AP Psychology: Unit 2 Part 1: Biological Bases of Behavior (Brain)

gentically predisposed

is an increased likelihood of developing a particular disease based on a person's genetic makeup.

Rosenzweig Study

1984 research study showing that rats raised in enriched environments developed thicker cortices than those in impoverished environment.

Temperament

refers to a person's stable emotional reactivity and intensity.

Heritability

Variation among people due to differing genes; "differences due to genes; "Group variation in trait explained by genetics

Phrenology

first attempt at localizing functions of brain and giving meaning to "bumps" on the head; considered a pseudo psychology

Nature

referring to ones genes

Nurture

referring to ones environment

James Olds Experiment

Discovered the pleasure center of the brain; He put the rat in a box and stimulated its brain whenever the rat approached a certain corner. Further research showed that stimulation of areas in the limbic system produced pleasure in humans, too; Hypothalamus stimulated and dopamine released.

Right brain hemisphere specialization

Side of the brain responsible for colors, daydreaming, 3D, rhythm, imagination, geometry, distance, sense of direction, faces, emotional expressions

Left brain hemisphere specialization

Side of the brain responsible for words, letters, language, verbal memory, numbers lists, logic, analysis

split-brain patients

A person with corpus callosum severed (often for reasons of eliminating seizures; misfiring in the brain)...in an experiment to show the separation of the hemispheres objects (an apple) presented in the right visual field CAN be named. Objects (a pencil) in the left visual field CANNOT. (Gazzaniga)

plasticity

the brains ability to taken on functions of missing or damaged areas

thyroid

part of the endocrine system that affects metabolism

parathyroid

part of the endocrine system that regulates the level of calcium in the blood

pancreas

part of the endocrine system that regulates the level of sugar in the blood

gonads

is an endocrine gland that produces the gametes (sex cells) of an organism; testis/male and ovaries/female.

grey matter

in the brain the outer processing layer; it contains numerous cell bodies and relatively few myelinated axons

white matter

in the brain the interconnecting core; it contains relatively very few cell bodies and is composed chiefly of long-range myelinated axon

testis

part of the endocrine system that secretes male sex hormones

ovaries

part of the endocrine system that secretes female sex hormones

homeostasis

A tendency to maintain a balanced or constant internal state; the regulation of any aspect of body chemistry, such as blood glucose, around a particular level

Inhibitory

negative signal sent to the dendrite (-); signal that makes a neuron LESS likely to generate an action potential.

Excitatory

positive signal sent to the dendrite (+); signal that makes a neuron MORE likely to generate an action potential.

Nodes of Ranvier

also known as myelin sheath gaps, are periodic gaps in the insulating myelin sheaths of myelinated axons where the axons membrane is exposed

Schwann Cells

any of the cells in the peripheral nervous system that produce the myelin sheath around neuronal axons.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

is a nervous system disease that affects your brain and spinal cord. It damages the myelin sheath, the material that surrounds and protects your nerve cells.

axon terminal

is the very end of a branch of a nerve's axon, a long slender nerve fiber that conducts electrical signals to a nerve synapse

vesicle

fluid filled bubble like structure that's store the neurotransmitters in the axon terminals

receptor site

lock-key area of the receiving neuron to receive the incoming neurotransmitter

direction of impulse (action potential)

in action potential, action potential will only go this way and not reverse

speed of impulse (action potential)

in action potential, the action potential will always been this speed and say consistent throughout the axon

strength of impulse (action potential)

in action potential the power of the impulse will say consistent throughout the axon

Phineas Gage

1848 railroad worker that was injured by a tamping iron traveling through his brain and separating his frontal lobe from his limbic system; early case of changes in the brain

SNAGGED

Mnemonic device to remember the 7 neurotransmitters we are responsible for.

Serotonin

neurotransmitter that is in charge of mood, emotional stability, generally inhibitory; referred to as "happiness" drug; symptoms of deficit - mood disorders/depression.

Norepinephrine

neurotransmitter that is in charge physical arousal, energy and can act both as Inhibitory or excitatory; symptoms of deficit - depression; symptoms of surplus - anxiety, stress, nervous tension

Acetylcholine (ACh)

neurotransmitter that is in charge of movement, memory, tells muscles to contract, excitatory; symptoms of deficit - paralysis, Alzheimer 's disease (memory impairment); symptoms of surplus - violent muscle contractions/spasms

Glutamate

neurotransmitter that is in charge of learning, memory, how information moves, all-purpose excitatory and found in many areas of the brain; symptoms of surplus - seizures and migraines...overstimulated

GABA (gamma aminobutryic acid)

neurotransmitter that is in charge of relaxation and sleep, inhibitory; symptoms of deficit - anxiety, seizures, tremors, insomnia; symptoms of surplus - sleep disorders, some eating disorders

Endorphins

neurotransmitter that is in charge of pain relief, positive emotions, generally inhibitory; natural opiate/pain reliever, released during aerobic exercise and linked to positive emotions; "runners high"; symptoms of deficit - body experiences pain; symptoms of surplus - body may not give adequate warning about pain, artificial highs

Dopamaine

neurotransmitter involved in voluntary muscle movements, attention, learning, memory, emotional arousal & rewarding sensations; Symptoms of deficit - Parkinson's Disease; symptoms of surplus, Schizophrenia, Schizophrenia-like symptoms: hallucinations, perceptual disorders and addiction

Mirror Neurons

discovered in the 1990s, play a role in acquisition of new motor skills, the imitation of others and the ability to feel empathy for others. Dysfunctions in this neuron are believe to explain the social deficits seen in autistic disorders.

