Chapter 3: Biological psychology

Exam prep

Approximately how many neurons are contained in the human brain?

85 billion

Sensory information comes into which part of the two-way nervous system "superhighway"?

Central nervous system

In evolutionary terms, "fitness" means that an organism __ than other organisms in its environment.

Has a better chance of passing on its genes

You have just had a nice dinner and are nodding off on the sofa. At this time, which part of your nervous system is going to work?

Parasympathetic

What event affecting the brain can cause bizarre behavioural outcomes, such as the extreme example of one hand refusing to cooperate with the other, as in the case of the man whose left hand turned off the television and hit his family members?

Split-brain surgery

The reason stem cells are so interesting to researchers is that stem cells __.

Are not yet specialized for a specific function

What are the chemicals that travel between neurons?

Neurotransmitters

Which of the following brain structures is part of the limbic system?

Thalamus

Located on top of the kidneys, the adrenal glands release adrenaline and __ during times of emotional arousal.

Cortisol

As recently as two decades ago, scientists believed we were born with all the neurons we would ever have. But the discovery of __ occurring in certain brain areas in monkeys gave rise to the hope that someday scientists will be able to induce the adult human brain to heal itself.

Neurogenesis

Who uses sophisticated tests of reason, attention, and verbal and spatial abilities to figure out where brain dysfunction is located in human patients?

Neuropsychologists

Females' bodies produce about one-twentieth the amount of which hormone compared to males' bodies?

Testosterone

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses magnetic fields to measure the release of energy from water in biological tissues. MRI is better than __ for detecting soft tissues, such as brain tumours.

Computed tomography (CT)

The central nervous system is organized into various areas. Which structures control movement and motor planning?

Basal Ganglia

Twin studies work best when using identical or __ twins, because these twins share all of their genetic material in common.

Monozygotic

When Georgie goes to the sink to fill a glass with water, their brain sends signals telling different parts of their body what to do in order to complete this action. Which part of the nervous system carries out these directions?

Somatic

Identify the term that behavioural geneticists use to describe the extent to which genes limit how much a trait can change in response to new environments.

Reaction range

During an experiment investigating the effects of hormones on behaviour, males who were exposed to a certain chemical in a nasal spray were more likely to give money to a team partner during a risky investment game. That chemical was __.

Oxytocin

Which of the following is the name for the "nerve cable" that extends from the base of the brain to about two-thirds of the way down the vertebral column?

Spinal cord

As neurotransmitters exit the sending axon and before passing into the receiving dendrite, they must pass through the __.

Synaptic cleft

A popular notion is that people only use about 10 percent of their brains and that the remaining 90 percent has untapped potential. In fact, researchers now know that we use more of our brains than previously thought. The true brain use percentage is closer to __.

100 percent

There is a popular idea that people are either "left-brained" (scholarly, logical, analytical) or "right-brained" (artistic, creative, emotional). The textbook authors note that these claims are __.

Vast oversimplifications based on a small nugget of truth

The neurotransmitter __ rapidly excites neurons and is one of the most common neurotransmitters in the central nervous system.

Glutamate

Research has found that a single area of the brain can have multiple functions. Which brain area plays a role in speech and also lets us know when a musical note is off-key?

Broca's area

In people with multiple sclerosis, the degradation of the __ causes neural messages to become mixed up, creating many physical and emotional symptoms.

Myelin sheath

Researchers who study the relationship between the nervous system and behaviour

Biological psychologists/neuroscientists

A communication network consisting of nerve cells

Nervous system

Builds new cell components

Centre of neuron

Cell body aka

Soma

Branchlike extension that receive information from other neurons

Dendrites

"Tails" of the neuron that spread out from the cell body and transmit information

Axons

Knob at the end of the axons that contains synaptic vesicles filled with neurotransmitters

