AP Psych Ch 3 - Biology

believed the mind to be in the spherical head

Plato

believed the mind was in the heart (pumping warmth and vitality to the body)

Aristotle

the _ falls in love, not the heart

brain

proposed phrenology in the 1800s

Franz Gall

the belief that studying bumps on the head could reveal a person's mental abilities and character traits

phrenology

true or false: despite initial acceptance, phrenology has been disproved

true

phrenology lead to…

localization of function

the idea that various brain regions have different functions

localization of function

the scientific study go the links between biological and psychological processes

biological psychology

biological processes

genetic, neural, hormonal

behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, psychological psychologists, or biopsychologists

some biological psychologists are called

biological psychologists have made discoveries about the interconnections of our biology and…

behavior/mind

what are some of the discoveries biological psychologists have made?

-the body is composed of cells
-among those are nerve cells that conduct electric city and communicate by sending chemical messages
-specific brain systems have specific functions
-we combine info processed in those areas to construct sight, sound, meanings and memories, pain, and passion

-nerve cell
-basic building block of the nervous system

neuron

What would happen if a neuron was damaged?

signals would not be transmitted which could lead to loss of muscle control or loss of feeling in an injured area

-bushy extensions of a neuron
-receives messages/neurotransmitters
-conducts those messages/impulses towards cell body

dendrites

What would happen if dendrites were damaged?

neurotransmitters would to be received and therefore messages would never be ale to transport

-fiber
-the neuron extension that passes messages through its branches to other neurons or to its muscle glands

dendrites listen, axons speak

What would happen if axons were damaged?

messages would not be transmitted, so neurons cannot properly communicate

-layer of fatty tissue that encases axons
-enable faster transmission of neural impulses

myelin sheath

What happens in the absence of myelin>

messages transmit slower

What happens when the myelin sheath degenerates?

multiple sclerosis: communication to muscles slows, with eventual loss of muscle control

-a neural impulse
-a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

action potential

What causes an action potential?

when stimulated signals/triggers by chemical signals from neighboring neurons

-form junctions with other cells
-where neurotransmitters exit

terminal branches (buttons)

What happens when terminal branches are damaged?

neurons wouldn't be able to communicate and there would be no way for neurotransmitters to exit the cell

-electrically charged ions
-exchanged during chemistry to electricity process

ions

-positively charged outside (sodium)
-negatively charged inside (potassium)

reating potential

the axon is selective about what it lets through its gates

selectively permeable

-when the neuron fires, sodium slows inside and potassium outside
-this causes another axon channel to open and so forth

depolarization

-a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired
-pumps positively charged sodium back outside

refractory period

like pushing neuron's accelerator/brake

excitatory/inhibitory

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

threshold

neurons either fire all the way or not at all (no more/less)

all-or-none response

-the junction between the axon tip of sending neuron and dendrite of receiving neuron
-tiny gap at junction is called synaptic gap/cleft

synapse

-chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between nerves
-when released by sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across the synapse and bind to receptor sites on receiving neurons, thereby influencing whether that neuron will generate a neural impulse

neurotransmitters

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron (back to terminal branches)

reuptake

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Acetylcholine (ACh)

Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

dopamine

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

serotonin

Helps control alertness and arousal

norepinephrine

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter

GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory

glutamate

What happens when there's an undersupply of ACH?

alzheimers

What happens when there's an oversupply of dopamine?

schizophrenia

What happens when there's an undersupply of dopamine?

Tremors, decreased mobility, Parkinson's

What happens when there's an undersupply of serotonin?

depression

What happens when there's an undersupply of norepinephrine?

depressed mood

What happens when there's an undersupply of GABA?

Seizures, tremors, insomnia

What happens when there's an oversupply of glutamate?

