Midterm 1 (Lecture 1-4)

Question 1

What is behaviour?

Answer 1

behaviour is something a whole individual does

Question 2

what is a gene?

Answer 2

distinct physical units of inheritance

Question 3

what is behaviour genetics?

Answer 3

the area of research concerned with the application of genetic methods and research design to study how genes are related to human and animal behaviour

Question 4

What controversies did we cover in lecture?

Answer 4

Intelligence
- Watson ➔ blacks are less intelligent because of genetics
- Summers ➔ boys are smarter than girls because of genetics
Mental disorders
Race
Sexuality
Aggression

Question 5

Talk about race controversy

Answer 5

the degree of genetic differences between individuals is smaller than the degree of genetic differences between groups (perceived races)

there is genetic differences based on different geographic locations

Question 6

What’s a spandrel?

Answer 6

the triangle between the archway and wall in architecture

biology: a phenotype that is a by-product of the evolution of another trait selected for during natural selection that is neither beneficial or detrimental
- this phenotype was not selected for during evolution and is unrelated to adaptation

Question 7

Behaviour repertoire

Answer 7

set of behaviours characteristic either of an entire species or of a single member of species

• can be influenced by environment or genes
• ex. wolves ➔ aggression levels is determined by environment (social hierarchy)
• ex. down syndrome ➔ genes determine how the environment (adults) will interact with them

Question 8

Mendel

Answer 8

Hereditary unit ➔ traits are discrete units inherited from parents to offspring

Question 9

Darwin

Answer 9

environmental selection ➔ adaptive traits survive and leave more offspring

• struggle for existance

Question 10

Galton

Answer 10

pro nature
eugeneics  ➔ sterilization
behavioural genetics
biostats
foresnics/fingerprinting
twin studies  ➔ role of genes for different phenotypes

Question 11

Hereditary genius

Answer 11

the first human behavioural genetic investigation

Question 12

Eugenics movement

Answer 12

traits improved by controlled breeding

- sexual sterilization of indiv with undesirable traits

Question 13

Pavlov

Answer 13

classical conditioning ➔ dog

nurture ➔ can train, how environement influences behaviour

Question 14

Skinner

Answer 14

operant conditioning ➔ bird
nurture ➔ how environment influences behaviour
reinforced behaviour

Question 15

ethoogy

Answer 15

study of behaviour in non humans

Question 16

behaviour imprinting

Answer 16

behaviour learned at specific time in development innately independant of the conseqeunces

Question 17

fixed/modal action patterns

Answer 17

innate non-learned behaviours

- mating dance

Question 18

population genetics

Answer 18

evolution is a change in the frq of an allele within a gene pool

Question 19

epigenetics

Answer 19

evolution through modifications of gene function that affect developmental cell fates

Question 20

Explain serotonin and serotonin transporter and the short form allele variant

Answer 20

the s allele variant does not lead to a higher risk of depression in general however having the s allele variant can put you at a higher risk of dev depression IF you experience stressful life events (environment influences behaviour/gene)

Question 21

why is mito important at axon terminal?

Answer 21

provides power for the release of NTs into the synapse

if not there it can lead to neurodegenerative diseases ➔ alters synaptic homeostasis

Question 22

explain action potential

Answer 22

resting potential -70mV
threshold -50 to -55 mV

Na+ rushes in, makes it more positive (depolarizes) to threshold, adjacent Na+ ion gates open ➔ signal transdused down the axon ➔ Ca2+ at axon terminal enters via channels and helps with the vesicle release of NTs into the synpases

Question 23

Acetylcholine

Answer 23

NT
works directly on chemically gated channels
both CNS and PNS

Question 24

Norephi

Answer 24

hormone
NT
CNS and PNS
indirect with G proteins and secondary messangers

Question 25

epi

Answer 25

CNS
indirect
NT

Question 26

serotonin

Answer 26

indirect
CNS and PNS (gastric)
NT
mood disorders

Question 27

glutamate

Answer 27

NT
excitatory
indirect and direct
CNS

Question 28

GABA

Answer 28

NT
inhibitory ➔ increases hyper-polarization
indirect and direct

Question 29

Ionotropic receptors

Answer 29

receptors and ion channels

Question 30

depolarization

Answer 30

make more positive – easier to make AP

Question 31

hyperpolarization

Answer 31

make more negative – hard to make action potential

Question 32

metabotropic receptors

Answer 32

influence ion channels indirectly

long term effects ➔ affect gene transciption

signalling cascade with G proteins and secondary messangers

Question 33

temporal summation

Answer 33

same signal input (same axon released) one after the other have additive effects to reach threshold

