Unit 2- Biological Bases of Behavior (8-10%) Flashcards
Neurotransmitters
Chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. Neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Action Potential
a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.
Axon Terminal
distal terminations of the branches of an axon
Dopamine
Neurotransmitter acting in the brain that helps regulate movement and emotion, related to Parkinson’s Disease
Dendrite
A short branched extension of a nerve cell, along which impulses received from other cells at synapses are transmitted to the cell body
Central Nervous System
Brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
The nervous system outside the brain and spinal cord
Efferent Neurons
A peripheral neuron that carries signals from the central nervous system to the target cells
Lesion
Selectively destroying small clusters of normal or defective cells in the pursuit of Science or Medicine.
Acetylcholine
is one of the best-understood neurotransmitters. In addition to its role in learning and memory, ACh is the messenger at every junction between a motor neuron and skeletal muscle. When ACh is released to our muscle cell receptors, the muscle contracts. If ACh transmission is blocked, as happens during some kinds of anesthesia, the muscles cannot contract and we are paralyzed.
Autonomic Nervous System
The part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and muscles of the internal organs such as the heart.
Sympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations.
Somatic Nervous System
The division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles.
All-or-nothing principle
Principle that a neuron will fire completely if it reaches the threshold or not at all if it does not. It cannot fire at different magnitudes.
Pituitary gland
-Master gland of the Endocrine system -Influences the release of hormones in other glands -Releases hormones that influence growth
Adrenal glands
-Influence energy, blood pressure, and heart rate. -Release epinephrine(adrenaline) and norepinephrine. -Fight or flight response -Part of the Endocrine system
Endocrine System
The body’s “slow chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
CAT scan
A series of x-Ray taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice through the body.
Reuptake
The sending neuron reabsorbs the excess neurotransmitters.
Endorphins
-Brains own naturally occurring opiates. -Several types of neurotransmitter molecules similar to morphine in response to pain and vigorous exercise -“Good feelings” or painkillers
Synapse
The meeting point between neurons.
MRI
A technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer generated images of soft tissue. MRI scans show the brains anatomy.
Hormones
Chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues
Excitatory Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters that excite which push the neuron to fire
Inhibitory Neurotransmitters
Neurotransmitters that prevent a neuron from reaching action potential
Threshold
the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse
Receptor sites
The point of attachments to cell membranes for viruses,hormones, or other activators.
EEG
An amplified readout of electrical pulses while your brain is at work.
Axon
The long threadlike part of a nerve cell along which impulses are conducted from the cell body to other cells
Myelin Sheath
A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next
Parasympathetic Nervous System
The division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy
Serotonin
A neurotransmitter involved with sleep, depression, and memory
Afferent Neurons
Otherwise known as sensory neurons carry information to the brain
Corpus callosum
Axon fibers connecting the two cerebral cortex
fMRI (Functional MRI)
Produces a live image monitoring blood flow. Shows brain function.
Parietal lobe
The home of somatosensory processing of sensations in the skin and muscles of the body
Occipital lobe
Home of the visual processing
PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan
Radioactive glucose enters, and reveals a live image of how the brain consumes energy during a given task.
Temporal Lobe
Portion of the cerebral cortex lying roughly above the ears; includes the auditory areas, each receiving information primarily from the opposite ear
Brain plasticity
The brain’s ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience
Medulla
The base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing.
Brainstem
The oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal core swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions.
Cerebellum
The “little brain” at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input and coordinating movement output and balance.
Pons
Helps to coordinate movement
Limbic system
border (“limbus”) between the brain’s older parts and the cerebral hemispheres— the two halves of the brain
Amygdala
Influence aggression and fear
Identical Twins
Twins who develop from a single fertilized egg that splits in two, creating two genetically identical organisms.
Fraternal Twins
Twins who develop from separate fertilized eggs, they are genetically not closer than brothers and sisters, but they share fetal environment.
Thomas Bouchard
Psychologist who started a study on separated twins, measuring their personality, intelligence, heart rate, and brain waves.
Wernicke’s Area
Controls language reception-a brain area involved in language comprehension and expression; usually in the left temporal lobe.
Hypothalamus
Controls the endocrine system, as well as metabolic functions like libido, body temperature, hunger, and thirst
Left hemisphere
Controls right side of the body, responsible for logic, speech and mathematical thinking
Cerebral cortex
The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body’s ultimate control and information-processing center.
Right Hemisphere
-Controls left side of the body -spatial tasks, creative tasks, integrating sense of self, detecting emotions
Motor cortex
At the rear of frontal lobe that controls voluntary movement.
Sensory cortex
Area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensation.
Hippocampus
Involved in the transfer of memories from short term/working memory into long-term memory.
Heritability
The proportion of variation among individuals that we can attribute to genes. The heritability of a trait may vary, depending on the range of populations and environments studied.
Natural selection
The principle that, among the range of inherited trait variations, those that lead to increased reproduction and survival will most likely be passed on to succeeding generations.
