Unit 2: Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards
Neuropsychologists
conduct evaluations to characterize behavioral and cognitive changes resulting from CNS disease or injury
Lesions
areas of damaged brain tissue
CAT Scans
(X-ray) images taken at different angles around your body and creates image slices of bones, blood vessels and soft tissues. Quickly examines people who may have internal injuries from car accidents or etc.
MRIs
(radio waves) sends a pulse distorting MRI’s magnetic field and atoms in body. As atoms return to normal, image slices of brain produced.
EEG
Electrodes placed on head. Detects neuron’s electric activity and maps brain waves (specifically where electrode is).
PET Scans
trace amount of radioactive glucose injected. Detects “hot spots” (neural activity). Shows brain in action
fMRI
(process similar to MRI) as atoms return, they are measured as well as oxygen from blood flow. Detailed brain slices (MRI) and hot spots (PET scan).
Central Nervous System (CNS)
(Brain and Spinal Cord)
-Brain communicates and coordinates actions btwn all body parts. Forms thought, emotion, and behavior.
-Spine transmits info from brain -> muscles -> glands
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
(Contains Somatic and Autonomic NS) A bundle of nerves outside CNS. It carries out CNS’ orders.
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)
-Inside the Peripheral NS and contains Sympathetic and Parasympathetic NS
-Involuntary Actions like breathing, heart rate, etc.
Sympathetic Nervous System
-Inside Autonomic NS
-response in dire situations like car accidents or a fire
Parasympathetic Nervous System
-Inside Autonomic NS
-calms down and relaxes body after a stressful situation
-EX) after a car accident is over-> Parasympathetic NS causes body to feel pain
Somatic Nervous System
-Works with Sensory Nerves
-Voluntary movement
Brain (development model)
-Hindbrain: medulla, pons, cerebellum
-Midbrain: small region with parts involved in eye reflexes and movements
-Forebrain: the limbic system, hypothalamus, thalamus, cerebral cortex
Convolutions
Folds and wrinkles of the cortex of the brain. Creates more surface area -> more space for neurons and information to be stored
Contralaterality
Control of one side of your body by the other side of your brain (left side of brain controls right side of body and vice versa)
Aphasia
Inability to produce speech and select words
Glial Cells
Protects and provides nutrition to neurons
Neuron
Our body’s nerve cells which make up the nervous system
Soma (Cell Body)
Contains the neuron’s nucleus
Dendrites
Receives chemical info from neurons
Axon
Fiber bundles carrying info away from Soma
Myelin Sheath
-Layer of electrical insulation covering the axon
-Increases the speed that info travels on the neuron
Terminal Buttons (Axon Terminal)
Stores neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters
-Chemical Signal
-Carries information from one neuron to another when the gap is to long to send electric signals
Acetylcholine (ACH)
(Type of Neurotransmitter)
-Enables muscle action
-not enough -> Alzheimer
Dopamine
(Type of Neurotransmitter)
-Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
-too much -> Schizophrenia
-not enough -> Tremors and Parkinson
Glutamate
(Type of Excitatory Neurotransmitter)
-Vital role in memory
-too much -> Migraines and Seizures
GABA
(Type of Inhibitory Neurotransmitter)
-GABA: Get A Break Adjustment
-slows and stops chemical reactions in CNS
-not enough -> seizures, tremors, and insomnia
Serotonin
(Type of Neurotransmitter)
-Affects hunger, mood arousal, and sleep
-not enough -> depression
Endorphine
(Type of Neurotransmitter)
-Pain control and pleasure during great bodily stress
-Associated with OCD
Medulla Oblongata
(In Brain Stem)
-Autonomic functions like breathing, blood pressure, and reflexes
Pons
(In Brain Stem)
-Pathway for motor and sensory info between body and brain
Cerebellum
(In Brain Stem)
-Helps with tracking of moving objects and coordination and balance
Basal Ganglia
(In Forebrain)
-Important for smooth muscle movement and actions
Thalamus
(In Brain Stem)
-sensory and motor relay
-send signals to forebrain to be interpreted
Hypothalamus
(Below Thalamus)
-Works with Pituitary Gland to maintain Homeostasis
Amygdala
Influences emotional reactions (fear and aggression)
Hippocampus
(Part of Limbic System)
-Vital to formation of new memories
Cerebral Cortex
(thin outer layer of brain)
-main control center and information processing center
Association Areas
-Sections of the cerebral cortex connected to the function of a primary part of the cerebral cortex
-Areas responsible for thought, memory, and learning
Occipital Lobes
Responsible for sight
Parietal Lobes
-Plays a major part in touch, pressure and temperature
Frontal Lobes
-Necessary for motor control, speech, decision making, and judgments
-Broca’s Area: speech center
Temporal Lobes
-Hearing (contralaterality)
-Wernicke’s Area: development of language (interprets auditory code)
Action Potential (Firing Threshold)
Neuron fires impulse because there is a positive sweep (K+ rush in, Na- rush out) down the axon
All-or-None Principle
Once the electrical impulse reaches intensity level, all energy will fire
Nodes of Ranvier
Small spaces or gaps in the Myelin Sheath
Saltatory Conduction
Myelin Sheath is too fatty to perpetuate the action potential signal, so the signal jumps over it, speeding up transmission
