Module 1 - Evolution of Nervous Systems Flashcards
Brain is a _____ whereas behaviour is an _____
physical object/observable action
What is responsible for all behaviour?
the brain
Field of Neuropsychology
studies relationship between brain function and behaviour
focuses on humans only
has a lot to do with the study of deficits in human brain
Behavioural Neuroscience
study of brain-behaviour relationships in both humans and lab animals
Cognitive Neuroscience
studies the neural bases of cognition
Order of the Evolution of Fields of Psychology (oldest-newest)
neuropsychology - behavioural neuroscience - cognitive neuroscience
What does the brain require to cause behaviour:
Component parts (neurons and glial cells)
Connections (such as nerves and tracts)
Automatic body maintenance mechanisms (typically in hypothalamus, brainstem, and peripheral nervous system)
Common Ancestor
some ancestor that is an ancestor (or source) of two difference groups
When did first life appear?
3.5 billion years ago
When did brain cells first appear
700 million years ago
When did the first human like brain appear
6 million years ago
When did the first modern human brain appear
200,000 years ago
Taxonomy
refers to classifying organisms into groups and subgroups
What is the main limit of taxonomy
comparisons can be made between species, but not within species
Cladogram
a way of showing taxonomy in the form of a diagram
Are nervous systems necessary for life
no
Order of evolution leading to brain + provide examples of ancestors
neurons and muscles (evolved together - no example)
nerve nets (jellyfish or sea anemones)
bilateral symmetry (flatworms)
muscle segmentation (earthworms)
ganglia (octopus, insects)
spinal cord (fish, frogs, birds, – essentially chordates)
brain
Why does evolution occur in general?
to help organisms adapt to changes in their environment
What features involving cerebrum and cerebellum are associated with more complex behaviours?
Larger cerebrum and more folding in cerebellum
Are human specialized or special
Specialized because they have specialized traits that other animals have, just not to the same degree of complexity
Defining features of great ape group
colour vision
enhanced depth perception
deft hand movements
one infant per pregnancy
relatively large brain
What is the most likely common ancestor of human animals + their characteristics
Australopithecus
- several species of this
- shorter, walked upright, and used tools
- lived about 3 mil years ago
- ex. Lucky
What was the first human species named
homo habillis
Timeline of the evolution of human species
homo habilis
homo erectus (sub group raised called homo florensiensis)
neanderthals
modern humans (which coexisted with neanderthals and eventually replaced them)
Is the brain body ratio 1:1
No
Use neurons and packing concepts to explain why humans have complex behaviours
humans have a large number of neurons and dense packing of them which explains our complex behaviours
More neurons =
more connections to be made
What are the two maps of connections in the cerebrum (ways of looking at how neurons operate)
Topographic and connectome
What is a topographic map of connection
looks specifically at functional areas themselves in the brain, such as areas for hearing/vision/movement/etc. (not the connections between them)
What is a connector map of connection
displays connections between functional regions in the brain
Possible reasons for hominid brain growth
climate, lifestyle, physiological change, altered maturation, neoteny, or changes in genome
Why might brains be larger
larger brain cells
person may be larger overall
male brains tend to be larger than female ones
good nutrition
enriched environments
Why might brains be smaller
smaller brain cells
older brains tend to shrink
female brains tend to be smaller than male
brain injury near birth
stress early in life
fetal alcohol syndrome
autism spectrum disorder
Order of taxonomic classifications
Kingdom - phylum - class - order - family - genus - species
Why is it difficult to measure brain/intelligence relations?
difficult to measure brain size
may be reasons for a persons brain being smaller/larger
reasons for a persons intelligence being higher/lower