Brain is overstimulated which leads to migraines or seizures (why some avoid MSG)

-opiate drug that elevates mood and eases pain
-bound to receptors in areas linked with mood/pain sensations

morphine

the brain produces naturally occurring opiates. when flooded with opiate drugs, body may stop…

producing opiates naturally

"morphine within," natural. Opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and pleasure

endorphins

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor cite, stimulates a response

agonist

a molecule that, by binding to a receptor site, inhibits or blocks a response

antagonist

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

nervous system

the brain and spinal cord

central nervous system

the sensory and motor neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

peripheral nervous system

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the CNS with muscles, glands, and sense organs

nerves

neurons within the brain and spinal cord that communicate internally and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

interneurons

Neurons that carry incoming information from sensory receptors to brain/spinal cord

sensory (afferent) neurons

Neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands

motor (efferent) neurons

controls skeletal muscles (aka skeletal NS)

somatic NS

controls glands and muscles of internal organs (involuntary contractions)

autonomic NS

-subdivision of ANS, arouses body, mobilizing energy
-fight or flight

sympathetic NS

-subdivision of ANS, calms the body, conserving energy
-rest and digest

parasympathetic NS

-work groups formed by neurons in the brain
-neurons network with other neurons to make short, fast connections
-neurons that fire together wire together

neural networks

-two-way information highway connecting the PNS and the brain
-ascending neural fibers send up sensory information, descending fibers send back motor control information

spinal cord

-a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response
-simple spinal reflex pathway is composed of 1 sensory and motor neuron, that often communicate through an interneuron

reflex

In terms of the withdrawal reflex, why does it feel as if your hand jerks away not by choice, but automatically?

Simple pain-reflex pathways run through the spinal cord and right back out (not to brain). Because of this, your hand jerks away before your brain receives/reacts to the information that is causing pain

True or False: Someone's spinal cord was injured and can't feel anything from the shoulders down. However, they will still exhibit the knee-jerk reflex.

True. Because the reflex pathway only runs to the spinal cord (and not to the brain) the reflex will still occur, however they will not feel anything.

-The body's "slow" chemical communication system
-A set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
-Endocrine messages tend to last longer than neural ones

The Endocrine System

What would happen if the endocrine system stopped working?

You would stop responding to certain stimuli and death would be inevitable

-Chemical messengers manufactured by endocrine glands
-Travel through bloodstream and affect other tissues
-Influence interest in sex, food, aggression

hormones

What would happen in the absence of hormones?

Hypopituitarism: stunted growth, bad blood pressure, infertility

-Pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the kidneys
-Secrete hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in times of stress

adrenal glands

What happens in the event that there are dysfunctional adrenal glands?

-Addisonian Crisis: low blood pressure, low blood sugar, high potassium
-Not able to deal with stress

-Endocrine system's most influential gland
-Under the influence of the hypothalamus, it regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands

Pituitary Gland

What would happen if the pituitary gland stopped working?

Hypopituitarism

Why is the pituitary gland called the master gland?

Its secretions influence the release of hormones by other endocrine glands

the first "neuroscientist," studied brain and behavior

Rene Descartes

a tissue destruction, naturally or experimentally caused destruction of brain tissue

lesion

-records electroactivity of brain
-shows activity

EEG

-brain imaging that scans the brain using magnetic fields and radio waves
-shows function

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

-technique for revealing blood flow and therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans
-shows structure and function

fMRI

-a series of X-ray photographs from different angles
-shows "slices" of brain
-structure

CT Scan

-given radioactive substance that can be detected
-activity

PET Scan

a device that allows them to apply drugs or electrical stimulation directly to brain

Cannula

-Oldest part of central core of brain (lizard brain)
-Beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull
-Responsible for automatic survival functions

brainstem

What happens if all or part of the brain stem is damaged?

If anything in the brainstem dies, the organism dies

-Base of the brainstem
-Controls heartbeat and breathing

medulla

What would happen if the medulla was damaged?

Brain and spinal cord would not be able to communicate, breathing problems, tongue dysfunction

-Connects spinal cord with the brain (round part of brainstem)
-Links parts of brain to one another

pons

What would happen if the pons was damaged?

Nausea, vomiting, paralysis

-The brain's sensory control center, located on the top of the brainstem
-Directs messages on the sensory receiving areas in the cortex
-Transmits replies to the cerebellum/medulla

thalamus

What would happen if the thalamus was damaged?

Unconsciousness, coma, sleep disorders, death

-Nerve network that travels through the brainstem and thalamus and plays an important role in controlling arousal
-Alerts cerebral cortex to incoming sensory signals
-Responsible for maintaining consciousness from awakening and sleep

reticular formation

What would happen if the reticular formation was damaged?

Damage to sleep/wake cycle

-"Little brain" at rear of brainstem
-Processes sensory input, coordinating movement output and balance, and enabling nonverbal learning and memory

cerebellum

What would happen if the cerebellum was damaged?

Loss of coordination, depth perception, inability to perform rapid alternating movements, movement tremors