Neuron
Individual nerve cell
Sensory Neuron
Carry messages from the body’s tissues to the brain and spinal cord
Motor Neuron
Carry messages from the brain and spinal cord to the body’s tissues
Interneurons
The brain’s internal communication neurons
Phineas Gage
Railroad worker who received frontal lobe damage, changing his personality. Revealed the part of the brain where emotions are regulated.
Reticular formation
Midbrain structure that controls bodily arousal and our ability to focus
Thalamus
Our brain’s sensory relay station, receives information from our senses and sends it to the appropriate areas
Frontal Lobe
Our brain’s executive functioning center. Responsible for reasoning and emotional control
Broca’s Area
Area of the brain that allows us to move our muscles to produce speech, damage would lead to difficulty pronouncing words
DNA
Complex molecule that contain our genetic makeup
Genes
Units of heredity that make up the chromosomes
Roger Sperry and Michael Gazzaniga
Known for their research with split brain patients
Alpha Waves
The relatively slow brain waves of being relaxed but awake state.
Hallucinations
False sensory experiences, such as seeing something in the absence of an external visual stimulus.
Delta Waves
Large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep
Insomnia
Recurring problems in falling or staying asleep.
Narcolepsy
A sleep disorder characterized by uncontrollable sleep attacks. The suffer may lapse directly into REM sleep, often at inopportune times.
Sleep Apnea
A sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings. Obesity is a risk factor.
Psychological Dependence
A psychological need to use a drug, such as to release negative emotions.
Depressants
Drugs that reduce neural activity and slow body functions.
Examples of Depressant Drugs
Alcohol, Opiates, Barbiturates
Alcohol
A depressant drug, calms neural activity and slows body functions.
Stimulants
Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.
Caffeine
A stimulant drug, the world’s most widely consumed psychoactive substance.
Amphetamine
Drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing sped up body functions and associated energy and mood changes.
Night Terrors
Typically experienced by children during deep sleep, these bouts of terror, anxiety, sweating, and panic are often not remembered the next day.
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
A machine that records rapid eye movement and brain wave patterns. It’s used to study sleep patterns.
Hypnagogic State
Occurs in stage 1 of sleep. It’s when your body may suddenly jerk or when your floating weightlessly. These sensations may later be converted into memories.
Stage 2 Sleep
Sleep spindles appear and you start to relax more deeply during this stage.
NREM Stage 3 Sleep
Your brain emits large, slow delta waves. You are hard to awaken during this stage. Bed wetting and sleep walking are most likely to occur in this stage.
Dreams
A sequence of images, emotions, and thoughts passing through a sleeping person’s mind. Dreams are notable for their hallucinatory imagery, discontinuities, and incongruities, and for the dreamer’s delusional acceptance of the content and later difficulties remembering it.
Lucid Dreaming
The ability to be aware of and direct dreams.
Consciousness
Awareness of ourselves and our environment. Examples: States of Consciesness Sleep, wake, altered states (drugs, daydreaming, hypnosis)
Circadian Rhythms
Biological clock, regular body rhythms
Sleep
Periodic, natural loss of consciousness. Not the same as unconsciousness in coma or hibernation.
Effects of sleep deprivation
Hunger High stress Less productivity More mistakes Irritability Fatigue
REM Sleep
Dream sleep (vivid dreams) Rapid eye movement sleep Muscles are relaxed while other body systems are active
NREM Sleep
Non rapid eye movement sleep Encompasses all stages of sleep except REM (Stages 1-4)
Manifest Content
According to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream (as distinct from its hidden or latent content)
Latent content
According to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream (as distinct from its manifest content)
Activation-synthesis theory
Neural activity is random, and dreams are our brains trying to understand it.
Sleepwalking
Performing motor acts while sleeping and then not remembering when you awaken. Happens during deep sleep (NREM stage 3)
REM Rebound
The tendency for REM sleep to increase following REM sleep deprivation.
Psychoanalytic dream theory
the process of explaining the meaning of the way the unconscious thoughts and emotions are processed in the mind during sleep.
Dissociation
A split in consciousness, which allows some thoughts and behaviors to occur simultaneously with others
Meditation
A spiritual practice and a form of alternative medicine that aims to provide physical relaxation and mental clarity
Psychoactive drugs
A chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods
Tolerance
The diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the use to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug’s effect
Withdrawal
The discomfort and distress that follow discontinuing the use of an addictive drug
Physical dependence
A physiological need for a drug, marked by unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when the drug is discontinued
Cocaine
Central nervous system stimulant that depletes the brain of dopamine, serotonin, and norepinephrine
Nicotine
Highly addictive, mild stimulant found in tobacco.
Narcotics
Examples include codeine and morphine which are most often prescribed for pain relief. Also called Opiates or Opioids.
Opiates
Opium and its derivatives. Depress neural functioning and cause pain relief and anxiety relief. Highly addictive. Also known as Narcotics.
Hallucinogens
Drugs that distort perceptions and evoke sensory experiences in the absence of sensory input. LSD and marijuana fall under this category.
LSD
A powerful hallucinogen that can cause vivid hallucinations
