the biology of behavior

Question 1

what is myelin sheath?

Answer 1

fatty substance that covers the axon of some neurons. help transmit messages quicker

Question 2

what is the action potential?

Answer 2

electrical impulse that travels from the cell body down to the end of the axon (neural firing). transmits information

Question 3

what is a synapse?

Answer 3

junction between two neurons. messages are transmitted across synapse via neurotransmitters

Question 4

what are neurotransmitters?

Answer 4

chemical messengers that travel across synapse between neurons or from neurons to muscles

Question 5

what are endorphins?

Answer 5

endorphins- reduce pain and promote pleasure (“runners high”- athletes can keep going after getting seriously injured cause of endorphins)

buzz words: pain, stress, body’s natural painkillers, pleasure, euphoria

Question 6

what is dopamine?

Answer 6

involved in voluntary movement, reward, learning, memory, pleasure sensations. It is also involved in movement, attention

Question 7

what is serotonin?

Answer 7

involved in sleep, appetite, and mood. well-being and happiness.

Question 8

what is epinephrine?

Answer 8

involved in stress response, fight or flight response (adrenaline) DANGERRR

Question 9

what are agonists and antagonists?

Answer 9

agonist- increase normal activity of a neurotransmitter
antagonist- decrease activity of a neurotransmitter

Question 10

what are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems?

Answer 10

sympathetic- increases physiological arousal
parasympathetic- decreases arousal

Question 11

what is the endocrine system?

Answer 11

serves to control body functions. gland in the endocrine system secrete hormones that travel through the blood to organs throughout the body.

hormones that regulate things in the body

Question 12

what are the pituitary and adrenal glands?

Answer 12

pituitary- master gland. it releases glands to other glands to get them to do things.
adrenal- important in mood, energy level, stress response

Question 13

what are the EEG and fMRI?

Answer 13

EEG- detect electrical activity of neurons in particular regions of brain. not an image, shows brainwaves
fMRI- uses MRI to measure relative activity of various brain areas during tasks

Question 14

what is the brainstem?

Answer 14

the part of the brain that connects the cerebrum with the spinal cord. deals with our vegetative behaviors (aka things we need to do to survive)

Question 15

what is the amygdala?

Answer 15

part of limbic system involved in emotion, aggression, fear

Question 16

what is the hippocampus?

Answer 16

a neural center located in the limbic system; “gateway to memory”, enables formation of new conscious memories

Question 17

what are the 4 lobes of the cerebral cortex (e.g., frontal lobe)?

Answer 17

occipital, parietal, temporal, frontal

Question 18

what is the occipital lobe?

Answer 18

back of head, contains visual cortex

Question 19

what is the parietal lobe?

Answer 19

at top of the brain. contain ssc. processes sensory input involving taste, temperature, and touch.

Question 20

what is the temporal lobe?

Answer 20

on sides of head. contain auditory cortex and wernicke’s area.

Question 21

what is the frontal lobe?

Answer 21

at the front of the brain. in charge of planning, creative thinking, personality, and voluntary movement

Question 22

what are mirror neurons?

Answer 22

neurons that fire when observing another person doing something (ex: you see someone smile you want to smile too)

Question 23

what are the somatosensory and motor cortexes?

Answer 23

somatosensory- receives information about touch sensation
motor- controls voluntary movement

Question 24

what is plasticity?

Answer 24

flexibility of brain structures to adapt to new situations