Unit 1 - Biological Bases of Behavior

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113 Terms

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Acetylcholine

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

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Paralysis, Alzheimer’s Disease, dementia

What are the effects of low levels of Acetylcholine?

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Violent muscle contractions, convulsions, possible death, Myasthenia Gravis

What are the effects of high levels of Acetylcholine?

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Black Widow spider venom

What is a cause of high levels of Acetylcholine?

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Action Potential (Neural Firing)

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

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Adoption Studies

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

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Adrenaline

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

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Agonists

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

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All-or-Nothing Principle

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

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Amygdala

the emotion center responsible for fear and reward

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

What does damage to the Amygdala cause?

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Antagonists

substances that inhibit, or block action of neurotransmitters

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Broca’s Aphasia

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

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Association Areas

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

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Autonomic Nervous System

controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands

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Axons

transmit information to other neurons, muscles, and glands

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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

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Broca’s Area

LEFT hemisphere only; responsible for speech production and expressive communication

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Central Nervous System (CNS)

processing (brain and spinal cord)

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Cerebellum

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

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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

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Contralateral Hemispheric Organization

represents body parts on opposites side of the body

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Corpus Callosum

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

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CAT

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

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Dendrites

receive information from other neurons

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Depolarization

causes the next axon’s chambers to open

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Dopamine

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

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Parkinson’s Disease and muscle rigidity

What are the effects of low levels of dopamine?

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Schizophrenia

What is an effect of high levels of dopamine?

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Drug addiction (of cocaine, amphetamines, agonist drugs)

What is a cause of high levels of dopamine?

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EEG

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

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Endorphins

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

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Pain

What is an effect of low levels of endorphins?

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Body may not give pain/danger signals

What is an effect of high levels of endorphins?

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

What is a cause of high levels of endorphins?

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Eugenics

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

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Evolutionary Perspective

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

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Excitatory Neurotransmitters

excite connecting neurons and causes them to fire

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Executive Functioning

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

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fMRI

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

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Frontal Lobes

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

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GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid)

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

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Anxiety and tremors

What is an effect of low levels of GABA?

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Sleep and eating disorders

What is an effect of high levels of GABA?

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Genetic Predisposition

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

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Glial Cells

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

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Glutamate

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

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Hemispheric Specialization

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

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Heredity

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

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Higher-Order Thinking

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

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Hippocampus

creates new memories; integrates, consolidates, and stores memories

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Hormones

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

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Hypothalamus

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

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Inhibitory Neurotransmitters

prevent the next neuron from firing

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Interneurons

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

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Lesioning

destruction of brain tissue; can be extreme treatment or experimental

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Limbic System

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

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Linguistic Processing

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

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Medulla

controls heartbeat and breathing

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Respiratory failure, paralysis, and loss of sensation

What happens when the Medulla is damaged?

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Motor Cortex

located at back of frontal lobe; topographical and contralateral

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Motor Neurons (Efferent)

information exits CNS to the rest of the body through PNS

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MRI

brain imaging in which magnetic fields construct an image

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Multiple Sclerosis

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

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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

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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)

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Natural Selection

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

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Nature vs Nurture

to what extent genetics and environmental factors influence human behaviors

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Neural Transmission

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

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Neurons

individual cells that provide basic communication within the nervous system

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Neurotransmitters

a chemical messenger that transmits information

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Norepinephrine

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

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Depression

What is an effect of low levels of norepinephrine?

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Anxiety

What is an effect of high levels of norepinephrine?

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Occipital Lobes

visual processing (visual cortex)

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Parasympathetic Nervous System

the calming part of the autonomic nervous system

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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

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Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

incoming and output (throughout the entire body)

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Pituitary Gland

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

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Plasticity

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

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Polarization

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

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Prefrontal Cortex

higher order thinking, executive functions; home of mirror neurons

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Receptor Sites

located on receiving neuron’s dendrites

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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

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Refractory Period

when membrane channels return to their original state

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Resting Potential

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

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Reticular Activating System

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

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Reuptake

when neurotransmitters are reabsorbed back into the presynaptic neuron

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Reward Center

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

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Sensory Neurons (Afferent)

arrive through PNS/incoming to CNS

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Serotonin

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

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depression, anxiety, mood disorders, OCD

What is an effect of low levels of serotonin?

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Antidepressants (SSRIs)

What can help with increasing serotonin levels?

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Shivering, seizures, and hallucinations

What is an effect of high levels of serotonin?

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Soma

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

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Somatic Nervous System

controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles

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Somatosensory Cortex

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

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Split Brain Research

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

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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

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reduced pain sensitivity and motor control

What is an effect of low levels of Substance P?