Psych 355 Chapters 12, 14, 15

Front 1

Stages of reproductive behavior

Back 1

1. Sexual attraction

2. Appetitive behaviour

3. Copulation

4. Postcopulatory behavior

Hint 1

4 steps

Front 2

Pair bonds

Back 2

A durable and exclusive relationship between a male and female (social monogamy, not sexual monogamy)

Front 3

Proceptive behaviour

Back 3

Female showing appetitive behaviour. In rats ear-wiggling and hopping and darting.

In males: proximity, sniffing, singing, nest building

Front 4

Refractory phase

Back 4

Period during which an individual cannot recommence copulation. A temporary decrease in the sexual attractiveness of the partner. Only occurs in males

Front 5

Coolidge effect

Back 5

The propensity of an animal that has appeared sexual satiated with a present partner to resume sexual activity when provided with a novel partner.

Front 6

Sexually-receptive, in heat, in estrus

Back 6

Referring to the state in which an individual (in mammals, typically the female) is willing to copulate.

Front 7

Copulatory lock

Back 7

Reproductive behaviour in which the male's pens swells after ejaculating so that the male and female are forced to remain joined for 5-15min, occurs in dogs and some rodents but not humans.

Front 8

Internal fertilization

Back 8

The process by which sperm fertilize eggs inside the female's body, as in all mammals, birds and reptiles.

Front 9

External fertilization

Back 9

The process by which eggs are fertilized outside of the female's body, as in many fishes and amphibians

Front 10

Types of internal fertilization

Back 10

Oviparous: female lays a few eggs

Viviparous: female nourishes embryos in her body, giving birth to a few, relatively mature young

Ovoviviparous: female gives birth to live young that developed from eggs carried internally.

Front 11

Lordosis posture

Back 11

A female receptive posture in quadrupeds in which the hindquarters are raised and the tail is turned to one side facilitating intromission by the male.

Front 12

Activational effect

Back 12

A temporary change in behaviour resulting from the administration of a hormone to an adult animal. As in administration of testosterone to restore sexual behavior in males.

Front 13

Ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)

Back 13

A hypothalamic region involved in eating and sexual behavior. In female rats crucial to the lords is response through steroid actions. Estrogen increases dendritic trees of neurons in the VMH and stimulates production of progesterone receptors.

Front 14

Neural circuit for reproduction in female rat

Back 14

VMH projects to

Periaqueductal gray projects to

Medulla reticular formation to

Reticulospinal tract

As the male mounts sensory information (spinal cord) and descending information from the brain evoke lordosis.

Hint 14

4 components, starts with VMH

Front 15

Neural circuit for reproduction in male rats

Back 15

Vomeronasal organ detects pheromones

Medial preoptic area (mPOA) to

Ventral midbrain to

Basal ganglia

Spinal cord

Also axons project through brainstem nuclei to the spinal cord

System coordinates mounting and erection. Paragigantocellular nucleus (PGN) inhibit erection response, mPOA counteracts inhibition.

Front 16

Pheromones

Back 16

A chemical signal that is released outside the body of an animal and affects other members of the same species. Coordinate reproduction.

Front 17

Orgasm

Back 17

The climax of sexual experience, marked by extremely pleasurable sensations.

Front 18

Phases of sexual response

Back 18

1. Excitement

2. Plateau

3. Orgasm

4. Resolution

Hint 18

Four phases

Front 19

Sexual differentiation

Back 19

The process by which the initial decision is made for a fetus to develop as a male or a female in body and behaviour.

Front 20

Indifferent gonads

Back 20

Begin to change into ovaries or testes in the first month of the fetus.

Front 21

SRY gene (sex-determining region on the Y chromosome)

Back 21

A gene on the Y chromosome that directs the developing gonads to become testes by producing SRY protein. Without those protein an ovary forms.

Front 22

Müllerian ducts

Back 22

A duct system in the embryo that will develop into female reproductive structures (oviduct, uterus and inner vagina) if testes are not present. Most of the wolffian system degenerates.

Front 23

Wolffian ducts

Back 23

A duct system in the embryo that will develop into male structures ( the epididymis, vas deferens and seminal vesicles) if testes are present. The müllerian system shrinks.

Front 24

Hormones from testes that masculinité system

Back 24

Testosterone: promotes development of the Wolffian system

Anti-müllerian hormone (AMH): Causes regression of the müllerian system.