(MEG) Magnetoencephalography

Similar to fMRI-shows what areas light up; Produces at a very fast rate (1/1000 of a second compared to 1-3 seconds for fMRI; Very expensive

biological psychology

the scientific study of the links between biological (genetic, neural, hormonal) and psychological process. Some biological psychologists call themselves behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologists, or biopsychologists.)

neuron

a nerve cell, the basic building block of the nervous system.

dendrites

a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body.

axon

the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to muscles or glands.

myelin sheath

a fatty tissue layer segmentally encasing the axons of some neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed as neural impulses hope from one sausage-like node to the next.

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon.

resting potential

neurons normal state; polarized neuron; positive on the outside of the axon and negative in the inside

depolarization

as action potential is occurring the axon is having positive ions flood the axon and channels open in axon to send message

sodium-potassium pumps

a gate/pump that is selectively permeable gates on the axon; they allows Sodium (Na++) ions to pass through permeable axon wall and allows Potassium (K+) ions out of axon

refractory period

a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired.

re-polarization

after neuron is fired it must get back to resting potential by this process

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse; excitatory signals minus the inhibitory signals exceed a minimum intensity the neuron fires an action potential

all-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not.

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft

neurotransmitters

chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons when released by the sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse.

reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron; applies the brakes on the neurotransmitters action

agonist

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor sit, stimulates a response; mimics neurotransmitter

antagonist

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response; blocks neurotransmitter from working

nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central systems.

Peripheral nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the body.

nerves

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs.

sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.

motor (efferent) neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.

interneurons

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs.

somatic nervous system

nervous system the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls voluntary movement of the body's skeletal muscles; so....my choice!

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its parasympathetic division calms. (automatic...heartbeat, breathing, etc.,)

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations. (fight or flight)

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous that calms the body, conserving its energy. (calming, paramedics are meant to calm at the scene of an accident)

reflex

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response.

endocrine system

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues.

adrenal glands

a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys and secret hormones (epinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

pituitary gland

"master gland;" the endocrine system's most influential gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

lesion

tissue destruction. This is a naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue.

(EEG) electroencephalogram

an amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

(CT) computed tomography scan

a series of X-ray photographs taken from different angles and combined by computer into a composite representation of a slice of the brain's structure

(PET) positron emission tomography scan

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

(MRI) magnetic resonance imaging

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated image of soft tissue. The images show brain anatomy.

(fMRI) Functional MRI

technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans. These scans show brain functions as well as its structure.

Cerebrum

"the whole brain;" The largest division of the brain. It is divided into two hemispheres, each of which is divided into four lobes.

brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; this is responsible for automatic survival functions; hindbrain

reticular formation

found in the brainstem, carries sleep and arousal messages through the brainstem; States of Consciousness

medulla

the base of the brainstem; regulates unconscious functions; breathing, circulation, heart rate

thalamus

the brain's sensory control center, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla; handles all sense except smell

cerebellum

the "little brain" at the rear of the brainstem; functions include processing sensory input, coordinating muscle movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory.

limbic system

doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebrum; including the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus; located below the cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions and drives.

amygdala

found in the Limbic System; Controls aggression & emotional impulses/fear & anger (consists of two lima bean-sized neural clusters )

hypothalamus

a neural structure lying below (hypo) the thalamus; it directs several maintenance activities (eating drinking body temperature), helps govern the endocrine system via the pituitary gland, and is linked to emotion and reward.

Hippocampus

found in the Limbic System; handles learning and memory; specially the formation of NEW memories

cerebral cortex

the intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons; they also play a role in learning and thinking.

basal ganglia

inner structure of the brain handling fine motor & voluntary movements (not part of limbic system)

frontal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying just behind the forehead; involved in speaking and muscle movements and in making plans and judgments.

parietal lobes

portion of the cerebral cortex lying at the top of the head and toward the rear; receives sensory input for touch and body position.

pre-frontal cortex

is the cerebral cortex which covers the front part of the frontal lobe; primary spot for decision making

Broca's Area

found in the left frontal lobe that is in charge of speech production

Broca's Aphasia

damage to this area of the left frontal lobe someone can't speak correctly directly or can only say one word for all words (tono!)