Axon terminal

Chemical messengers that allow neuron to neuron communication

Neurotransmitters

Space between neurons through which neurotransmitters travel

Synapse

Wrapped around axons and acts as insulators of the neuron's signal

Myelin sheath

Neurons respond to neurotransmitters by

Generating electrical activity

Resting potential

When there are no neurotransmitters acting on a neuron

Action potential

Occurs when there is enough of a charge inside the neuron (threshold)

Abrupt waves of electric discharge triggered by a change in charge inside the axon

Neuron "firing"

"All-or-None" response

Neuron "firing"

During action potential, _ ions first flow into the axon

Positive

There is little or no net change in the _

Distribution of negative ions

Neurons can fire up to ____ times per second

100 to 1000 times

In between firings, there is a very brief

Absolute refractory period

The longer the axon, the more _ their maximal firing rate is

Limited

Communication inside neurons is

Electrical

Communication between neurons is vis neurotransmitters

Chemical

When neurotransmitters are released, they _

Bind with receptor sites of the next neuron

The process of neurotransmission is halted by _

Reuptake

What is reuptake?

When neurotransmitters go back into the axon terminal

Some neurotransmitters and others __

Excite ,, inhibit the nervous system

(Neurotransmitter) Glutamate

Excitatory neurotransmitter

(Neurotransmitter) GABA

Main inhibitory neurotransmitter

(Neurotransmitter) Norepinephrine

Brain arousal, and other functions like mood, hunger and sleep

(Neurotransmitter) Anandamide

Pain reduction, increase in appetite

(Neurotransmitter) Acetylcholine

Muscle contraction (PNS) and cortical arousal (CNS)

(Neurotransmitter) Dopamine

Motor function and reward

(Neurotransmitter) Serotonin

Mood and temperature regulation, aggression and sleep cycles

Monoamines

• Norepinephrine

• Dopamine

• Serotonin

Monoamines contain only ____ amino acid

One

Short strings of amino acids with specialized functioning

Neuropeptides

What is a type of neuropeptide?

Endorphins

Human made opinions act on the _

Endorphin system

Targets the production or inhibition of certain neurotransmitters and impact mood, arousal, or behaviour

Psychoactive drugs

Mimics endorphins and increase activity

Opiates

What do antagonists do?

Decrease activity

Formation of new synapses

Synaptogenesis

Death of certain neurons and retraction of axons to remove those not useful

Pruning

Insulation of axons with myelin sheath

Myelination

What happens to dendrites in enriched conditions?

Increase in branching and extension

Creation of new neurons in adult brain

Neurogenesis

Cells, often originating in embryos, having the capacity to differentiate a more specialized cell

Stem cells

What does long-term potentiation do?

Makes synapses perform better

When does long-term potentiation occur?

During learning

Once we reach adulthood, our plasticity _ sharply and we can recover only partially from brain injury and illness

Decreases

Sensory information comes into, and decisions come out of the

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The nerves outside the central nervous system are called the _

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

Central nervous system

Brain & spinal cord

Peripheral

Autonomic, Somatic

Autonomic

Parasympathetic, sympathetic

The is the most developed area of the human brain

Forebrain

The consists of two cerebral hemisphere connected by the corpus callosum which allows communication between them

Cerebral cortex

The majority of the forebrain is composed of the _

Cerebral cortex

The forebrain can be divided into lobes

Four

Frontal lobe (forebrain)

Front

Temporal lobe (forebrain)

Lower

Parietal lobe (forebrain)

Upper

Occipital lobe (forebrain)

Back

Assists in motor function, language and memory

Frontal lobes

Executive functioning

Oversee and organize most other brain functions

Responsible for thinking, planning and language

Prefrontal cortex

Specialized for touch and perception

Parietal lobe

Contains the somatosensory cortex, which is sensitive to pressure, pain and temperature

Parietal lobe

Plays a role in hearing, understanding language and storing autobiographical memories

Temporal lobe

Contains the auditory cortex and Wernicke's area

Temporal lobe

Wernicke's area

Responsible for speech comprehension

Specialized for vision

Occipital lobe

The Basal Ganglia

Forebrain structure that helps control movement, allows us to perform movements to obtain rewards and reinforcement