Biopsychology Vocab: Prep for Exam 1

Biopsychology definition

Understanding interplay between brain and nervous system and behavior

Studies of Biopsychology

Understanding healthy mechanisms, understanding disorders and pathology (impacting brain, nervous system, psychology), understanding development over a lifespan

Link between Psychology and Biology

1. Link between somatic factors and behavior

2. Observing behavioral intervention

3. Observing somatic intervention

Mind vs Brain

Brain is physical entity while mind is non tangible entity

Rene Descartes (French Philosopher Idea)

Was a dualist: thought that all behavior could be explained mechanically but also youth that pineal gland communicates with non tangible mind entity.,

Materialism

Commonly accepted theory now a days stating how behavior is fully derived from brain and nervous system

Paul Broca French Surgon Contribution

Liaisons in brain control specific function ex. Bronca region responsible for speech

Purpose of modern neurosurgeon reasurch

Localizing cognitive functions

CNS

Brain & Spine (both encased in bone)

PNS

1. Somatic nervous system (SNS including motor and sensory)

2. Automatic nervous system (ANS including internal functions)

3. Enteric nervous system (ENS: specifically digestion)

Amount on average of neurons in human brain

86 billion

Glial cells

Supporting cells for neurons- have roughly same amount

Neocortex

Crinkly exterior part of brain

Neocortex

Crinkly exterior part of brain

why do brains contain folds

Increase size of brain in condensed measure to allow for complex cognitive function

Definition of Behavior

Pattern over time (includes conscious and non conscious actions)

Selective Breeding

Direct human intervention to duplicate certain trait- physical or behavioral

Plasticity

Ability of human brain to adapt to change and environment and damage

Plasticity

Ability of human brain to adapt to change and environment and damage

Insight from studying common ancestry

1. Neurons and muscles

2. Nerve net

3. Bilateral symmetry

4. Segmentation

5. Galgia

6. Spinal cord

7. Brain

Insight from studying common ancestry

1. Neurons and muscles

2. Nerve net

3. Bilateral symmetry

4. Segmentation

5. Galgia

6. Spinal cord

7. Brain

Nerve net

Connection and info Flo

Bilateral symmetry

More complex organisation

Segmentation

Supporting different parts of body

Ganglia

Cluster of neurons, functioning like command centers

Spinal cord

CNS between sensory and motor neurons (reflex/ unconscious behavior)

Brain

CNS for consious and complex behavior

Evolutionary cause of complex behavior

1. Large brain size relative to body

2. Large number of cells

3. Compact organization of cells- folds and cells concentrated at cerebrum

Scale measuring expected brain size

Encephalization quotient (EQ)

Functional Hubs

Increases cell connectivity by allowing for more effective communication and large social network

Unique element of human brain development

1. Developes for way longer

2. Requires more energy

Rule for comparing brain

Can only compare inter species- average from species in taking into account all demographics

Division of ANS

Sympathetic and parasympathic

Sympathetic division (ANS)

Fight or flight reflex

Parasympathetic (ANS)

Rest and digest response

Anterior (Brain term)

In the front (aka rostral)

Posterior (Brain term)

In the back (aka caudal)

Dorsal (Brain term)

Structure atop brain/ going up (aka superior)

Ventral (Brain term)

Going to bottom of brain (aka inferiror)

Medial (Brain term)

Towards brain midline

Lateral (Brain term)

Going towards sides of brain

3 types of brain slices

1. Coronal (frontal view)

2. Horizontal (dorsal)

3. Sagittal (medial view)

General trend of CNS development

Starts the same but specializes depending on species

Myelencephalon

Spinal brain (place right about spinal cord)

Metencenphalon

Across brain, above mylencephalon

Mescenephalon

Midbrain, above the metencephalon

Diencephalon

Between brain under telencephalon

Telencephalon

Endbrain, near middle of brain

Triple layer substance found under skull to protect brain

Meninges

Layers of meninges

1. Dura mater- outer though fibrose tissue

2. Arachnoid layer and inner pia mater= clings to brain

3. CSF- cerebrospinal fluid= gets flushed regularly and acts as lysosomes for body

Cerebral cortex

Outer layer of forebrain with folds made up of gyri (hill) and sulci (valley)

Lobules

1. Frontal lobe

2. Parietal lobe (back)

3. Temporal lobe (bottom)

4. Occipital lobe (bottom back)

Longitudinal fissure

Division between 2 brain hemispheres

Lateral fissure

Separation of temporal lobe

Central sulcus

Separates frontal from parietal lobe

Parieto-occipital sulcus

Divides parietal lobe from occipital lobe

Corpus callosum

200 million nerve fiber bundle holding together 2 hemispheres

Arteries

Supply brain with blood

Veins

Transporting oxygen deprived blood back to kidneys and lungs

Cerebral arteries

Emerge from neck and wrap around brainstem, cerebrum, cerebellum, and brain surface

3 main arteries

1. Anterior artery

2. Middle artery

3. Posterior cerebral artery

Effect of Stroke

Depends on impacted artery

Location of CSF inside brain

4 connected ventricles allowing CSF circulation

4 ventricles

1. Left/right lateral ventricle

2. Cerebral aqueduct

3. Third ventricle

4. Fourth ventricle

Cerebral aqueduct

Canal running down the length of a spinal cord

Job of CSF

1. Keeps brain afloat

2. Absorbs shock

3. Constantly replaces clear waste product

Korbinian Brodmann

Model describing 52 different cortical areas

Human Connectome Project (HCP)

More recent attempt to map the structural and functional fiber connections of human brain

Neuroimaging tequniques

1. DTI- diffusion tensor imaging

2. fcMRI- functional connectivity magnetic resonance imaging

Grey vs. white matter

• grey= contains neurons

• White= myelinated axons

Layering of Cortex/ brain

Grey on outside, white on inside

Gradient of cell density sensory vs motor cortex

Input (afferent) larger in sensory, output (efferent) is larger in motor

Cytoarchitecture

Comparison between motor and sensory cortex

Spine cord

Includes segmented switching stations