UNIT 3: Biological Bases of Behavior Flashcards
Biological Psychologists
study the linkage and interplay between the body and the mind
Biopsychosocial
believes we do the things we do because (1) our bodies, (2) our minds or thinking, and (3) the culture that we live in
Neurons
nerve cells; some types include the sensory neurons (afferent), motor neurons (efferent), and interneurons
Sensory Neurons (Afferent)
take messages from the body, up the spinal cord, to the brain
Motor Neurons (Efferent)
take messages from the brain to the body
Interneurons
are neurons within the brain that “talk” to one another while thinking or processing information
Cell Body
part of the neuron; has a nucleus in the middle
Dendrites
part of the neuron; feather-like fingers sticking out from the cell body; bring info in to the cell
Axons
part of the neuron; long “arms”; send info away from the cell body to other neurons or body parts; insulated by the myelin sheath
Myelin Sheath
insulates the axon and helps control the impulses and speeds their travel
Action Potential
when neurons “fire” when stimulated by a sense or other chemicals from another neuron; slight electric charge`
Ions of the Axon
axons have negatively charged ions inside, positively charged ions outside. There is a selectively permeable membrane in between
Refractory Period
when firing, a neuron allows positive ions in. For a moment during the refractory period, it can’t fire, until it pushes the positive ions back out and “resets” itself
Excitatory Signals of the Neuron
tells the neuron to fire
Inhibitory Signals of the Neuron
tell the neuron not to fire
Threshold
when the excitatory signals outweigh the inhibitory signals by a certain amount, the neuron fires
Synapse
the place where the axon of one neuron meets the dendrites of another
Synapse Gap
the small gap between the axon of one neuron and the dendrites of another
Neurotransmitters
chemical messengers that take the impulse of one neuron across the synaptic gap to another neuron; affect people in many ways such as: depression, happiness, hunger, addictions, etc.
Reuptake
extra neurotransmitters return to the original neuron and are ready again
Endorphins
a type of neurotransmitter; are like natural morphine that our bodies produce; they improve our moods and reduce pain; released in either times of pain or heavy exercise
Agonist Molecule
drugs that act like neurotransmitters and bridge the synaptic gap
EX. opiate drugs produce a “high”
EX. black widow spider poison produces muscle spasms
Antagonist Molecule
block transmission; do not bridge the synaptic gap
EX. botox blocks a muscle from contracting
Central Nervous System
consists of the brain and spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System
consists of our sensory receptors, muscles, and glands
Somatic Nervous System
can be voluntarily controlled
Automatic Nervous System
runs on its own; consists of the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
Sympathetic Nervous System
activates and exerts energy; increases your heartbeat, blood pressure, blood sugar, and slows digestion
EX. preparing to run away or to fight
Parasympathetic Nervous System
kicks in when the “crisis” is over- it calms you down
Neural Networks
where neurons group themselves together; helps them communicate even faster
Spinal Cord
connects the brain with the peripheral nervous system
Interneuron
when a single sensory neuron and a motor neuron work together
Hormones
endocrine system secretes hormones which impact interest in sex, food, and aggression; move slower than neurotransmitters, but last longer
Adrenal Glands
secretes epinephrine (AKA adrenaline) and increases the pulse, blood pressure, and blood sugar
Pituitary Gland
most influential, controlled by the hypothalamus part of the brain; the hormones from here influence growth and secretions by other glands; “master gland”; influence the brain
Anterior Pituitary Lobe
releases hormones that regulate other glands
Posterior Lobe
regulates water and salt balance
Pituitary Gland Chain-Reaction
brain -> pituitary -> other glands -> hormones -> brain
Acetylcholine (ACH)
neurotransmitter; excitatory- tightens muscles, some poisons and Botox stops it from activating muscles
Epinephrine
neurotransmitter; excitatory- AKA “adrenaline”, boosts arousal/alertness
Norepinephrine
neurotransmitter; excitatory- boosts arousal/alertness, preps “fight or flight” response when sympathetic nervous system kicks in
Dopamine
neurotransmitter; excitatory and inhibitory- boosts mood/reward center, high levels in schizophrenics and alzheimers
Serotonin
neurotransmitter; inhibitory boosts mood; low levels associated with depression
GABA
neurotransmitter; inhibitory- low levels go with anxiety
Glutamate
neurotransmitter; excitatory- counters GABA to give “homeostasis” or balance
