Midterm Flashcards
what was the medieval view of BNE?
behaviour stemmed from 4 bodily factors (humours)
- phlegm: sluggishness
- blood: hot-blooded
- yellow bile: aggressive nervousness
- black bile
what was Berthold’s experiment? what was it based off of?
1st BE experiment based on pangenesis:
- bits and pieces of various organs secreted into the blood
- bits and pieces assembled into tiny humans in the gonads
what important ideas did the idea of pangenesis predispose Berthold to?
- various bodily sites release agents into the blood
- agents travel through blood to particular targets
- testes (gonads) are important part of the process
what happened to Group 1 of Berthold’s experiment?
castrated (removed both testes) -> developed as capons
- never fought with other males, failed to crow, avoiding females, failed to exhibit mating behaviour, different physical appearance
what happened to Group 2 of Berthold’s experiment?
castrated + reimplanted 1 testis from each bird into abdominal cavity -> normal male development
- normal appearance and behaviour (crows, engaged in battle w/ others, usual reactions to hens)
what happened to Group 3 of Berthold’s experiment?
castrated + reimplanted 1 testis from each bird into the other’s abdominal cavity -> normal male development
what were the conclusions of Berthold’s experiment?
- testes are transplantable organs
- transplanted testes can function and produce sperm
- b/c testes functioned normally after all nerves severed, no specific nerves directing testicular function
what was the important of Berthold’s experiment? what did it cause him to propose?
demonstrated that a substance produced by the testes could travel through the bloodstream and eventually effect behaviour
- a product of the testes was necessary for a cockerel to develop into a normal adult rooster
- proposed a secretory blood-borne product of transplanted testes was responsible for normal development of groups 2+3
compare and contrast hormonal signaling and neurotransmission
both are chemical in nature
- where does it occur/where are they synthesized
- distance
- graded vs all-or-none
- duration
- mediates what
- voluntary?
what is an example of hormones affecting behaviour?
if testes of adult male zebra finches are removed, then the birds reduce singing
- castrated finches can resume singing if the testes are reimplanted or if the birds are provided with testosterone or estradiol (type of estrogen)
what accounts for the reduced singing in adult male zebra finches? when is singing behaviour most frequent?
some testosterone from testes converted into estrogens -> lack of estrogens account for reduced singing
- singing behaviour is most frequent when blood estrogen concentrations are high
how can behaviour of adult male zebra finches influence hormones?
when seeing a territorial intruder, it may elevate blood testosterone concentrations in the resident male and thereby stimulate singing or fighting behaviour
how can behaviour of mice influence hormones?
male mice that lose a fight show reduced circulating testosterone concentrations for several days or weeks afterwards
- similar results in humans
how can behaviour of humans influence hormones?
the experience of watching a World Cup soccer final elevated testosterone and cortisol in males when compared with a control day
what is the precursor to all steroids?
pregnenalone
what is ectocrine mediation?
substances such as pheromones are released into the environment by individuals to communicate with others
what are allomones?
pheromone-like compound secreted to the external environment but the target is a different species
ex) bolas spider releases sex pheromone that attracts female moths as prey
what is the hypothalamus? what is unique about it?
main structure through which the brain exerts control over the endocrine system
- BBB diminished here, so it is sensitive to numerous blood-borne substances
what are the preoptic area (POA) and ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH) responsible for?
sexual behaviour
- sensitive to gonadal hormones
what is the supraoptic nucleus (SON) responsible for?
thirst and drinking behaviour
what are the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and arcuate responsible for?
eating, appetite regulation, etc.
what are the ten hypothalamic nuclei?
- paraventricular (PVN)
- preoptic (POA)
- anterior
- supraoptic (SON)
- suprachiasmatic (SCN) (biological rhythms)
- arcuate
- mammillary body (memory)
- ventromedial
- posterior
- dorsomedial
what is a characteristic of the posterior pituitary? why is this important?
richly vascular
1) neurosecretory cells secrete oxytocin and vasopressin directly into vessels of posterior pituitary, circulating them throughout the body
2) other hypothalamic cells secrete releasing hormones in the hypophyseal portal system (circulates from median eminence to anterior pituitary)
- stimulates release of corresponding hormones
what is an example of how the posterior pituitary works?
neurosecretory cells in PVN and SON
- oxytocin and vasopressin are transported down the axons of magnocellular neurons of the SON and PVN, reaching capillaries of the posterior lobe (via Herring bodies - axon terminals that release hormones into capillaries)
what are some functions of oxytocin?
- milk letdown reflex
- uterus (increases contractility, induces labour)
- orgasms (wave of contracility)
- learning
- love
what are some functions of vasopressin (ADH)?
