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Biological Psychology > Hormones and Behaviour > Flashcards

Hormones and Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

HORMONE ON BEHAVIOUR CONTEXTS

A 
BIOLOGICAL RHYTHMS
EATING/DRINKING
REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR
SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR
STRESS
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2
Q

BR: PINEAL GLAND

A
  • unusually unpaired structure
  • birds/reptiles sense light directly through skin
  • mammals act via cervical ganglia
  • phasic/tonic hormone/chemical secretion in cyclic patterns (ie. hourly/diurnal/monthly/seasonal)
  • melatonin important in regulating cyclical functions
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3
Q

BR: MELATONIN

A
  • released almost exclusively at night
  • provides signal to track daylength/season
  • controls timing of human sleep onset
  • controls breeding condition in seasonally breeding animals
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4
Q

BREEDING CONDITIONS (HAMSTER EXAMPLE)

A

AUTUMN
1. senses longer nights
2. pineal gland prolongs nocturnal melatonin secretion
3. hypothalamus is sensitive to negative feedback gonadal steroid effects
4. less GnRH released
5. less gonadotropin released; gonads atrophy
SPRING
1. senses shorter nights
2. pineal gland reduces nocturnal melatonin secretion
3. hypothalamus is

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5
Q

EATING

A

GHRELIN

  • 28 amino-acid peptide secreted by cells in stomach epithelium stimulates feeding
  • stimulates GH release from pituitary
  • ghrelin-secreting neurons in brain involved in feeding control
  • powerful appetite stimulant
  • circulating levels ^ prior mealtimes/at night; drop following meal
  • treatment w/exogenous ghrelin provokes ^ appetite
  • obese people = lower ghrelin before eating BUT don’t drop post meal
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6
Q

RB: MAMMALIAN OESTROUS CYCLE

A
  • cyclic gonadotropin secretion (FSH/LH) patterns (only female) promoted via GnRH (from hypothalamus) surge above tonic levels
  • pro-oestrus = follicular development/ovulation
  • oestrus = receptive period during fertilisation most likely to lead to pregnancy
  • most female mammals only sexually active during oestrous phase (“in heat”)
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7
Q

REPRODUCTIVE BEHAVIOUR (EXAMPLES)

A
  • female canids; blood-stained discharge from vulva turns straw-coloured to attract males
  • female cats; “call” at night/roll/tread carpet/stand firm when pressure placed on pelvic region (lordosis)
  • female rats; lordosis response when in oestrus; mount other females/more active than normal
  • cows mount others (bulling)/bellow/are restless/discharge from vulva
  • many primates; conspicuous red/pink sexual swellings
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8
Q

RB: HUMAN FEMALE MENSTRUAL CYCLE

A
  • fertile window = conception only likely if sperm present in reproductive tract when ovulation occurs
  • effects behavioural/physiological changes
    BEALL & TRACY (2013)
  • 124 pps; normally ovulating women 17-47y (undergrad community sample)
  • asked online what colour shirt they’re wearing
  • classified high/low fertility based on reported time since last period
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9
Q

SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

A

AFFILIATIVE BEHAVIOUR
TRUST
GENEROSITY
PARENTAL CARE

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10
Q

SB: OXYTOCIN

A
  • mammalian peptide hormone acts on CNS
  • generally associated w/uterine muscle contraction at birth/milk let-down
  • governs prosocial behaviour suite (like analogues (ie. isotocin) in other taxonomic groups)
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11
Q

SB: PARENTAL CARE

A
  • female rats bred as ^ maternal beh levels have more oxytocin receptors in central nucleus of their amygdala
  • female prairie voles showing more maternal beh have higher oxytocin receptor density in nucleus accumbens
  • blocking receptors inhibits maternal beh
    ALLOPARENTAL CARE (young of others)
  • neonate female prairie voles injected w/oxytocin less likely to attack novel stimulus pups
  • neonate male prairie voles injected w/oxytocin antagonist show reduced alloparental care
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12
Q

SB: MEERKATS

A

MADDEN & CLUTTON-BROCK (2010)

  • allonursing/sentinel duty/pup feeding/digging
  • 36 pps (28m; 8f) injected w/oxytocin VS saline control
  • treatments reversed 3-5d later
  • recorded prosocial behaviour suite & aggression
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13
Q

SB: AFFILIATIVE BEHAVIOUR

A
  • rodents/meerkats given supplementary oxytocin doses spend more time in contact w/others
  • “knocking out” oxytocin gene of male mice make them unable to recognise previously encountered female scent
  • infusing brain w/oxytocin cures amnesia
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14
Q

SB: PAIR BONDING

A 
PRAIRIE VOLE
- monogamous 
- oxytocin injections promote pair bonding
- dense vasopressin (OT analogue) receptor collection
MEADOW VOLE
- polygynous 
- no pair-bonding
- few vasopressin receptors
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15
Q

HUMAN SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

A
  • reciprocal relationship between hormones/beh
  • naturally occurring hormone-beh correlations DON’T demonstrate causal effect
  • placebo-controlled double-blind exps
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16
Q

HSB: OXYTOCIN

A

BARTZ et al (2011)

  • exogenous OXT administration + contextual factors + stable individual difs ->
  • mechanisms = anxiety reduction/perceptual selectivity/affiliative motivation ->
  • social effects = social cognition/pro-sociality
17
Q

HSB: TRUST

A

KOSFELD et al (2005)

  • 194 healthy male pps
  • 3 puffs p/nostril oxytocin 50min pre test
  • 2 player economic trust game
  • investor/trustee each receive 12 monetary units
  • investor sends 0/4/8/12 MU to trustee
  • amount sent tripled by experimenter
  • trustee chooses how much of total to send back
  • oxytocin = 17% ^ transfers than control
18
Q

HSB: GENEROSITY

A

ZAK et al (2007)

  • 68 male pps
  • one-shot economic game involving voluntary donation
  • oxytocin VS control via nasal spray
  • oxytocin = 80% ^ donations
19
Q

ENDOCRINE VS NERVOUS SYSTEM PROCESSES

A

ENDOCRINE
signal act -> endocrine cell -> hormones to bloodstream -> target cells
NERVOUS
pre-synaptic neuron -> action potential -> neurotransmitters over synapse -> post-synaptic neuron

20
Q

ENDOCRINE VS NERVOUS

A
  • chemical substance VS action potential
  • blood conveyance VS nerve fibre transmission
  • diffuse effect across body VS specific cell/organ targeted effect
  • analogue/graded VS digital (all or nothing) signal
  • slow (s/m) VS fast (ms) response
  • persisting over time VS short-lived response
  • no VS some voluntary control
    BOTH
  • communicative/control systems
  • take inputs; effect outputs
  • influenced by prior exposure (habituation/immunity)
21
Q

NEUROENDOCRINE SYSTEM

A
  • fast initial response
  • prolonged action if required
  • enables homeostasis regulation/control (CNS/ANS/SNS/PSNS)
  • ensures appropriate response to stimulus
22
Q

SUMMARY

A
  • hormones affect beh across wide context range (bio rhythms/eating/reproductive beh/social beh/stress)
  • oxytocin plays important role in mammal social beh
  • placebo-controlled double-blind exps = useful for hormone effect on beh demonstration
  • endocrine & nervous systems have important similarities/difs (mechanisms/timescales); also close connections (neuroendocrine)

Biological Psychology (21 decks)

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