Lecture 1: Intro Flashcards
Neurobiology and Psychology
How the brain and nervous system influence thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
Often involve studying the structure and function of the brain, neurotransmitters, hormones, and genetics.
Decision making and senses
Our senses help us make decisions – information about the outside world
They are not always accurate
Where are senses processed?
All senses processed in thalamus except smell
Senses: Smell
- Where is it processed?
- Why is it processed differently?
Smell processed separately, smell was the first safety mechanism (first indicator of danger, so put in elemental part of brain)
olfactory lobe processes smell
Smell and memory
Smell closely associated with memory. Where you grow up influences what smells you are drawn to later in life
Thalamus
Behavior change and neurobiology
Behavior change happens at neuronal level
when we do something rewarding, our brain responds
When we eat, multiple systems that reinforce the act of eating (salivary level that helps break down the sugar in foods, social level, etc.)
Prefrontal cortex
Rational decision making
Examines pros and cons
Amygdala
Primitive
Fight or flight
What part of the brain helps us with empahty
Prefrontal cortex
Empathy: ability to perspective take
Can’t pro cons soemthing if you don’t see all signs
Different parts of our brain and the three states of wise mind
Limbic system: emotional mind
Prefrontal: rational mind
Connection of two: wise mind
Does amygalada have logic?
Amygdala does’t have logic making decisions
Ex. Doesn’t have the ability to hear noise down hallway and think its your roomate, just hears noise and goes into fight or flight
What happens when amygdala takes over from prefrontal cortext
If both work together – rational decisions
if amygdala takes over, decrease empathy, poor decisons
What part of the brain that is most impacted with individuals with OC
prefrontal cortex
(ability to think rationally)
Hippocampus
Memory storage of the brain
Hippocampus and trauma
Pulls from hippocampus if something is safe vs not safe. This is not rational. Younger children cannot differentiate past vs current (see needle, only remmeber when it got a shot)
*How do we change your learning…so that a trigger sends a different response
What effects our decision making?
cortisol that builds up before lunch time. Want to see court judge after lunch
After midnight best time to fight, cortisol is lowest after midnight. More likely to be open
“ick” is strongest during different points of hormonal cycle for women
Trauma (APA definition)
Trauma is an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster.
Cycle of dysfunction (Addiction, attachment, trauma)
General symptoms of addiction
- Impulsivity
- Cognitive Dissonance
- Emotional Regulation
Genearl symptoms of trauma
- Hyperarousal
- Avoidance
- Reenactment
Pharmacodynamic vs Pharmacokinetic
pharmacokinetics is the movement of drugs through the body, whereas pharmacodynamics is the body’s biological response to drugs.
quantitative analysis of the processes of drug absorption, distribution, and elimination that determine the time course of drug action in response to an administered drug dose. Pharmacodynamics deals with the mechanism of drug action.
the effects of drugs in the body and the mechanism of their action. As a drug travels through the bloodstream, it exhibits a unique affinity for a drug-receptor site, meaning how strongly it binds to the site.
Relationship between tolerance, dependence, and addiction
Tolerance
Happens when two biological events occur:
Pharmacokinetic tolerance (drug not reaching brains receptor)
Pharmacodynamic tolerance (receptors are damaged or lost)
