PY2101 Behavioural Neuroscience – Weeks 5-7 Revision

Fill-in-the-blank flashcards covering key concepts from Weeks 5-7: sexual development, puberty, sexual orientation, circadian rhythms, sleep architecture and control, learning & memory mechanisms, theories and biology of emotion, and stress physiology.

The 23rd pair of human chromosomes determines biological sex; XX = female and = male.

XY

The gene on the Y chromosome that initiates testis development is the gene.

SRY

Turner Syndrome is characterised by the chromosomal pattern .

45,XO

In the Wolffian system, promotes the development of male internal reproductive structures.

testosterone

The hormone that causes degeneration of the Müllerian ducts is .

anti-Müllerian hormone

Masculinisation of external genitalia requires conversion of testosterone to .

5-alpha-dihydrotestosterone

Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis begins with the hypothalamus releasing .

GnRH (gonadotropin-releasing hormone)

According to the organizational-activational hypothesis, permanent hormone effects occur during the periods of development.

organizational

A lower (more masculine) 2D:4D finger ratio is frequently observed in women.

homosexual

Children with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) often show more -typed toy preferences.

masculine

Symmetry in facial features is typically interpreted as a cue to health.

genetic / good

Sexual desire is linked to activity in the insula, whereas romantic love activates the rostral insula.

caudal

Behaviours that follow ~24-hour cycles are known as rhythms.

circadian

The primary environmental cue that synchronises circadian rhythms is called a .

zeitgeber

The brain’s master circadian clock is located in the of the hypothalamus.

suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

Production of the hormone by the pineal gland is suppressed by light.

melatonin

Travelling east produces worse jet lag because it requires a phase .

advance

Desynchronous, high-frequency EEG activity seen during alert wakefulness is termed waves.

beta

Stage 3–4 NREM sleep is dominated by high-amplitude, low-frequency waves.

delta

Paradoxical sleep is another name for sleep.

REM

PGO waves originate in the pons and are characteristic of sleep.

REM

The preoptic area of the hypothalamus helps initiate sleep by inhibiting wake-promoting circuits.

NREM

Going 17–19 hours without sleep impairs performance to the same degree as a blood-alcohol concentration of about .

0.05 %

REM rebound refers to an increase in sleep following deprivation.

REM

The activation-synthesis theory proposes that dreams result from the cortex interpreting random activity.

PGO wave / brainstem

Difficulty falling asleep is called insomnia.

onset

Cataplexy—sudden REM-like muscle paralysis while awake—is a hallmark of .

narcolepsy

In classical conditioning, the learned response to a previously neutral stimulus is the .

conditioned response (CR)

Aplysia’s gill-withdrawal reflex becomes weaker after repeated harmless stimulation, illustrating the process of .

habituation

Serotonin-induced closure of potassium channels underlies Aplysia .

sensitization

Long-term potentiation (LTP) critically depends on calcium entry through receptors.

NMDA

Baddeley’s working-memory model names the executive as the central control system.

central

H.M.’s case showed that removal of the causes profound anterograde amnesia.

hippocampus / medial temporal lobe

Procedural memories rely heavily on the and associated basal ganglia structures.

striatum

According to James-Lange theory we feel emotion (before / after) we perceive the associated bodily changes.

after

Cannon-Bard theory argues that bodily reactions and subjective feelings occur .

simultaneously / independently

Schachter-Singer theory says emotion equals general arousal plus cognitive .

appraisal / labeling

Paul Ekman identified basic, universally recognised facial expressions of emotion.

six

The cranial nerve primarily controlling facial muscles is CN VII, also known as the nerve.

facial

Micro-expressions typically last less than seconds.

0.5

The brain region most associated with detecting threat is the .

amygdala

Interoceptive awareness of emotional states is linked to the cortex.

insula

Left frontal cortical activity is more associated with (approach / avoidance) behaviours.

approach

Changing one’s interpretation of an emotional situation is termed cognitive .

reappraisal

The stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex in the HPA axis is .

cortisol

High cortisol feeds back to inhibit CRH release via receptors in the .

hippocampus

Hans Selye’s first stage of the General Adaptation Syndrome is the stage.

alarm

The fast, fight-or-flight stress pathway is the system.

SAM (sympathetic adrenal-medullary)

Maternal grooming in rats produces epigenetic changes that (increase / decrease) the offspring’s HPA responsiveness.

decrease

Chronic stress is associated with increased risk of disease, particularly in hostile Type A personalities.

heart / cardiovascular

The reproductive hormone primarily responsible for female secondary sex characteristics is .

estradiol

Mini-puberty refers to the increase in sex hormones occurring from birth to around months of age.

6–12

Lower 2D:4D ratios and altered otoacoustic emissions serve as biological markers related to orientation.

sexual

CAH girls often show enhanced performance on (visuospatial / verbal) tasks.

visuospatial

Clock genes such as per and tim produce self-regulating protein cycles of about hours.

24

During REM sleep the nucleus and raphe nuclei are virtually silent (REM-off areas).

locus coeruleus

Sleep spindles and K-complexes are characteristic of Stage NREM sleep.

2

The interpositus nucleus of the cerebellum is necessary for conditioned responses.

eyeblink

In the Atkinson-Shiffrin model, information must pass from sensory memory to memory before reaching long-term storage.

short-term / working

Source amnesia reflects difficulty remembering information was acquired.

where / how

The threat-simulation hypothesis suggests dreams primarily allow rehearsal of scenarios.

threatening / negative

REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder involves acting out dreams due to failure of normal REM muscle .

paralysis

Restless Leg Syndrome is characterised by tingling and an urge to the legs.

move

Neurotransmitter release decreases at sensory-motor synapses during Aplysia (habituation / sensitization).

habituation

Protein kinase A (PKA) enhances neurotransmitter release during Aplysia .

sensitization

Distributed cortical “convergence zones” help integrate components of memory.

semantic

Damage to the basal ganglia particularly impairs recognition of the emotion .

disgust

Older adults tend to (attend to / ignore) negative information more than younger adults.

ignore

Sleep deprivation of 24 hours impairs performance similarly to a blood-alcohol concentration of %.

0.1

Light therapy is a common treatment for Affective Disorder.

Seasonal

Shift work often leads to syndrome, characterised by sleep and mood disturbances.

maladaptation