AP Psychology - Unit 1 (Biological Basis of Behavior)

NREM-3

• 16-21% of the night

• Delta Waves

• Deep Sleep

Hallucinogens

distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

ex: LSD, marijuana

Serotonin

• mood regulation, hunger/appetite, sleep

Deficit: depression and some anxiety disorders (especially OCD)

Endorphins

• pain relief and feelings of pleasure

• stress reduction

• “natural opiates”

Deficit: may be involved in addiction

Split Brain

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain’s 2 hemispheres by cutting the fibers connecting them

Substance Use Disorder

a continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk

Consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

Depressants

calm neural activity and slow body functions

ex: alcohol, barbiturates (tranquilizers), opiates

The Lobes include…

• Frontal

• Temporal

• Parietal

• Occipital

Thalamus (Forebrain)

• located on top of the brain stem

• relay station of the brain

• processes all sensory inputs (except smell) and motor outputs

Parietal Lobe

• Sensory Cortex

  • responsible for incoming inputs (pain, touch, temperature)

• Motor Cortex

  • responsible for outgoing motor activity and voluntary actions sent to muscles and glands

*at the top of brain and rear

The Pons

in charge of sleeping and dreaming

Parasympathetic Nervous System

• rest and digest

• slows things down

Association Corticies

play an important role in higher mental functions such as learning, thinking, and speaking

in all lobes

Psychoactive Drug

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

Action Potential

a neural impulse

PET Scan

(Position Emission Tomography Scan)

• a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

• depicts brain activity by showing each brain area’s consumption of it’s chemical fuel, sugar glucose

NREM-2

• 45-55% of the night

• Theta Waves

• falling sensation

Epinephrine and Nonepinephrine

• fight or flight

excess: high blood pressure

deficit: depression

• slows down appetite and digestion during fight or flight

Cerebellum (Hindbrain)

“Little Brain”

responsible for fine motor coordination, posture, and balance

NREM-1

• 4-5% of the night

• Alpha Waves

• you don’t think you’re asleep

Limbic System includes…

• Amygdala

• Hypothalamus

• Hippocampus

Pituitary Gland

• master endocrine gland

• linked to hypothalamus

• creates amino acid hormones

Endocrine System

the body’s “slow” chemical communication system

Hormones

chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues

Sympathetic Nervous System

• fight or flight

• speeds things up (breathing, heart rate)

Peripheral Nervous System

all other nerves (sensory + motor)

• Symatic → muscles (voluntary)

• Autonomic → thinking, breathing, heartbeat (subconscious/non-voluntary)

GABA

(gamma-aminobutyric acid)

• inhibits excitation and anxiety (calming)

excess: seizures, insomnia

deficit: anxiety disorders

Altered States

shifts from our normal waking state of consciousness

• sleep, hypnosis, meditation, flow, and under the influence of drugs

Unconscious State

lack of awareness

(a state rendered by drug-induced anesthesia for medical procedures)

Stimulants

excites neural activity and speeds up body functions

ex: nicotine, cocaine, meth, ecstasy

fMRI

(Functional MRI)

a technique for revealing blood flow and brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans

show brain function as well as its structure

REM Sleep

Rapid Eye Movement

• brain active but body relaxed

• stage when most dreaming occurs

• paralysis of non essential muscles

• EEG activity looks similar to wakefulness

20-25% of sleep time

“for the brain”