Biology and Behavior Ch 1-3 Study Guide

What is the mind-brain problem?

“what is the mind, and what is it’s relationship to the brain?”

What is empiricism?

information through observation

Where is the area responsible for speech in the brain, and who discovered it?

Broca’s area, only on the left side of the brain, frontal lobe; Pierre Paul Broca

What is phrenology?

believed that the brain has specific regions were specialized; Francis Gall; now considered pseudoscience

Left side vs right side of the brain

corpus callosum connects together; left side has Broca’s area, right side processes music

What did Descartes believe was the soul in the brain?

pineal gland since it wasn’t split into hemispheres; “mind interacted with the body”

What did Helmholtz study?

the speed of nerve inpulse, vision and hearing

Nature vs. Nurture

Nature

• genetic predisposition

• can be used to identify genetic disorders that are heritiable

• DNA

Nurture

• environmental influences and exposure

Monism vs. Dualism

Monism

• mind and body are single substance (mentalistic monism: all mind) (materialistic monism: all physical)

Dualism

• mind and brain are separate

• one can exist without the other

What are the lobes in the brain and their specialization?

Frontal

• reasoning

Motor

• movement

Temporal

• hearing

Parietal

• Sensory

Occipital

• vision

What makes up the cell membrane?

Lipid bilayer

• head and tail

• helps with structure and keep items out of neurons

• Hydrophillic and hydrophobic

What causes multiple sclerosis?

The loss of myelin (secreted by glial cells, surrounding the axon), neurons lose the ability to send signals

Describe the function and parts of a neuron

dendrites: collect messages from other neurons
soma: cell body

axon: carries nerve impulses away from the cell body

axon terminal: end of axon that releases neurotransmitters insulating la

myelin sheath: insulating layer that forms around the axon; allow fast transmission

synapse: junction between neuron and its target

What is released from the axon terminal that facilitaes communication between neurons? Chemical or electrical?

Neurotransmitters

• chemical signals that bind to proteins to create an electrical charge

What is resting membrane potential?

difference in electrical charge between the inside and outside of the cell (-70mV)

Excitatory vs Inhibitory signal

Excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP))

• open sodium channels

• more likely to fire

Inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)

• opens potassium or chloride channels or both

• less likely an action potential will occur

What is the all or nothing law of neuron communication?

must reach threshold of electrical charge or no signal will be sent

What is the purpose of myelin?

to increase speed and strength of conductivity; interneurons are less likely to have myelin because their circuit is short

Sodium and potassium pump ratio?

know how this system works and creates action potentialresti

Describe the process of action potenials

neuron sends information down an axon, away from the cell body; created by a depolarizing current

What is a lobotomy?

surgical procedure where the front of the brain is damaged or disconnected; used as a treatment for mental disorders for many years before being banned

Which structure connects the right and left hemispheres of the brain?

corpus callosum

Which structure processes sensory information?

thalamus - relays all sensory signals except smell

Which brain structure controls hormones?

hypothalamus through the pituituary gland

How are cells in the brain organized?

columns and rows; cells grouped by function

Which lobe of the brain is responsible for planning and decision-making?

frontal cortex

What makes up a nerve?

bundle of axons travelling together is called a nerve (neuron is not a nerve)

Size or convolution?

convolution (brain wrinkles) predicts a species’ intelligence; brain is proportional to body size

Which area of the brain sustains basic life functions?

hindbrain - controls automatic responses like breathing and heart rate

CNS vs. PNS

CNS

• brain and spinal cord

PNS

• motor neurons

  • somatic nervous system - controls voluntary movements

  • automatic nervous system - controls involuntary movements

    • sympathetic division - fight or flight

    • parasympathetic division -

• sensory neurons