Unit 1 - Biological Bases of Behavior

Answer with TERM

Acetylcholine

Acetylcholine

an excitatory neurotransmitter that enables muscle control/movement, learning, and memory

Paralysis, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia

What are the effects of low levels of Acetylcholine?

Violent muscle contractions, convulsions, possible death, Myasthenia Gravis

What are the effects of high levels of Acetylcholine?

Black Widow spider venom

What is a cause of high levels of Acetylcholine?

Action Potential (Neural Firing)

a rapid sequence of changes in the voltage across a membrane (-55mV)

Adoption Studies

research studies that assess heredity influence by examing the resembelance between adopted childten and both their adoptive and biological parents

Adrenaline

caused by the neurotransmitter norepinephrine and is triggered by the fight or flight response

Agonists

drugs that excite by mimicking a particular neurotransmitter or blocking its reuptake

All-or-Nothing Principle

cells either fire, or they don’t - always occur with the same charge

Amygdala

the emotion center responsible for fear and reward

decrease in fear, aggression, sexual desire, and ability to interpret others’ emotions

What does damage to the Amygdala cause?

Antagonists

substances that inhibit, or block action of neurotransmitters

Broca’s Aphasia

very slow, slurred, and labored speech; no comprehension problems

Association Areas

a part of the cerebral cortex that integrates sensory and motor areas to create complex perceptions

Autonomic Nervous System

controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands

Axons

transmit information to other neurons, muscles, and glands

Brain Stem

the “stalk” in the lower part of the brain that connects the spinal cord to higher regions of the brain; automatic survival functions; home to cerebellum, reticular formation, and medulla

Broca’s Area

LEFT hemisphere only; responsible for speech production and expressive communication

Central Nervous System (CNS)

processing (brain and spinal cord)

Cerebellum

coordinates voluntary movements (balance) and enables non-verbal learning

Cerebral Cortex (Neocortex)

newest evolved portion of the brain and last portion to develop in humans; responsible for most complex aspects of perception, emotion, movement, and thoughts

Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

represents body parts on opposites side of the body

Corpus Callosum

bundle of nerve fibers separating the brain into two hemispheres; controls opposite sides of body (contralateral)

CAT

x-ray images, combined; can detect abnormalities like tumors

Dendrites

receive information from other neurons

Depolarization

causes the next axon’s chambers to open

Dopamine

an excitatory neurotransmitter that enables pleasure, movement, learning, attention

Parkinson’s Disease and muscle rigidity

What are the effects of low levels of dopamine?

Schizophrenia

What is an effect of high levels of dopamine?

Drug addiction (of cocaine, amphetamines, agonist drugs)

What is a cause of high levels of dopamine?

EEG

measures the electrical activity in the brain; can show which areas of the brain are active or have abnormalities

Endorphins

natural opiates (inhibitory neurotransmitters) for pain control and pleasure in response to pain and vigorous exercise

Pain

What is an effect of low levels of endorphins?

Body may not give pain/danger signals

What is an effect of high levels of endorphins?

An artificial high (with drugs) that cause a feeling of euphoria

What is a cause of high levels of endorphins?

Eugenics

practice of selective breedint to create specimens; outdates and discriminatory; forcible sterilization of those “less desirable”

Evolutionary Perspective

a theoretical approach is psychokology that examines coginition and behavior from a modern evolutionary perspective

Excitatory Neurotransmitters

excite connecting neurons and causes them to fire

Executive Functioning

the higher cognitive function that allows a person to plan, set goals, focus attention, and control impulsive behavior

fMRI

detects unoxygenated and oxygenated blood; identifies areas in the brain that are most active

Frontal Lobes

planning, judging, memory, reasoning, abstract thinking, impulse control, and movement (motor cortex); last to develop and myelinate

GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)

inhibitory neurotransmitter that balances excitatory messages, regulates anxiety, and regulate daily sleep and wake cycles

Anxiety and tremors

What is an effect of low levels of GABA?

Sleep and eating disorders

What is an effect of high levels of GABA?

