Behavioral Neurobiology Final

This extensive flashcards contain extensive terms, definitions, images, and examples of behavioral neurobiology concepts. Topics include neurotransmitters, hormones, development, sensation and perception, motor control, psychopathology, learning and memory, and the neurobiological basis for homeostatic behavior (not in that order). Taken from Breedlove & Watson (2023), this flashcard set was compiled from other flashcards (on my account) as a study guide for the final exam in Behavioral Neurobiology at BYU-I.

Learning

Acquiring new and (relatively) enduring information, behavior patterns, or abilities, characterized by modifications of behavior from practice, study, and experience

Memory

The ability to store, retain, and retrieve information based on the mental process of encoding

Amnesia

Severe impairment of memory resulting from accident or disease

Retrograde amnesia

Difficulty in retrieving memories formed before amnesia onset - before an event such as a surgery or head injury

Anterograde amnesia

The inability to form new memories beginning with the onset of a disorder

Patient H.M.

A patient unable to encode new declarative memories (anterograde amnesia) due to damage to medial temporal lobe structures

Declarative memory

Facts and information acquired through learning that can be stated or described

Nondeclarative (procedural) memory

Memory of perceptual or motor procedures shown by performance rather than conscious recollection

Delayed non-matching-to-sample task

A test in which, on each trial, the participant must select the stimulus that was not presented previously

Patient N.A.

A person unable to encode new declarative memories due to damage to the dorsal thalamus and mammillary bodies

Korsakoff’s syndrome

A memory disorder related to thiamine deficiency, associated with chronic alcoholism, shrunken mammillary bodies, and damaged dorsomedial thalamus

Patient K.C.

A person who sustained damage to the cortex that rendered him unable to retrieve autobiographical (episodic) memories while having intact semantic memories

Episodic memory

A declarative memory of a particular incident, time, and place

Semantic memory

Generalized declarative memory - knowing the meaning of a word without knowing the context of when or where it was learned

Three types of nondeclarative memory

Skill learning, priming, associative learning

Skill learning

Learning to perform tasks that require motor coordination, like reading mirror-reversed text or riding a bike

Priming (repetition priming)

The phenomenon by which prior exposure to a stimulus facilitates responses to the same or a similar stimulus

Associative learning (conditioning)

A type of learning in which association is formed between two stimuli or between a stimuli and response, including classical and operant conditioning

Operant (instrumental) conditioning

A form of associative learning in which associations are formed between an individual’s behavior and the consequences of that behavior

Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning

A type of associative learning in which, after pairing, originally neutral stimuli elicit responses normally elicited by an unconditioned stimuli

Cognitive map

A mental representation and understanding of the relative spatial organization of objects and information

Place cells

Hippocampal neurons that selectively fire when the animal is in or moves toward a particular location within a room

Grid cells

Neurons that selectively fire when an animal crosses intersection points of an abstract grid map of the local environment

Border cells

Neurons that selectively fire when an animal arrives at the perimeter of a local spatial cognitive map

Species of food-caching birds have larger ______ than their noncaching cousins

Hippocampi

Sensory buffers

An element of the type of briefest memory that stores sensory impressions of a scene

Short-term memories (STMs)

A form of memory that usually lasts only for seconds or as long as rehearsal continues, especially while being used during performance of a task

Working memory

A type of short-term memory that holds limited information for ready access during task performance - the manipulation and processing of information in STM

Intermediate-term memory

A form of memory lasting longer than STM but not as long as LTM

Long-term memories (LTMs)

Enduring, high-capacity declarative and nondeclarative memories that last days, weeks, months, or years

Processing steps of memory

Encoding, consolidation (into engrams), retrieval, reconsolidation

Encoding

A stage of memory formation in which information entering sensory channels is passed into STM

Consolidation

The conversion of memories from STM (or intermediate-term memory) into LTM

Engrams (memory trace)

The physical basis of a memory in the brain, possibly involving circuits rather than individual neurons

Retrieval

A memory process in which a stored memory is used for future behavior under the direction of cognitive processes like attention

Reconsolidation

The process by which retrieved, plastic memories are strengthened or altered and returned to LTM

Neuroplasticity

The ability of neurons and neural circuits to be remodeled by events

Standard condition (SC)

The usual environment for lab rodents: housed in small groups in standard lab cages with adequate food

Impoverished condition (IC, or isolated condition)

A condition in which lab rodents are housed alone in a small cage without complex stimuli

Enriched condition (EC, or complex environment)

A condition in which lab rodents are housed in groups with wide varieties of stimuli such as toys and other interesting features

Plastic changes of brains in EC animals

Heavier and thicker cortex, more dendritic branches

Nonassociative learning

Learning in which presentation of a stimulus alters the strength or probability of response according to the strength/timing of that stimulus

Three types of nonassociative learning

Habituation, dishabituation, sensitization

Habituation

A form of nonassociative learning in which an organism becomes less responsive following repeated presentations of a stimulus

Dishabituation

A restoration of response amplitude following habituation, often caused by strong stimuli (of the same sort or even another sensory modality)

Sensitization

A type of nonassociative learning in which an organism becomes more responsive to most stimuli after being exposed to unusually strong/painful stimulation

Unconditioned and conditioned eye-blink responses both involve neurons that synapse in the _______ of the _______

Interpositus nucleus, cerebellum

Hebbian synapse

A synapse that is strengthened when it successfully drives the postsynaptic cell

Cell assemblies

A group of cells (linked via Hebbian synapse activity) that tend to be activated simultaneously or in close succession

Tetanus (tetanic stimulation)

An intense volley of action potentials, which seems to strengthen synapses

Long-term potentiation (LTP)

A stable, enduring increase in the effectiveness of synapses following repeated strong stimulation