Synapse
Where two neurons meet and neurotransmitters are released into it
Excitatory Neurotransmitter
Stimulates firing (sends message)
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter
Slows firing (slows or sends messages)
Reflex
Any response you have to a stimulus you are born with
Effector
Muscle/gland cell that responds to stimuli
Efferent Neurons
Carry info from the the brain to muscles and organs throughout the body
Interneuron
(In CNS)
-Receive input from motor neurons and transmits its output to sensory neurons
Afferent Neuron
Carry info from the body to CNS
Sensory Receptors
Respond to changes in environment by converting energy into action potential
Endocrine System
-Allows for communication
-Glands talk to glands
Hormone
Chemical compounds secreted by the endocrine glands that transmit info throughout the body
Pineal Gland
(In Brain)
-produces melatonin
Pituitary Gland
(In Brain)
-regulates other glands
Thyroid Gland
(In Neck)
-regulates metabolism
Parathyroids
(Behind Thyroid)
-control calcium amount in blood and bones
Adrenal Glands
(In Stomach)
-produces adrenaline
Pancreas
(In Stomach)
-produces insuline
-gets energy from food
Ovaries
(In Private Parts)
-produces estrogen and progesterone
Tetstes
(In Private Parts)
-produces testosterone
Evolutionary Psychologists
Focus on the principles of natural selection to explain our behavior and the mind
Behavioral Geneticists
Study power and limits of genetic and environmental influences on behavior
Down Syndrome
-Genetic disorder
-3rd copy of chromosome 21
Klinefelter’s Syndrome
-Genetic disorder affecting males
-Born with 1 or greater x-chromosome causing unusual physical traits
Tay-Sachs Syndrome
-Genetic disease
-Slowly destroys nerve cells in brain and spinal cord
Turner Syndrome
-chromosomal disorder in X-Chromosome (females)
-short webbed neck, low-set ears, swollen hands and feet
Identical Twins
-Develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two and creates two genetic replicas
-Cannot be a different sex
Zygote
When a female (human) egg is fertilized
Fraternal Twins
-Develop from separate eggs and separate sperm cells, but during the same fertilization period
-Can be different sex
Phenylketonuria (PKU)
-Mutation in liver enzyme that metabolizes phenylalanine into the amino acid tyrosine
-Leads to seizures
Huntington’s Disease
-Genetic disease
-Consists of abnormal movements, dementia, and psychological problems
Attention
Processing through cognition of a select portion of the massive amount of information incoming from the senses and contained in memory
Preconscious
-Area that lies between conscious awareness and the unconscious
-Thoughts stay temporarily, not permanently
Unconscious
-Deepest level of consciousness
-Pool of unwanted or unacceptable ideas, wishes or desires, memories, and emotions
Nonconscious
-Any mental process that goes on in which the individual is unaware
-Two components: preconscious and unconscious
Deal Processing
-Processing information with respect to its meaning
Hypothalamus (biological clock)
-helps control circadian rhythm
-Responds to light and dark stimuli
Circadian Rhythm
24 hour cycle/regular schedule that body temperature fluctuates on
Reticular Formation
-Attention and Arousal
-Sleep Cycle (waking up)
NREM 1
-Light sleep (nap)
-Alpha waves (slow inactivity)
NREM 2
-Transition Stage
-Harder to wake up
-Theta Waves (slower inactivity)
NREM 3
-Body Sleep (everything slowed)
-Delta Waves: very, very slow activity and sense response
REM
-VERY internally active
-Dreams/Nightmares
Insomnia
-Inability to fall asleep, stay asleep, or both
-Causes: stress, bad sleep schedule
Sleep Apnea
-Not breathing or lack of breathing continuously throughout the night
-Three Types:
Obstructive: obstruction in air way
Central (CNS): brain triggers stopping breathing
Complex: Both types
Night terrors
-Do not occur in REM
-Wake up with increased heart and respiratory rate
Manifest Content
The storyline we remeber
Latent Content
Hidden meaning/symbol in dream
Activation-Synthesis Theory
The activation of our brain leads to the synthesis of new memories
Cognitive Information Processing Theory
Sleep helps us restore and rebuild our memories of the day
Meditation
Spiritual practice/alternative medicine that provides physical relaxation and mental clarity
Depressants
Reduce (slow) neural activity
Narcotics
-Depressant effect and pain relief
-Endorphin Agonist
Stimulants
Excite (speed up) neural activity
Hallucinogens
Distort perception and evoke hallucinations
Psychological Dependence
Emotional need for drug or substance that has no underlying physical need
Withdrawal Symptoms
Physical symptoms associated with the decrease or discontinuation of addictive or psychoactive substances
Darwin
Evolutionary Theory
Broca
Discovered Broca’s area which controls language expression
Wernicke
Discovered Wernicke’s Area which is involved in language understanding
Sperry
-Studied split brain patients
-Showed left/right hemispheres have different functions
Gazzaniga
-Neuroscience
-Split-brain research
-Advances in understanding how the cerebral hemispheres communicate
James
-Functionalist Perspective
-Theory of Emotion: emotions result from arousing stimulus causing physiological reaction
Frued
-Father of Psychoanalysis
-Psychological Theory: dreams are road to unconscious mind
