BIOLOGICAL BASIS OF BEHAVIORMyers for AP Kerri Dowd

• Neural Communication – Neurons– Neurotransmitter

Influences• The Nervous System

– Peripheral Nervous System

– Central Nervous System

• The Endocrine system

UNIT OVERVIEW: CHAPTER 3A

KEY TERMS• Nervous system, p.

59– Central (CNS), p. 59– Peripheral (PNS), p.

59– Somatic, p. 59– Autonomic, p. 59– Sympathetic, p. 59– Parasympathetic, p.

59• Nerves, p. 59• Reflex, p. 61• Endocrine system, p.

62• Hormones, p. 62• Adrenal glands, p. 63• Pituitary gland, p. 63

• Biological psychology, p. 52

• Neuron, p. 53• Sensory neurons,

p. 53• Motor neurons, p.

53• Interneurons, p.

53• Dendrite, p. 53• Axon, p. 53• Myelin sheath, p.

53• Action potential,

p. 53• Threshold, p. 54• Synapse , p. 55• Neurotransmitter

s, p. 55• Reuptake, p. 55• Endorphins , p. 57

• 1972: Rosenzweig, Bennett and Diamond:

• Rat research showed that enriched environments contributed to more complex neuronal connections in the cortex.

• Showed impact of environmental factors (how nature and nurture interact)

KEY STUDY

–Sensory neurons–Motor neurons–Interneurons

–Sidenote: Humans have about 100 BILLION neurons!

NEURON

• Provide sup0port network of cells surrounding blood vessels and neurons

• Outnumber typical neurons about 10 to 1

• Oligondenroglia – CNS cells that produce myelin

• Schwann Cells – same function as above except in PNS (Bonus – can help axons regenerate!)

• Astrocytes – star-shaped, form the matrix in which neural cells are embedded and absorb dead ones.

NEUROGLIA

Neurons

Neurons

Neurons

Neurons

Neurons

Neurons

Neurons

Action Potential

Action Potential

Action Potential

Action Potential

Action Potential

How Neurons Communicate

How Neurons Communicate

How Neurons Communicate

How Neurons Communicate

How Neurons Communicate

REINFORCEMENT: VIDEOS!

Do now: Quick Quiz (no peeking)

1. What happens to the neurotransmitters when they are released from the terminal of the axon?

2. What was all that business about positive and negative charges (action potential) Describe!

• http://science.education.nih.gov/supplements/nih2/addiction/activities/lesson2_neurotransmission.htm

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMzOKpF0zuQ

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=udHw0I3MFw4

A TRIP TO THE BATHROOM& HUMAN NEURON PARTY

• Yup. We’re going. Come on!

• Then circle up!

• How is flushing a toilet similar to the process of neurotransmission?

– depolarization - toilet flushing– all-or-none principle – It flushes

completely or not– direction of impulse - the toilet only

flushes one way– refractory period - It won’t flush again

for a certain period of time, even if you push the handle repeatedly

– threshold - it won’t flush until you push the handle past a critical point (the level of excitatory neurotransmitters a neuron must absorb before it will fire )

– resting potential- in a tank toilet, the water represents resting potential--the overall negative charge inside the neuron waiting for depolarization

– action potential - opening the flap in the tank and the water rushing out

DO NOW!

HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US

• Acetylcholine (AcH)• Dopamine• Serotonin• Norepinephrine• GABA• Glutamate• Endorphins

HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US

• Agonists versus antagonists–Agonists–Antagonists

Agonists and Antagonists

Agonists and Antagonists

Agonists and Antagonists

Agonists and Antagonists

• http://www.methproject.org/answers/what-does-meth-do-to-your-brain.html#The-Brain-on-Meth

• Discussion: Knowing what you know about agonists and antagonists, can you think of a flaw in the Rat Park study?

• Flashback: What are the four components of ethical experiments?

• What is the difference between explicit and implicit memory?

