Chapter 3: Biological Bases Of Behaviour

Front 1

The biological basis of behvaiours mostly involves studying what 2 major biological systems?

Back 1

The nervous system and endocrine system

Front 2

Neurons receive chemical messages from other neurons by

Back 2

way of synaptic contacts with dendrites

Front 3

Axons coated with myelin make the electrical signal travel

Back 3

faster

Front 4

Glial cells (2)

Back 4

1. Astrocytes

- protect neurons from infection and toxins by froming the BBB

- regulate bloof flow to the brain

- facilitate inter-neuron communication

2. Oligodendrocytes

- Repair neurons and inter-neuron connections

- increase the speed with which electricity passes through neurons by forming the myelin sheath

- myelin sheath also helps insulate/isolate electrical signals, so neurons don't interfere with one another

Front 5

Interneuron communication (6)

Back 5

1. neurons stimulate e/o into activity by using chemicals (neurotransmitters)

2. neurotransmitters are released from axon terminals of a neuron into a liquid-filled space called synaptic cleft

3. From synaptic cleft, neurotransmitters are absorbed by receptor sites located throughout the dendrites of other neurons

4. at rest, a neuron is more negatively charged than its surrounding (this diff. in electrical charge is called potential difference of resting potential and is -60mV)

5. once absorbed, neurotransmitters will change potantial difference will change pot. diff. of the receiving neuron. (neuron can become slight more negative (inhibitory postsynaptic potential) or it can become slightly more positive (excitatory postsynaptic potential)

6. if change is more than +5mV, a complex mechanism takes place and pot. diff will change from -60mV to about +50mV. This change is called the neuron's action pot.

Front 6

When the neuron has "fired" or been activated what has happened?

Back 6

If change is more than +5mV, a complex mechanism takes place and the potential difference will changed from -60mV - about +50mV (neuron's action potential)

Front 7

Types of neurotransmitters: (5)

Back 7

1. acetylcholine (ACh)

2. monoamines - (serotonin and dopamine)

3. endorphines

4. gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

5. Glutamate

Front 8

Define acetylcholine (ACh)

Back 8

Regulates muscle contraction and relaxation, arousal and memory

Front 9

What are the 2 types of monoamines? Describe each:

Back 9

Serotonin and norepinephrine(4):

-regulate emotion (prevents negative emotions such as depression)

-sleep patterns (minor)

-eating (minor)

-arousal and responsive to stimulus

-Dopamine: (2)

- involved in our conscious control over movement

- regulate emotions (esp. joy and pleasure), motivation, perceptions

Front 10

What are endorphins?

Back 10

- a type of neuropeptides

- the bodies natural pain killer

- some subtypes of endorphin are 20-50 times more powerful than morphine

Front 11

What is GABA?

Back 11

A neurotransmitter that inhibits neuron activities

- involved in learning, memory and sleep

Front 12

What is glutamate?

Back 12

A neurotransmitter that excites the nervous system

- enhances learning and memory by increasing alertness

- linked to schizophrenia

Front 13

The brain is surrounded by

Back 13

CPF - Cerebral spinal fluid

Front 14

How much does the brain weigh?

Back 14

3lbs / 1.5 kg

Front 15

Thea brainstem consists of:

Back 15

- medulla

- pons

- midbrain

Front 16

1. the medulla is located where?

2. what does the medulla regulate?

Back 16

1. located where the spinal cord joins with the brain

2. regulates our breathing, blood pressure, heartbeats and other survival mechanisms

Front 17

Describe the pons

Back 17

- consists of nerve fibres that link to all major brain parts

- major communication centre of all brain area

- also controls facial muscles, including eye movement

- helps initiate dreaming

Front 18

Major communication centre of the brain is

Back 18

The pons

Front 19

1. the midbrain is?

2. the midbrain regulates?

3. Basal ganglia?

Back 19

1. midbrain is a major sensory integration and relay centre

2. regulates some of our reflexes (pupil adjustment to light, startle response)

3. area called basal ganglia: regulates the production and release of dopamine

Front 20

Degeneration of which basal ganglia structure, is primary cause of Parkinson's disease?

Back 20

Degeneration of basal ganglia structure, called substantia nigra is primary cause of Parkinson's disease

Front 21

1. the Reticular Activation System (RAS) is?

2. what does the RAS control?

Back 21

1. is a thick tract of nerve fibres that runs from the bottom of the brain stem up the thalamus of the limbic system

2. controls our selective attention process, and our ability to sustain attention (Screens out irrelevant/distracting information)

Front 22

4 components of the brain stem

Back 22

1. medulla

2. pons

3. midbrain

4. RAS

Front 23

What component of the brain is referred to as the "little brain"? how much does it weigh?

