Chapter 3 - Biology and Behavior Flashcards
What does it mean to say that everything psychological is biological?
The mind and the brain is one thing. The mind is what the brain does.
What are glial cells and what do they do?
They make up the myelin sheath.
What are the basic parts of the neuron and what role does each of the parts play in the process of neural communication?
Dendrites - antenna on the neuron, increases the size of its receptive field
Cell body - has a nucleus inside, where information gets integrated, does computation
Axon - long skinny part, has myelin sheath. (made up of glial cells)
Myelin sheath - white coating on the outside of the axon, allows electricity to travel faster in neurons (not all neurons have myelin)
Terminal buttons - knoblike structures at the end of the axon
Explain the basic processes underlying an action potential.
Resting Potential - the neuron is more negative in the inside compared to the outside (polarized)
When the neuron receives excitatory inputs it causes it causes more positive charge to come inside the neuron (depolarizing)
Once the neuron receives enough excitatory input, the neuron fires
This is an all or nothing response! The neuron either fires or it doesn’t
After the neuron fires, positive charges are pumped back outside the neuron (refractory period)
Absolute refractory period - a neuron can’t be fired
Relative refractory period - a neuron can be fired but it requires more excitatory input than before
How do neurons send signals to other neurons?
Neurons communicate with other neurons at the synapse.
Synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitters and these neurotransmitters bind to specific receptors of a neighboring neuron.
Reuptake - when the neurotransmitter is taken back into the presynaptic terminal button (if you BLOCK this, you can get more effect of neurotransmitters)
Enzyme deactivation - when the enzyme destroys the neurotransmitter in the synapse.
What does serotonin do?
Influences mood, sleep/wake cycle (dreaming), hunger, impulsiveness
What does dopamine do?
Controls voluntary movement, heavily involved in reward feeling, learning/attention
What does epinephrine and norepinephrine do?
Both involved in flight or fight response. Increases anxiety, alertness, heart rate, heat in your body
What does acetylcholine do?
Motor control over muscles, learning, memory, sleeping, dreaming
What does GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid) do?
Inhibits action potential, reduces anxiety
What does glutamate do?
Enhances action potential, facilitates learning and memory
What do endorphins do?
Pain reduction, reward feeling
What does methamphetamine do?
Huge hit of dopamine (very addicting!)
What does ritalin do?
Affects dopamine by blocking reuptake. However, it is more of a subtle, slow, long term effect. Also, has an effect on norepinephrine (increases alterness)
What does ecstasy do?
Affects dopamine and norepinephrine. Huge hit of serotonin
What does sudafed do?
Affects ephedrine (“flight or flight” response), makes you jittery
What does prozac do?
Serotonin rush by blocking reuptake. A type of SSRI (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor)
What is the importance of the brain stem?
The brain stem is necessary for survival. In charge of several basic functions such as breathing and urination.
What is the function of the medulla?
Breathing and heart rate
What is the function of the pons?
“Bridge”, bridges the cerebellum to the the brain stem, responsible for sleeping and dreaming
What is the function of the reticular formation?
Pulls you into alertness, extends up to the thalamus
What is the function of the cerebellum?
“Little brain”, coordinates movement
What is the function of the thalamus?
Gateway for all incoming sensory information in your brain (except for smell). Helps shut down some sensory information while you sleep
What is the function of the hypothalamus?
Regulator of your brain, thermostat (body temperature), circadian rhythm, blood pressure, etc.
4 Fs - Fleeing, Feeling, Flighting, Sex
What is the function of the amygdala?
Memory, emotional responses (fear and aggression)
What is the function of the hippocampus?
Directs/organizes memory, involved in forming NEW memories
What are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex? What are there functions?
Occipital Lobe -
What is the function of the primary visual cortex?
What is the function of the somatosensory cortex?
What is the function of Wernicke’s area? What happens if that area is damaged?
What is the function of the prefrontal cortex?
What is the function of the orbitofrontal cortex?
What is the function of the primary motor cortex?
What is the function of Broca’s area? What happens if that area is damaged?
What is the function of the corpus callosum?
The connection between the left and right hemispheres.
What has research with split brain patients told us about the nature of the two hemispheres of the brain?
When the corpus callosum is cut out, the two hemispheres do not receive information from each other. Split brain patients have given insight to the specialization of each hemisphere.
If a split-brain patient sees two pictures flashed on a screen briefly and simultaneously—one to the visual field’s right side and one to the left side—the patient will report that only the picture on the right was shown. This is because the left hemisphere, with its control over speech, sees only the picture on the right side. Since the right hemisphere has no language capacity, the right hemisphere has trouble saying the image it saw on the left side. However, since the right brain is good with spatial relationships, it can pick out the image it saw on the left side with its left hand.
Describe how that research worked. In what ways are the right and left hemispheres different?
The left hemisphere is better with language, while the right hemisphere is better with spatial relationships.
What are the basic units of the overall nervous system?
The nervous system is broken down into two divisions: the central nervous system (brain and the spinal cord) and the peripheral nervous system (all other nerves). The peripheral nervous system gets broken down even further into the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. And the autonomic nervous system gets broken down even further into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
How does the primary function of a sensory neuron differ from the primary function of a motor neuron?
Sensory neurons detect information from the physical world and pass that information along to the brain.
Motor neurons direct muscles to contract or relax, thereby producing movement.
What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist?
Agonist - “again”, increase the effect of neurotransmitters (ex: SSRIs)
Antagonist - “anti” decrease the effect of neurotransmitters
What is the function of the insula?
Necessary for TASTE, gives you the ability to be aware of bodily states related to emotion (ex: your heart beating fast when you’re nervous)
What is the function of the basal ganglia?
Planning and producing movement. Important for learning movement and habits. (ex: why you know to look for cars when you cross the street)
What is the function of the nucleus accumbens?
Important for experiencing reward and motivating behavior (where DOPAMINE ACTIVITY occurs)
How do the functions of the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system differ?
How do the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems differ?
What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype?
What does it mean to say that a trait is polygenic?
Explain the logic of twin studies.
Compare similarities between different types of twins to determine the genetic basis of specific traits. To the extent that monozygotic twins are more similar than dizygotic twins, the increased similarity is most likely due to genetic influence. GENES INFLUENCE PERSONALITY
What does it mean to say that heritability is about a population and not about individuals?
This term refers to the proportion of the variation in some specific trait in a population that is due to genetics. RELEVANT to understanding the population as a whole, not just the individual.
What does epigenetics mean?
Epigenetics researchers look at the processes by which environment affects genetic expression.
Ex: If you live in a poor community, some genes may be more expressed than others. These changes in how DNA is expressed can be passed along to future generations
