biological bases of psychology

biological psychology

biological psychology

branch of psychology that studies how the body influences behavior and mental processes

what is the job of neurons?

send and receive information

sensory neurons

sends info from the body tissues to the brain

motor neurons

takes info from the brain and sends it to the tissues

inter-neurons

"internal highway" (brain and spinal cord / central nervous system)

dendrites

receive information from other neurons

nucleus

contains DNA and allows for replication

cell body (soma)

holds the nucleus, gives structure

myelin sheath

protects the axon

axon

carries information

axon terminal

information is sent through the synapse to other neurons

glial cells

support cells in the nervous system ("glue cells"

resting potential

difference in electrical charge across the plasma membrane of a neuron

during resting potential the outside of the neuron is _________ and the inside of the neuron is _________

positive (outside), negative (inside)

action potential

happens when positively charged ions rush in the a part axon and cause that part to become depolarized

refractory period

neuron pumps positively charged ions outside the cell

synapse

the gap between neurons where neurotransmitters send and receive information

excitaory neurotransmitters

causes depolarization and promotes an action potential in the recieving neuron

inhibitory neurotransmitters

causes hyperpolarization and depresses action potential generation

acetylocholine (ACh) function

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

acetylocholine (ACh) malfunction

with alzheimer's, ACh-producing neruons deteriorate

dopamine function

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

dopamine malfunction

oversupply linked to schizophrenia. undersupply linked to tremors and decreased mobility in parkinson's disease

serotonin function

affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

serotonin malfunction

undersupply linked to depression. prozac and other antidepressants can raise serotonin levels

norepinephrine function

helps control alertness and arousal

norepinephrine malfunction

undersupply can depress mood

GABA function

major inhibitory neurotransmitter, reduces stress

GABA malfunction

undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia

glutamate function

major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

glutamate malfunction

oversupply and overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures

agonists

increase a neurotransmitter's action

agonist example

opiates

antagonists

decrease a neurotransmitter's action by blocking production or release

antagonist example

botox

central nervous system (CNS)

brain and spinal cord

somatic nervous system

controls voluntary movements

autonomic nervous system

controls involuntary actions

sympatheic nervous system

arousing (fight or flight)

parasympathetic nervous system

calming

reflex

an automatic response to stimulus

endocrine system

regulates the body through hormones

adrenal glands

fight or flight response

pituitary gland function

master gland, secretes hormones that can affect other glands

pituitary gland location

brain

hypothalamus function

sex drive/hunger drive/thirst drive, regulates body temperature

hypothalamus location

midbrain

anterior pituitary gland function

secretes growth hormone

anterior pituitary gland location

brain

posterior pituitary gland function

secretes oxytocin

posterior pituitary gland location

brain

thyroid gland function

affects metabolism, among other things

thyroid gland location

throat

parathyoids function

help regulate the level of calcium in the blood

parathyoids location

throat

electroencephalograph (EEG)

used to get overall activity of the brain

how does an EEG work?

electrodes placed on a person's scalp to measure an amplified recording of the electrical waves sweeping across the brain's surface

examples of structural imaging

CT scan, MRI

examples of functional imaging

PET scan, fMRI

CT scans

show size and location of brain abnormalities caused by tumors, blood vessel defects, blood clots, strokes, and other problems

MRI scans

uses a magnetic field and radio waves to produce computer-generated images. distinguish among different types of brain tissue

PET scans

use radioactive glucose to determine location of greatest brain activity

fMRIs

shows function and structure by measuring movement of blood muscles within the brain

spinal cord function

sends messages from the body to the brain

medulla function

controls breathing, blood pressure, heart rate, blinking, vomiting

medulla location

brainstem

pons function

puts you to sleep

pons location

brainstem

reticular formation function

wakes you up, decides what we should pay attention to

reticular formation location

brainstem

thalamus function

receives sensory information from all the senses EXCEPT smell, sends information to where it needs to go in the brain

thalamus location

midbrain

cerebellum function

controls balance, coordination, and movement

cerebellum location

midbrain

limbic system function

emotion and memory

hippocampus function

turns short-term memory into long-term memory. also helps navigate spatial reasoning

limbic system location

midbrain

amygdala

emotion and movements - fear, fight, and flight

amygdala location

midbrain

lateral hypothalamus

hunger messages (lunch!!) / in the midbrain

ventromedial hypothalamus

satiety center (vomit!!) / in the midbrain

cerebral cortex

divided into four lobes (frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal)

frontal lobe function

speaking, motor movements, personality, emotion, making plans, and judgements

primary motor cortex function

motor movements

primary motor cortex location

frontal lobe

broca's area function

speech production

broca's area location

frontal lobe - LEFT

olfactory bulb function

smell

olfactory bulb location

frontal lobe

parietal lobe function

sensory input for touch and body position

primary sensory cortex function

processes tactile information (touch)

primary sensory cortex location

parietal lobe

somatosensory association area function

interpretation of sensation relative to body position and orientation in space

somatosensory association area location

parietal lobe

primary gustatory cortex function

taste 😋

primary gustatory cortex location

parietal lobe

angular gyrus function

transforms visual representations into auditory code

angular gyrus location

parietal lobe

occipital lobe function

processes visual information

primary visual cortex function

responsible for sight (recognizes size, color, light, and motion)