behavioral sciences - biology and behavior

page 52 from the MCAT review sheets document

central nervous system

spinal cord and brain

peripheral nervous system

nervous tissue and fibers outside of CNS

PNS - somatic

responsible for voluntary actions

PNS - autonomic

includes the sympathetic (F/F) and parasympathetic (R/D)

acetylcholine

moves muscles (used within the sympathetic, parasympathetic, and CNS)

dopamine

maintains smooth movements and steady posture

endorphins and enkephalins

natural pain killers

epinephrine and norepinephrine

maintain wakefulness and mediate F/F responses

Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

inhibitory neurotransmitters, brain “stabilizers”

glutamate

acts as an excitatory neurotransmitter

serotonin

modulates mood, sleep, eating, and dreaming

cortisol

stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex

testosterone and estrogen

mediates libido, produced in the gonads and released by the adrenal cortex

epinephrine and norepinephrine (2)

released by the adrenal medulla and cause physiological changes associated with the sympathetic nervous system

hindbrain

cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular formation

midbrain

inferior and superior colliculi

forebrain

thalamus, hypothalamus, basal ganglia, limbic system, cerebral cortex

thalamus

relat station for sensory information

hypothalamus

homeostasis, 4 F’s, integrates with the endocrine system

basal ganglia

smooth movements and helps with postural stability

limbic system

septal nuclei, amygdala, hippocampus

septal nuclei

pleasure and addiction

amygdala

fear and aggression

hippocampus

emotion and memory

cerebral cortex

(4) frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal

frontal lobe

executive function, impulse, speech, and motor

parietal lobe

touch, pressure, pain, spatial processing, and temperature

occipital lobe

vision

temporal lobe

sound, speech perception, memory, emotion

cerebral hemispheres

left and right

left hemisphere

analytic, language, logic, math

right hemisphere

intuition, creaitivity, and spatial processing