Back 23

the cerebellum, weighs about 11% of the entire brain

Front 24

Role of the cerebellum

Back 24

1. send signals to muscles to regulate/coordinate movement

2. plays a role in speech production and the learning and memory of motor skills

Front 25

Functions of the limbic system:

Back 25

1. helps u process and integrate sensory signals (thalamus)

2. regulates internal state (hypothalamus)

3. regulates our emotions (amygdala)

4. helps us learn from experience through memory (hippocampus)

Front 26

Role of the thalamus(2)

Back 26

- integrates sensory info coming from all the sense before relaying the integrated info for conscious processing

- helps regulate sleep and wakefulness by determining how much sensory info to send through for conscious processing

Front 27

Hypothalamus (3)

Back 27

1. controls various biological drives: hunger, fullness, thirst, sexual drive, aggression

2. regulates biorhythms: sleep wake cycle, reproductive cycles/sperm production, body temp)

3. influences endocrine system by controlling pituitary gland

Front 28

What is the master gland of the endocrine system?

Back 28

Pituitary gland

Front 29

Does the pituitary gland contain neurons?

What does it do?

Back 29

1. no, it contains endocrine cells

2. tells other glands in your body what to secrete and when to secrete

Front 30

The amygdala is involved in

Back 30

the feeling of fear, and to a lesser extent, the feelings of aggression

Front 31

The hippocampus is responsible for

Back 31

- the formation of long-term memory

Front 32

People who suffer damages to the hippocampus

Back 32

can recall existing memories, but are unable to form new memories

Front 33

What is the (forebain) made of

Back 33

cerebral cortex and corpus callosum

Front 34

The cerebral cortex is also called the

Back 34

cerebrum

Front 35

The cerebral cortex consists of

Back 35

2 cerebral hemispheres connected by thick band of fibres called corpus callosum

Front 36

What is lateralization?

Back 36

the fact that the two hemispheres are good at different tasks

Front 37

Left hemisphere is responsible for (5)

Back 37

- language (95% of us)

- math

- judging time and rhythms

- logical thinking (breaking things into parts)

- processing things sequentially

Front 38

Right hemisphere is responsible for(5)

Back 38

- perception (recognizing patterns, faces)

- arts (melodies, drawing pictures)

- detecting emotions/expressing emotions

- integrative wholistic

- processing things simultaneously

Front 39

The corpus callosum function

Back 39

helps two hemispheres talk to each other and share info

Front 40

Explain split brain surgery:

Back 40

1. involves cutting the corpus callosum

2. used as a last-ditch effort to treat people with severe epilepsy

3. increasingly rare, due to improved medication

4. split-brain patients show difficulty in integrating info b/w the two hemispheres - but mostly only under high controlled experiments in which the two hemispheres are presented with diff. info

5. in real-life situations when highly similar info are usually presented to both hemispheres, split-brain patients show very little negative side effects

Front 41

each cerebral hemisphere is divided into _____ lobes by what?

Back 41

each cerebral hemisphere is divided into 4 lobes by 2 deep grooves called the central sulcus and the lateral fissure

Front 42

the central sulcus divides what lobs?

Back 42

frontal and parietal

Front 43

Primary responsibility of the occipital lobe?

Back 43

processing visual information

Front 44

Primary responsibilities of the parietal lobe?

Back 44

- responsible for spatial processing

- numeric processing

- body sensation processing

Front 45

Front of the parietal lobe contains

Back 45

somatic sensory cortex, which consists of highly specific area that are associated with various sensations

Front 46

1. The temporal lobe is also called the?

2. The temporal lobe is primarily responsible for?

Back 46

1. language cortex

2. processing of sound and language

Front 47

1.Wernicke's area is located where?

2. What is it responsible for?

3. What happens when it is damaged?

Back 47

1. partially located within the temporal lobe

2. responsible for language comprehension

3. Damage causes Wernicke Aphasia: patient produces fluent and gramatically correct speech but lacks meaning

Front 48

The frontal lobe (4)

Back 48

1. largest of 4 lobes: consists of primary motor cortex and the back and prefrontal cortex at the front

2. primary motor cortex: responsible for voluntary control over major muscles throughout body

3. prefrontal cortex plays important role in reasoning, planning, setting priority and preferences and exercise self control by inhibiting inappropriate behaviours

Front 49

1. Broca's area is?

2. Damage to it>

Back 49

1. - a small region next to primary motor cortex

- responsible for language production

2. - damage leads to Broca's Aphasia - patients have perfect understanding of what is said to them, but are unable to say what they want to say