Histamine
neurotransmitter; excitatory- goes with inflammation, boosts wakefulness
EEG (electroencephalogram)
a read-out of electrical brain activity
PET Scan (positron emission tomography)
shows the brain’s “hot spots” of action by measuring its consumption of sugar glucose, the brain’s fuel
CT/CAT Scan (computed tomography)
uses x-rays to provide a 3D picture of the brain
MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
provides a picture of the brain’s soft tissue
ex. shows brain differences like people with perfect pitch or schizophrenia
fMRI (functional MRI)
can show the brain’s structure and function; it measures blood-flow to and within the brain and therefore can show brain activity
Brainstem
the oldest brain region, which begins as the spinal cord enters the brain and swells in width
Medulla
the section where the spinal cord enters the brain and swells; it controls heartbeat and breathing
Pons
located above the medulla; it helps to coordinate movements
Reticular Formation
inside the brainstem; it relays incoming stimuli to other areas of the brain
Thalamus
located atop the brainstem, it’s the hub that sends incoming sensory impulses (except for smell) to the higher brain areas
Cerebellum
at the back of the brain and is split into two parts; it coordinates movement, manages emotions, and figures out sounds and textures
Limbic System
sits between the older brain structures and the cerebral hemispheres; contains the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus
Hippocampus
processes memory, in the limbic system
Amygdala
made up of two bean-size nerve bundles; manages anger and fear and is involved with handling the emotions and memories; in the limbic system
Hypothalamus
located below the thalamus and is important in hunger, thirst, body temperature, and sexual behavior; in the limbic system
Cerebrum
largest section of the brain; deals with more voluntary functions like perception, thinking, and speaking
Cerebral Cortex
the gnarled “bark” that encompasses the rest of the brain; divided into four lobes, the frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal
Glial Cells
feed and insulate the nerve cells of the cerebral cortex
Frontal Lobe
in the front, behind the forehead; handles judgement, planning, and new memories + impacts personality
Parietal Lobe
the top and to the back of the brain; seems to handle math and spatial reasoning
Occipital Lobe
the back and bottom of the brain; processes vision
Temporal Lobe
near the temples, on the side; contains the auditory cortex which processes sounds; on the right side it seems to perform facial recognition
Motor Cortex
a strip roughly between the frontal and parietal lobes; it handles our movements and motions by sending impulses from the brain to the body
Sensory Cortex
receives input from the senses to the brain
Auditory Cortex
in the temporal lobe, to which sounds are processed here
Association Areas
piece parts together and make sense of things
Plasticity
the brain’s ability to change itself after being damaged; the brain seems to be able to reorganize or reassign jobs and functions
Neurogenesis
where we grow new brain cells, which is promoted by exercise, sleep, and non-stressful but stimulating environment
Corpus Callosum
links the two brain hemispheres
Left Brain Hemisphere
handles rational, logical thought, speech and words
Right Brain Hemisphere
handles images, emotions, intuition, and drawing inferences
Chromosomes
holds our master genetic code; a normal person has 46 chromosomes, 23 from our mother and 23 from our father; hold our genes
Genes
hold our DNA; can either be active or inactive, “expressed” or “repressed”
DNA
our genetic coding
Identical Twins
have identical DNA since they formed from a single zygote
Zygote
fertilized egg
Fraternal Twins
siblings formed from two zygotes; genetics are not identical but are close
Siblings
simply brothers/sisters or both; have close genetics but a slightly less common environment
“Virtual Twins”
non-related children of the same age, like step-brother or step-sister; non-related, genetics are no more similar than two strangers
Heritability
the mathematical likelihood that differences between people is due to genetics; shows the percent likelihood of variations among people based on genetics; depends on how alike o unalike two people’s environments are
Molecular Genetics
tries to single out how specific genes influence the body or behavior
Charles Darwin’s Theory of Evolution
holds the beliefs that
- a species has variations
- those variations sometimes help it to live and/or to reproduce
- if it lives and reproduces, its genes get passed on to the next generation (those that did not live and reproduce, will not get passed on)
Mutations
random chance changes
