AP PSYCHOLOGY UNIT #2: PART 1

Unit Two: Part 1 - Biological Bases of Behavior

==Terms:==

• Video Link

==Parts of The Cell:==

• Dendrites (receive messages)
• Cell Body
• Axon (message travels across)
  • Myelin Sheath (fatty tissue; allows for fast transmission)
• Terminal Branches
  • Terminal Button (contains neurotransmitter)
  • Synapse (cleft or gap)
• Neurotransmitters (Chemical Messengers)

==Neurotransmitters:==

• Chemical messengers
  • It can be either excitatory or inhibitory
  • Serotonin
  • Dopamine
  • Acetylcholine
  • Endorphins
  • Drugs can impact the amount released
  • Agonists - excite
  • Antagonists - inhibit
  • Re-uptake (absorption of excess Neurotransmitters)

==Other Terms/Concepts:==

• Action Potential
  • Electronic charged positive ions enter the axon and cause an “all or nothing” response
• The Axon section (sausage) becomes depolarized
• When they are stable it is known as Resting Potential

==Brain Research Techniques:==

• Recording/Neuro-imaging Techniques

==Stimulation:==

• Using electrodes, magnets, or chemicals, you induce firing in a certain part of the brain
  • Example: Penfield stimulated the temporal lobe of a human and they heard music
  • Example: If you stimulate the Hypothalamus of a rat, it will not stop eating

==Lesion:==

• Cutting or burning of neural connections
  • Example: A lesion of the hypothalamus will cause a rat to NEVER eat
  • Example: Kluver and Bucey (1937) killed the temporal lobe of monkeys and they no longer showed any aggression

==The Cerebral Cortex:==

• The Cerebral Cortex is the thin layer on the top of your brain
• We can divide the Cerebral Cortex into 4 regions called Lobes:

• Further Details

==The Hemispheres of The Brain:==

• Each hemisphere controls the OPPOSITE side of the body
• The two halves of the brain are known as Hemispheres
• The two hemispheres are connected by a large band of nerves known as the Corpus Callosum

• Video Link

==Split Brain Patients:==

• For reasons that are not completely known, severe epilepsy can be controlled by cutting the corpus callosum
  • These patients (split-brain patients) have been of great interest to the world of Psychology because their hemispheres are no longer able to communicate
• Example:
  • The left eye shows a picture of an object (so the image goes to the right hemisphere)
  • The left hand is then able to point out that object in a “lineup”
  • But…patient is frustrated because they do not understand how they know that
  • Their left brain is speaking out because it does not know what was seen
• More Possible Effects of Split Brain Surgery:

Video Link

==Plasticity:==

• The brain's ability to change and take over functions of damaged parts
  • For example - Someone born blind can have a heightened sense of hearing because the area normally used for seeing isn’t needed for that

Video Link

==Lower Brain Structures:==

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==The Limbic System:==

• It is the emotional center of our brain

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==Additional Important Content:==

• The Endocrine System - Considered to be the “slower” chemical message system of the body
  • Responsible for secreting hormones
• The two major glands involved in the Endocrine system are:

Video Link #1

Video Link #2

==The Nervous System:==

• Hiking in the woods, a bear jumps out in front of you
  • What would happen to your body?
  • What do you think, contemplate, etc.?
• When faced with a dangerous or stressful situation, our bodies generally prepare for Fight or Flight
• Our Nervous Systems will respond by reacting in specific ways that will prepare our bodies to act and then, ultimately, recover

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==The Central and Peripheral Nervous Systems:==

• There are three main nerve types:

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==Further Components of the Peripheral Nervous System:==

• Peripheral Nervous System has two parts:

• The Autonomic NS has two parts:

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