AP PSYCH: biological bases of behavior

Peripheral Nervous System

contains: autonomic and somatic; autonomic: sympathetic and parasympathetic; somatic: sensory (afferent) and motor (efferent)

Autonomic

under peripheral NS; regulates INVOLUNTARY funcs; contains sympathetic and parasympathetic

sympathetic ns

(autonomic), controls fight or flight response

parasympathetic (think "parachute")

calms down body after danger is averted

interneurons

in spinal cord, carry emergency messages quickly before brain can react.

neural impulse/action potential

electric surge that carries the neuron's message; message must meet a THRESHOLD to start an action potential

refractory period

brief moment where neuron cant fire again

resting potential

neuron's charge is (-) while the inside of neuron is (+)

depolarization

both (+) and (-) charges in the cell membrane

multiple sclerosis

disorder causing DAMAGE 2 MYELIN SHEATH leading to numbness, impairment of speech, and muscle coordination

myasthenia gravis

autoimmune disorder where communication btwn nerves & muscles is destroyed (typically in face)

reuptake

neurotransmitters left in synapse are REABSORBED into the SENDING NEURON

lock 'n key mechanism

neurotransmitters bind to receptors of the receiving neurons in a key-lock process; NATURAL CHEMICALS will fit perfectly

agonist

mimics neurotransmitter enough to make neuron fire

antagonist

blocks/stops neural firing

3 layers of brain (from bottom most up)

brainstem, limbic system, cerebral cortex

brainstem

hindbrain; most primitive layer (all animals have it1)

medulla

in brainstem; controls vital funcs (ex: breathing)

pons

in brainstem; responsible for sleep and dreams

reticular formation

in brainstem; responsible for alertness and arousal

cerebellum

in brainstem; balance, coordination, and muscle memory

limbic system

mid-brain; regulates emotion, memory, motivation, pleasure, etc.

thalamus

in limbic system; "sensory switchboard" senses go to thalamus where its rewired to brain to be processed (EXCEPT SMELL)

hippocampus

in limbic system; establishes LONG TERM memory (think "a hippo on campus")

amygdala

in limbic system; anger, aggression, fear response

hypothalamus

in limbic system; "brain's thermostat", constantly monitoring to determine condition of body

5 F's of hypothalamus

feeding, fighting, fleeing, freezing, and fun (reward system)!

cerebral cortex

pink, wrinkly part; responsible for perceiving and storing memories + higher order thinking

contralaterized

cross wired control of brain-to-body

corpus callosum

in cerebral cortex; bond of neurons that connect 2 cerebral hemispheres so body can coordinate

what lobes are the ceebral split into?

frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal

frontal lobe

involved in movement (motor cortex) and thinking

parietal lobe

touch sensation and perceiving spatial relationship + body location

occipital lobe

"visual cortex", identifies and makes sense of info from eyes

temporal lobe

"auditory cortex", hearing, taste, language processing and memory storage

sensory cortex

location: in front of parietal; touch sensitivity

brain scans: EEG

machine designed to record brain waves of the cortex

brain scans: fMRI

reveals both activity and anatomy of brain

Angular gyrus

changes visual images into auditory code (shape of letters into sound)

Wernicke's Area

in LEFT temporal; interprets the auditory code and understands words

Broca's Area

in frontal lobe; controls speech muscles through the moto cortex

Motor Cortex (in context of language comprehension)

in frontal lobe; sends message to move from here to the tongue, lips, and mouth

Aphasia

language impairment

Broca's Aphasia

nonfluent, trouble producing speech

Wernicke's Aphasia

"word salad", nonsenical speech + impaired reading and writing ability

fusiform gyrus

facial recognition (right hemisphere)

Prosopagnosia

face blindness

somatic NS

under peripheral NS; controls voluntary movement

neurogenesis

growing new neurons

what body system works w/ the hypothalamus

the endocrine system

adrenal glands

secrete hormones 4 fight or flight response

oxylocin

love hormone, affects male/female for childbirth and bonding scenarios

how long do sleep cycles last

90-120 min

list the brain waves in order

beta, alpha, theta, delta

which brain wave is active when awake? (stage 1)

beta waves

which brain wave is active when relaxed (yet awake, stage 2)

alpha

which stage of sleep is relaxation in?

stage 1 of light sleep

which brain wave is active during light sleep (stage 3)?

theta

hypnagogic jerk

occurs when RELAXED - body fighting sleep

sleep spindles

occurs when in LIGHT SLEEP (theta): keeps asleep by blocking out stimulations; produced by the thalamus

which brain wave is activate during deep sleep (stage 4)?

delta waves

what can occur while in deep sleep

bedwetting, sleepwalking, sleeptalking, etc.

what does REM sleep stand for

rapid eye movement sleep

what stage do dreams occur

REM (stage 5)

what is REM rebound

after sleep deprivation, body enters REM state quicker and stays there longer the following night(s)

Consciousness

awareness of sensations, thoughts, and feelings ("tip of iceberg")

Preconscious

info that is not in consciousness but can be brought into awareness (if attention is called to it)

Unconscious

processing that occurs w/o our awareness (repressing thoughts)

Circadian Rhythm

wake-sleep cycle; occurs ~24 hrs; controlled by hypothalamus

dopamine (neurotransmitter)

controls voluntary movement, attention, learning, pleasure + reward

oversupply of dopamine

muscle rigidity/Parkinson's

serotonin (neurotransmitter)

mood, sleep, appetite, dreams

norephinephrine (neurotransmitter)

alertness and arousal

glutamate (neurotransmitter)

learning and memory (strengthens synaptic connections)

GABA (neurotransmitter)

sleep/relaxation and movement

endorphin (neurotransmitter)

"runner's high", natural painkiller

acetylcholine (neurotransmitter)

motor movement, learning, memory (carries messages from CNS to PNS)

substance p (neurotransmitter)

signals pain and activates sympathetic NS