Question 34

spatial summation

Answer 34

different signal inputs (different axon released) at the same time have additive effects to reach threshold

Question 35

neuromodulator

Answer 35

chemicals that enhance or inhibit the effects of neurotransmitters

Question 36

neurotransmitter

Answer 36

chemicals that alter the function of the adjacent cells

Question 37

neurotransmitter reuptake

Answer 37

transporter proteins in presyn membrane transport NT back intot eh presyn terminal

Question 38

autoreceptors

Answer 38

monitor nt level and control the release of new ones ➔ negative feedback system

Question 39

NT receptors

Answer 39

specialized proteins involved in the reception and transfuction of the signal
- results in functional change in teh cell ➔ ion channels

Question 40

3 basic steps of synaptic communication

Answer 40

reception ➔ dendrites to cell body
transduction along the axon
transmission ➔ axon terminal NT

Question 41

genes that can influence disease, whats the associated disease?

5-HTT
COMT
NRXN
DAT

Answer 41

5-HTT - depression
COMT - schizo
NRXN - Autism
DAT - ADHD

Question 42

neuropharmacology

Answer 42

the area of research looking how drugs affect the nervous system
- lookts for therapeutic importance, recreational drug use and drug abuse

Question 43

agonist

Answer 43

increase nt transmission

Question 44

antagonist

Answer 44

decreases nt transmission

Question 45

SSRI

Answer 45

selective serotonin reuptke inhibitors

• bind to reuptake proteins
• different effect based on stage of life[
• works gradually
• inhibits serotonin reuptake proteins from coming up, reducing the reuptake of serotonin and effect of serotonin on the cell
• can cause suicidal tendencies in depressed teens
• used for depression and anxiety disorders

Question 46

antipsychotics

Answer 46

schizophrenia and mood disorders

• delusions and hallucinations
• dopamine receptor antagonist
• stops the flow of positively charged ions

Question 47

benzodiazapenes

Answer 47

panic and anxiety disorders
activates GABA system – agonist
enhances negative ion in flow
calming effect

Question 48

Pharmacogenomics

Answer 48

the area of study on how our genes affect our physiological response to drugs

Question 49

Goals of human genome project

Answer 49

1. identify all the genes on human genome
2. seqeunce whole human genome
3. put all information in a database
4. improve tools and emthods for data analysis
5. make data nad related technologies to private sector
   address ethical, legal and social issues that may arise

Question 50

clone by clone seqeuncing

Answer 50

large fragment of DNA ➔ map on the chromosome ➔ put in bacterial articifical chromosome ➔ replicate in bacteria ➔ break and fragment into smaller DNA ➔ subclone fragments into bacteria to replicate ➔ seqeunce ➔ put seqeunce together suing overlapping sequence

Question 51

shotgun seqeuncing

Answer 51

fragment a whole genome into a bunch of different fragments ➔ sequnce ➔ assemble with overlapping seqeunces

Question 52

Human genome project major findings

Answer 52

1. human genome = 3 million bp
2. average gene = 4 exons, 1400 bp
3. less genes than thought (20-25k)
4. gene duplications (globin genes)
5. repetitive seqeuncs
6. 0.5% difference from indiv

Question 53

How to identify genes in the human genome

Answer 53

compare genomic DNA to mRNA

look at conserved sequences across species

look for signal sequences that indicate the presence of a gene (open reading frame, promoter, polydenylation, splice sites)

Question 54

what kind of genetic variations can there be?

Answer 54

genetic polymorphisms

SNPs

copy number polymorphisms

structural variation