Dentate gyrus

A strip of gray matter in the hippocampal formation associated with LTP

AMPA receptors

Glutamate receptors that bind the glutamate agonist AMPA, being the only activated receptors in a CA1 synapse during normal, low-level activity

In low-level synaptic activity, ________ cannot respond to glutamate because ___ ions block their Ca++ channels

NMDA receptors, Mg++

Protein kinases

Intracellular enzymes that alter or activate various proteins

CREB (cAMP responsive-element-binding protein)

A transcription factor activated by kinases that impacts the expression of genes involved in encoding various proteins and therefore neural plasticity

Conditional knockout

A gene selectively deactivated in specific tissues and/or at specific stages of development

Nootropics

A class of drugs that enhance cognitive function

Epidemiology

The scientific study of the incidence and distribution of diseases in a population

Schizophrenia

A psychopathology characterized by auditory hallucinations, personalized delusions, changes in affect (emotion), and cognitive impairments

Delusions

False beliefs

Positive symptoms (in psychiatry)

A behavior gained in a disorder, such as hallucinations, delusions, and excited motor behavior

Negative symptoms

Behavioral functions that have been lost, demonstrated by emotional/social withdrawal, blunted affect, and slowness/impoverishment of thought and speech

Concordant

Referring to any trait seen in both individuals of a pair of twins

Discordant

Referring to any trait seen in only one individual in a pair of twins

Endophenotype

Behavioral or physical characteristics that accompany susceptibility to particular disorders, possibly used to identify those at risk

Individuals with schizophrenia seem to have enlarged _______ and atrophied _______.

Ventricles, hippocampi/amygdalae

Dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia

The hypothesis that schizophrenia results from either excessive levels of synaptic dopamine or excessive postsynaptic sensitivity to dopamine

Amphetamine psychosis

A delusional and psychotic state brought on by repeated use of high doses of amphetamine, closely resembling acute schizophrenia

Tardive dyskinesia

A disorder characterized by involuntary movements - especially involving the face, mouth, lips, and tongue - caused by prolonged use of antipsychotic drugs like chlorpromazine

Chlorpromazine

A first-generation antipsychotic drug that blocks dopamine D2 receptors, replacing the lobotomy

First-generation antipsychotics

A major class of antischizophrenic drugs whose principal mode of action is antagonist activity at dopamine D2 receptors

Second-generation antipsychotics

A class of antischizophrenic drugs that have actions other than or in addition to the dopamine D2 receptor antagonism that characterizes the first-generation antipsychotics

Clozapine

A second-generation antipsychotic that selectively blocks serotonin receptors (especially 5-HT2A)

Phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust)

An anesthetic/psychedelic drug acting as an NMDA receptor antagonist that induces phenomena resembling positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Psychotomimetic

A drug that induces a schizophrenia-like state

Ketamine

A dissociative anesthetic drug similar to PCP that acts as an NMDA receptor antagonist

Glutamate hypothesis of schizophrenia

The hypothesis that schizophrenia may be caused, in part, by understimulation of glutamate receptors

Depression (major depressive disorder)

A psychiatric condition characterized by such symptoms as an unhappy mood; loss of interests, energy, and appetite; and difficulty concentrating

Habenula

A structure near the posterior thalamus implicated in emotional cognition, reward, and mood; thought to be a sort of “antireward center”

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)

Intentional induction of a seizure to treat severe depression

Deep brain stimulation (DBS)

Mild electrical stimulation through an electrode surgically implanted deep in the brain

Monoamine oxidase (MAO)

Enzymes that break down (and thereby inactivate) monoamine transmitters

MAO inhibitors

First generation of modern antidepressants that inhibit MAO, increasing levels of monoamines in the synaptic cleft

Monoamine hypothesis of depression

The hypothesis that depression is caused by reduced activity of one or more monoamine transmitters, such as serotonin

Reserpine

A drug that causes depletion of monoamines (norepinephrine and serotonin) and can cause profound depression

Tricyclics

Second-generation antidepressants that inhibit reuptake of monoamines serotonin and norepinephrine, increasing their synaptic accumulation

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

A class of drugs that block the reuptake of transmitter at serotonergic synapses, commonly used to treat depression through their increased efficacy compared to MAO inhibitors and tricyclics

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

Drugs that block the reuptake of transmitter at serotonergic and noradrenergic synapses, increasing synaptic availability

Serotonin syndrome

Confusion, muscle spasms, and fever that may occur when brain levels of serotonin are too high, such as from taking SSRIs

Cushing’s syndrome

A condition in which levels of adrenal glucocorticoids (like cortisol) are abnormally high, putting individuals at higher risk of depression

Dexamethasone suppression test

A test in which a participant is given dexamethasone to cause declines in the production of adrenal corticosteroids, but has little effect on depressed individuals

Dexamethasone

A potent synthetic glucocorticoid that ordinarily suppresses the early-morning rise in adrenocorticotropic hormones typical in most people

Learned helplessness

A learning paradigm in which individuals are subjected to inescapable, unpleasant conditions, linked to decrease in serotonin and dopamine function

Bipolar disorder

A psychiatric disorder characterized by periods of depression that alternate with excessive, expansive moods

Cyclothymia

A milder, subclinical state related to bipolar disorder in which individuals experience dysthymia and hypomania

Dysthymia

Poor mood or mild depression, found among individuals experiencing cyclothymia

Hypomania

A state of increased energy and positive mood that lacks bizarre aspects of mania

Lithium

A element that when administered as a drug, often mysteriously relieves symptoms of bipolar disorder

Lithium (possible) mechanisms of action

Interacting with signaling protein GSK3ß that regulates neural plasticity, boosting activity of BDNF (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), reducing neuronal activity