Front 25

Organizational effect

Back 25

A permanent alteration of the nervous system, and thus permanent change in behaviour, resulting from the action of a steroid hormone on an animal early in its development. In contrast to the temporary activational effect.

Front 26

Sensitive period

Back 26

The period during development in which an organism can be permanently altered by a particular experience or treatment. Period when administration of steroids have an organizational effect depending on species either before birth or just after (neonatal)

Front 27

Sexual dimorphism

Back 27

The condition in which males and females show pronounced sex differences in appearance.

Front 28

Circadian rythms

Back 28

Functions of a living organism that displays a rythm of about 24h. They might be behavioural, physiological or biochemical.

Diurnal: active during light

Nocturnal: active during dark

Front 29

Free-running

Back 29

Maintaining own cycle without external cues (isolation chamber) dependent on internal cues. Expresses the endogenous clock that can be slightly greater or shorter than 24h.

Front 30

Period

Back 30

Time between two similar points of successive cycles, may not be exactly 24h.

Front 31

Phase shift

Back 31

Shift in activity in response to a synchronizing stimulus, such as light or food

Front 32

Entrainment

Back 32

Process of shifting the rythm of an animal by controlling external cues or zeitgeber (time giver) cue that an animal uses to synchronisé with the environment.

Front 33

Suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)

Back 33

Brain region that houses the biological clock and controls endogenous periods. Is located just above the optic chiasm of the hypothalamus. Lesions of this region disrupt circadian rhythms and the endogenous clock.

Front 34

Retinohypothalamic pathway

Back 34

Consists of retinal ganglion cells that project from the retina to the SCN. Do not rely on rods and cones, rather contain melanopsin (photopigment) that makes them sensitive to light (especially blue light).

Front 35

Melanopsin

Back 35

A special photopigment found in retinal ganglion cells in the retinohypothalamic pathway. It makes these cells sensitive to light especially blue light.

Front 36

Infradian rhythms

Back 36

Circadian rhythms that occur less than once per day. And so are longer than 24h. Eg. : body weight and reproductive cycles.

Front 37

Ultradian rhythms

Back 37

Circadian rhythms that occur more than once per day. So on a less than 24h endogenous period ( minutes to hours). Eg.: bouts of activity, feeding, and hormone release.

Front 38

Non-REM sleep (NREM)

Back 38

Type of sleep that can be divided into three stages and is characterized by lack of rapid eye movements.

Front 39

Rapid-eye-movement, paradoxical stage 4, sleep (REM)

Back 39

Type of sleep characterized by small-amplitude, fast EEG waves, no postural tension, and rapid eye movements. Waves ressemble those of an awake person despite deep muscle relaxation. 20% of sleep, occurs more in later cycles.

Front 40

Beta activity or desynchronized EEG

Back 40

Type of brainwave activity observable in a an alert awake human or in a stage 4 sleeper. Dominated by a mix of high frequency (15-20 Hz) and low amplitude waves.

Front 41

Alpha rhythm, stage 1 sleep

Back 41

Brain wave activity with a frequency around 8-12 Hz, appears during relaxation. Vertex spikes appear during this stage. Heart rate slows, muscle tension decreases, eyes roll about.

Front 42

Stage 2 sleep

Back 42

Type of sleep defined by waves of 12-14Hz of frequency that occur in bursts called sleep spindles. K-complexes appear (sharp negative EEG potentials). 45-50% of sleep.

Front 43

Stage 3 sleep (SWS)

Back 43

Type of sleep defined by the appearance of large-amplitude, very slow waves called delta waves. These waves occur about once per second, by the end of this state they dominate. More present in cycles early in the night.

Front 44

Characteristics of infant sleep

Back 44

- shorter sleep cycles

- more REM sleep ( 50%)

Front 45

Forebrain sleep system

Back 45

One of the four sleep systems that by itself displays SWS (stage 3 sleep), generated by the basal forebrain. Neurons in this region become active and release GABA that supresses activity in the tuberomamillary nucleus.

Front 46

Brainstem sleep system

Back 46

The reticular formation is able to activate the cortex and produce wakefulness. Lesions of this system can produce constant sleep states.

Front 47

Pontine sleep system

Back 47

This sleep system is responsible for REM sleep. Neurons of the subcoeruleus are only active during REM sleep and inhibit motor neurons to keep them from firing during REM sleep (muscle atonia).