- water level (retention of water + regulating BP)
- affiliation
- social behaviour
- monogamy (ex. adding ADH receptors to polygamous voles make them monogamous)
what is an example of how the anterior pituitary works?
neurosecretory cells of the hypothalamus secrete releasing hormones into the hypophyseal portal system where they gain access to the anterior lobe of the pituitary
- releasing hormones stimulate secretory cells to release corresponding hormones into circulation
what are some examples of releasing factors?
- gonadotropin releasing/inhibiting hormone (GnRH/GnIH)
- corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH)
- thyroid releasing hormone (TRH)
what are some examples of anterior pituitary hormones?
- growth hormone (GH)
- adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
- LH, FSH (gonadotropins)
- thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)
- prolactin
what hormones does the adrenal cortex produce/secrete?
- glucocorticoids (cortisol)
- mineralocorticoids (aldosterone)
- androgens (androstenedione - contributes to secondary sex characteristics)
what 2 major cell types are present in the testes?
- Sertoli cells (produce sperm, under control of FSH)
- Leydig cells (produce testosterone under control of luteinizing hormone (LH))
what specialized structures in the ovaries secrete the 2 major types of ovarian steroids?
- follicles (each contains a maturing ovum, secrete estrogens (most potent = estradiol))
- corpus luteum (follicles that have ruptured and released ova, secrete progestins (most important = progesterone))
what do estrogens do? what do progestins do?
- estrogens govern female body characteristics (secondary sex characteristics) and sexual behaviour by acting on the brain
- progestins prepare uterus for implantation of an embryo
what are the 5 types of steroid hormones?
all derived from cholesterol, fat soluble, must have carrier proteins in order to circulate
- gonadal: progestins, estrogens, androgens
- adrenal: glucocorticoids, mineralcorticoids
what are examples of progestins, estrogens, and androgens?
- progestine: pregnenolone - precursor to all other steroids
- estrogens: 17β-estradiol (E2) (female sexual behaviour, masculinization of brain structures and behaviours)
- androgens: testosterone (masculine sex characteristics, male sexual behaviour, spermatogenesis, aggression)
what are examples of glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids?
- glucocorticoid: cortisol (preparation of action; stress, arousal)
- mineralocorticoid: aldosterone (maintains sodium balance)
how are estrogens made?
testosterone derived from progesterone (which is derived from pregnenolone)
- testosterone can aromatize to 17β-estradiol via aromatase
- testosterone can reduce into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) via 5α-reductase
how do steroid receptors work?
once bound with steroid ligand (in cytoplasm or bound to nucleus), hormone-receptor complex binds to DNA and alters gene transcription
- SLOW (hrs to days)
what are peptide (protein) hormones? what are some examples?
chain of amino acids released via exocytosis
- gonadotropins (LH, FSH)
- insulin/glucagon
what are amine hormones?
modifications of single amino acid molecules
- epinephrine/norepinephrine
- DA
what is simple positive feedback?
the endocrine gland produces hormone to the target and produces a product, which further excites the endocrine gland to accelerate hormone release -> accelerates the hormonal response
- feedback drives hormone concentrations away from homeostasis
what is simple negative feedback?
the endocrine gland produces hormone to the target and produces a product, which in turn inhibits the endocrine gland to decrease hormone release -> inhibits the hormonal response
- feedback drives hormone concentrations back to homeostasis
what is complex negative feedback? what is an example?
involves multiple negative pathways to inhibit a process
ex) in response to certain external/endogenous stimuli, the hypothalamus released GnRH, which stimulates the anterior pituitary to release gonadotropins such as LH -> secreted LH stimulates steroid synthesis (testosterone) and secretion in the testes
what are the negative feedback pathways associated with the complex negative feedback example?
- testosterone acts on target tissues + feedback to inhibit activity in anterior pituitary and hypothalamus
- increasing levels of gonadotropin (LH) slow down its secretion from the anterior pituitary and GnRH secretion from the hypothalamus
- as GnRH is secreted, the hypothalamus responds to increasing levels of the hormone by slowing down its secretion
when is male chromosomal sex determined?
at fertilization by sperm bearing either a Y chromosome
- causes a thickened ridge of tissue on each protokidney to develop into a testis (otherwise into an ovary)
what determines if a testis is developed?
sex determining region of the Y chromosome (SRY) gene -> first step to developing as male
- if mutated, will express as a woman with XY chromosomes (gonads do not produce sex steroids, secondary sex characteristics absent without treatment)
- expresses testis determining factor (TDF)
what does TDF do?
promotes SOX9 expression on chromosome 17
- TDF acts locally (b/c in some cases its possible for one gonad to develop into a testis and the other an ovary)
what happens when both the SRY and SOX9 genes are expressed?
the germinal ridge on the protokidney forms into a testis (otherwise develops into an ovary)
- embryonic testes produce androgens and peptide hormones that guide male development