inactive and voltage-gated K+ channels slowly open

84
Q

What is the major function of the left cerebral hemisphere?

A

speech

85
Q

What are microglia?

A

glial cells in the CNS that remove debris and dead cells

86
Q

What is the purpose of the vestibular complex?

A

It monitors balance, movement, and position.

87
Q

What are thermoreceptors?

A

They detect changes in temperature.

88
Q

What is a multipolar neuron?

A

a neuron that has many dendrites

Behavioral Science (8 decks)

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