Front 48

Hypothalamus sleep system

Back 48

This sleep system governs the other three. Kinda the sleep system center. Coordinates them, enforcing the patterns of sleep.

Front 49

Emotion

Back 49

A subjective mental state that is usually accompanied by distinctive behaviors, feelings, and involuntary physical changes

Front 50

Ekman's 8 distinctive emotions

Back 50

Anger, sadness, happiness, fear, disgust, surprise, contempt and embarrassment.

Front 51

Decorticate rage

Back 51

Also called sham rage. Sudden intense rage characterized by actions ( such as snarling and biting in dogs) that lack clear direction. Happened in dogs with their cortex removed, suggests that the cortex inhibits rage.

Front 52

Superficial facial muscles

Back 52

Muscles that attach to the skin of the face. Contraction can control facial expression of hapiness, sadness, disgust and contempt with the frontalis muscle.

Front 53

Deep facial muscles

Back 53

Muscles that attach to bone. Allow chewing, larger movements of the face. Temporalis muscle is a powerful jaw muscle.

Front 54

Klüver-bucy syndrome

Back 54

A condition, brought about by bilateral amygdala damage, that is characterized by dramatic emotional changes including reduction in fear and anxiety, oral tendencies and hypersexuality.

Front 55

Fear conditioning

Back 55

A type of classical conditioning where a previously neutral stimulus is repeatedly paired with shock or some other unpleasant experience, causing the individual to act fearful in response to the stimulus.

Front 56

Low-road of fear reaction

Back 56

Direct and unconscious road of fear response allows for immediate reaction to a potentially threatening stimulus. The sensory organ relays the information to the thalamus and is sent to the amygdala.

Front 57

High-road of fear response

Back 57

Conscious road to process fear inducing stimuli through the thalamus, then the sensory cortex, the hippocampus and then the amygdala.allows for more detailed and conscious processing of the stimuli (comparing with memory)

Front 58

Amygdala

Back 58

A group of nuclei in the medial anterior part of the temporal lobe. Involved in the mediation of responses to fear inducing stimuli: emotional behavior, automatic responses and hormonal responses.

Front 59

Intermale aggression

Back 59

Aggression between males of the same species presumably for access to a sexual partner or defense of territory. Testosterone promotes aggression and serotonin inhibits aggression.

Front 60

Ventrolateral portion of the ventromedial hypothalamus (VMH)

Back 60

Part of the brain that acts as a trigger for aggression in mice. Activating it optogenetically lead ta male mice attacking females and inhibiting it reduced the likelihood of a male attacking another male.

Front 61

Stress

Back 61

Any circumstance that upsets homeostatic balance.

Front 62

Alarm reaction

Back 62

The initial response to stress; stimulates two systems to restore homeostatic balance. The fight or flight system and the stimulation of the pituitary by the hypothalamus to release cortisol in the adrenal cortex.

Front 63

Fast system of the alarm reaction

Back 63

Activation of the fight or flight system. The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system to stimulate many physiological systems including adrenal medulla to release epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Front 64

Slow response to stress.

Back 64

Hypothalamus stimulates the anterior pituitary to release hormones that drive the adrenal cortex to release hormones such as cortisol.

Front 65

Cortisol

Back 65

A glucocorticoid stress hormone released by the adrenal cortex that increases blood glucose and breaks down protein to give the body energy for action.

Front 66

Paragigantocellular nucleus

Back 66

A region of the brainstem reticular formation. Sends serotonergic fibers to inhibit a circuit responsible for penile erection. In order for erections to occur the mPOA must inhibit the inhibitory PGN projection.

Front 67

Narcolepsy

Back 67

Condition brought about by lack or presence of less hypocretin neurons. Symptoms:

- sleep attacks

- enter REM immediately after falling asleep

- may show cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle tone)

Front 68

Hypocretin neurons

Back 68

The hypothalamus uses neurons that use this neurotransmitter to coordinate the sleep centers. Neurons containing this neurotransmitter control transitions between wakefulness, NREM and REM.

Front 69

Cataplexy

Back 69

A sudden loss of muscle tone, leading to collapse. Usually due to loss of hypocretin neurons that's leads REM-like muscle atonia while still awake. Symptom of narcolepsy.