Genetic Predisposition

an increased likelihood of developing a specific trait or condition due to inherited genes

Glial Cells

support system for neurons, facilitate neural transmission, and remove damaged/dead neurons

Glutamate

excitatory neurotransmitter for thinking, memory, learning, engaging, and strengthening neural connections

Hemispheric Specialization

the idea that the left and right sides of the brain have different functions

Heredity

a word that describes and explains the nature, or genetic, part of psychology; it is what determines the predisposed characteristics of individuals

Higher-Order Thinking

thinking on a higher level than just memorizing facts or telling something back to someone exactly how it was said previously

Hippocampus

creates new memories; integrates, consolidates, and stores memories

Hormones

chemical messengers that affect many aspects of the body, including mood, emotions, and mental health

Hypothalamus

the regulator; regulates body temperature, sleep-wake cycles; helps govern endocrine system; houses reward center; controls maintenance functions (eating/drinking)

Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

prevent the next neuron from firing

Interneurons

distribute information amongst CNS (consists of 97% of neurons)

Lesioning

destruction of brain tissue; can be extreme treatment or experimental

Limbic System

mid brain; neural structures associated with emotion, behavior, learning, and memory functioning;

Linguistic Processing

the way humans understand and use language to communicate ideas and feelings

Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

Respiratory failure, paralysis, and loss of sensation

What happens when the Medulla is damaged?

Motor Cortex

located at back of frontal lobe; topographical and contralateral

Motor Neurons (Efferent)

information exits CNS to the rest of the body through PNS

MRI

brain imaging in which magnetic fields construct an image

Multiple Sclerosis

a chronic disease of the CNS caused when the body’s immune system attacks the myelin the brain and spinal cord

Myasthenia Gravis

when the immune system destroys the muscles’ receptor sites for Acetylcholine, leading to fewer receptors, causing fewer messages sent and extreme muscle weakness

Myelin Sheath

insulating layer of fatty material composed of glial cells that allows for efficient transmission of signals to other cells (gaps between them are called nodes of ranvier)

Natural Selection

the way that any genetically determined behavior that enhances the ability to survive and reproduce will continue in future generation

Nature vs Nurture

to what extent genetics and environmental factors influence human behaviors

Neural Transmission

process in which neurotransmitters allow neurons to communicate with each other throughout the body

Neurons

individual cells that provide basic communication within the nervous system

Neurotransmitters

a chemical messenger that transmits information

Norepinephrine

excitatory neurotransmitter (AKA adrenaline) responsible for alertness and arousal, memory, learning, eating, and increasing heart rate

Depression

What is an effect of low levels of norepinephrine?

Anxiety

What is an effect of high levels of norepinephrine?

Occipital Lobes

visual processing (visual cortex)

Parasympathetic Nervous System

the calming part of the autonomic nervous system

Parietal Lobes

information about touch (sensory cortex) and pain perception; governs spatial awareness and navigation; left hemispheres involved in math, reading, writing, and understanding symbols

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

incoming and output (throughout the entire body)

Pituitary Gland

“master gland” that is part of the endocrine system; attached to the hypothalamus by a narrow stalk

Plasticity

when brains change as a result of experience; more so for children than for adults

Polarization

when fluid outside has more positive ions and inside has more negative ions during resting potential (possibility of voltage change)

Prefrontal Cortex

higher order thinking, executive functions; home of mirror neurons

Receptor Sites

located on receiving neuron’s dendrites

Reflex Arc

when the sensory neurons send a signal to the CNS to react to something, which then triggers the CNS to send a signal to the motor neurons to make our body react to it

Refractory Period

when membrane channels return to their original state

Resting Potential

the electrical potential difference between the inside and outside of a neuron when it's not sending a signal (-70 mV)

Reticular Activating System

regulates sleep, wakefulness, and levels or arousal; sends messages to the thalamus, hypothalamus, and cortex to activate arousal levels

Reuptake

when neurotransmitters are reabsorbed back into the presynaptic neuron

Reward Center

housed in the hypothalamus; a neural network that motivates people to repeat behaviors that are rewarding

Sensory Neurons (Afferent)

arrive through PNS/incoming to CNS

Serotonin

inhibitory neurotransmitter for hunger, sleep, arousal, and pain perception

depression, anxiety, mood disorders, OCD

What is an effect of low levels of serotonin?

Antidepressants (SSRIs)

What can help with increasing serotonin levels?

Shivering, seizures, and hallucinations

What is an effect of high levels of serotonin?

Soma

the cell body of a neuron and contains the nucleus of the cell

Somatic Nervous System

controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

Somatosensory Cortex

the site that registers touch, pressure, temperature, and pain in the cerebral cortex and is located in the parietal lobe

Split Brain Research

when the Corpus Callosum has been surgically removed, causing there to be no communication between the two hemispheres

Substance P

excitatory neurotransmitter/neuromodulator that sends pain signals, is released from sensory nerve fibers in skin, muscles, and joints, a stress response, for mood regulation, and inflammation

reduced pain sensitivity and motor control

What is an effect of low levels of Substance P?