Behavioral Neuroscience: The Biological Foundation of Human Behaviour

Flashcards covering the foundational concepts of behavioral neuroscience including nervous system divisions, neural communication, brain structures, and genetic influences.

Biological Psychology (Biopsychology)

The scientific study of the biological bases of behavior and mental processes, assuming every thought, feeling, and action has a physical underpinning in the body.

Monism

The framework in modern neuroscience which posits that the mind is a product of the physical workings of the brain.

Central Nervous System (CNS)

The primary branch of the human nervous system consisting of the Brain and the Spinal Cord.

Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)

The branch connecting the CNS to the limbs and organs, further bifurcated into the Somatic and Autonomic Nervous Systems.

Somatic Nervous System (SNS)

A subdivision of the PNS that controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles and transmits sensory information to the CNS.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

The part of the PNS that regulates involuntary visceral functions, including heart rate, digestion, and respiration.

Sympathetic Division

A subdivision of the ANS governing the 'Fight-or-Flight' response by expending energy and accelerating heart rate during stress.

Parasympathetic Division

A subdivision of the ANS governing the 'Rest-and-Digest' state by conserving energy and promoting restorative processes.

Soma (Cell Body)

The part of the neuron containing the nucleus and maintaining cellular life-support functions.

Dendrites

Branch-like extensions of a neuron that receive chemical signals from adjacent neurons.

Axon

A long, slender projection that propagates electrical impulses away from the soma toward other cells.

Myelin Sheath

A fatty substance produced by glial cells that insulates the axon and accelerates neural transmission speed.

Resting Membrane Potential

The electrical state of a neuron at rest, measured at approximately $-70\,mV$.

Action Potential

A brief, massive reversal of membrane polarity that travels down the axon when stimulation passes a threshold of $-55\,mV$.

All-or-None Law

The principle that an action potential either fires completely or not at all once the threshold is reached.

Synaptic Cleft

The microscopic gap between neurons into which neurotransmitters are released.

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter linked to reward, motor control, and motivation; deficits are linked to Parkinson's disease and overactivity to Schizophrenia.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter regulating mood, sleep, and appetite; deficits are strongly linked to Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).

Acetylcholine (ACh)

A neurotransmitter involved in muscle contraction, memory formation, and attention; its degeneration is a hallmark of Alzheimer's disease.

GABA

The major inhibitory neurotransmitter that dampens neural excitability; deficits can lead to epilepsy and insomnia.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter governing arousal, vigilance, and the stress response; implicated in panic disorders.

Medulla Oblongata

A hindbrain structure that controls life-sustaining autonomic operations such as breathing and heart rate.

Cerebellum

A brain structure responsible for coordinating fine motor control, posture, balance, and procedural memory.

Amygdala

A limbic system structure that processes emotional valence, specifically fear, aggression, and threat detection.

Hippocampus

A structure indispensable for consolidating short-term memory into long-term explicit storage.

Hypothalamus

Maintains homeostasis and governs the 'Four Fs': Fighting, Fleeing, Feeding, and Mating.

Corpus Callosum

A thick band of nerve fibers that connects the two symmetrical hemispheres of the cerebral cortex.

Frontal Lobe

The anterior region of the cortex responsible for executive functions, long-term planning, motor control, and expressive speech (Broca's Area).

Parietal Lobe

The superior-posterior lobe that processes somatosensory input (touch, pain, temperature) and spatial awareness.

Occipital Lobe

The posterior base of the cortex, serving as the primary visual processing center (striate cortex).

Temporal Lobe

The lateral lobe responsible for auditory processing, memory access, and language comprehension (Wernicke's Area).

Phineas Gage

An 1848 historical case where a railroad foreman's frontal lobe injury caused a shift from dependable to impulsive personality, proving the lobe's role in executive control.

Pituitary Gland

Known as the 'master gland,' it is guided by the hypothalamus and regulates other endocrine glands by secreting trophic hormones.

Epigenetics

The study of environmental triggers that moderate genetic blueprints and influence phenotypes.

Evolutionary Psychology

A discipline arguing that human behavioral patterns are adaptive traits selected to solve ancestral survival and reproductive challenges.