DO NOW

• Review specific definitions on pages 59-62

• Watch this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PPZCLnVkA&list=SP3EED4C1D684D3ADF&index=26

FUNCTIONAL ORGANIZATION OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

FIGHT OR FLIGHT & RETURN TO NORMAL

THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM: THE BODY’S “SLOW” MESSENGER SYSTEM

Key People:• Paul Broca• Phineas Gage• Michael Gazzaniga• Roger Sperry• Karl Wernicke

CHAPTER 3B:OVERVIEW

KEY TERMS• Miscellaneous

terms• Lesion, p. 67• Aphasia, p. • Plasticity, p. 82• Neurogenesis, p.

83• Split brain, p. 84• consciousness, p.

89• cognitive

neuroscience, p. 89

• dual processing, p. 90

Tools for looking at brains:• Electroencephalo

gram (EEG), p. 67• CT (computed

tomography) scan, p. 68

• PET (positron emission tomography) scan, p. 68

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), p. 68

• fMRI (functional MRI), p. 68

PARTS OF THE BRAIN • Frontal lobes, p.

74

• Parietal lobes, p. 74

• Occipital lobes, p. 74

• Temporal lobes, p. 74

• Motor cortex, p. 75

• Sensory cortex, p. 77

• Association areas, p. 78

• Broca’s area, p. 80

• Wernicke’s area, p. 80

• Corpus callosum, p. 84

• Brainstem, p. 69

• Medulla, p. 69

• Reticular formation, p. 70

• Thalamus, p. 70

• Cerebellum, p. 70

• Limbic system, p. 71

• Amygdala, p. 71

• Hypothalamus, p. 72

• Cerebral cortex, p. 74

• Glial cells (glia), p. 74

• Electroencephalogram (EEG): Electrodes on scalp measure waves of electricity across the brain’s surface

• CT (computed tomography) scan: A computerized composite of a series of x-rays from different angles

• PET (positron emission tomography) scan: A visual image of where radioactive glucose travels in the brain during a task

• MRI (magnetic resonance imaging): Uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to create images of soft tissue

• fMRI (functional MRI): Repeated MRIs during activity (during functioning)

TOOLS FOR LOOKING IN YOUR HEAD

• Brain Model Assignment• Be ready to present on

Wednesday• Remember to highlight

your group’s chosen parts in your model

• You may print out or incorporate your APA sources into your PowerPoint, Prezi or whatever you did (not required)

• Wow us with your mnemonic devices

WHICH IS WHICH?

• Quick review:• What is the difference between an agonist and an antagonist?

• What is the main purpose of the thyroid gland?

DO NOW

BRAIN PLASTICITY

• Insert videos:• Brain plasticity (Jodie Miller)

• Split-brain research from file (Joe)

• Phineas Gage

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgOzYYwA1DI

• Wrinkles on the brain are made by fissures and folds called gyri (grooves) and sulci (humps) (singular gyrus and sulcus). Linked to intelligence

• Sylvian fissure: Deepest and most prominent coritcal fissure – separates the temporal and frontal lobes in both hemispheres

• Pineal gland: produces melatonin; regulates circadian rhythms

JUST FOR FUN (AND REVIEW)

• What did researchers (Bouchard, Plomin, et. al) discover about adoptive families in terms of

• Impact on children’s personality?

• Impact on children’s values?

• Rate of abuse and divorce?

DO NOW

Key People:• Thomas Bouchard• David Buss• Francis Collins• Charles Darwin• Alice Eagly• David Lykken• Robert Plomin• Wendy Wood

3C – GENETICS, EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY, AND BEHAVIOR

• Behavior genetics, p. 95• Environment, p. 95• Chromosomes, p. 95• DNA (deoxyribonucleic

acid), p. 95• Genes, p. 95• Genome, p. 96• Identical twins, p. 96• Fraternal twins, p. 97• Heritability, p. 100• Interaction, p. 101• Molecular genetics, p. 102• Evolutionary

psychology, p. 103• Natural selection, p. 103• Mutation, p. 104

KEY TERMS

• 46 chromosomes (23 +23)• Made of DNA• Genes are small segments

of DNA• You have about 30,000

genes• Some are expressed,

some are inactive• Environment can turn

them “on”• Turned on = creating

protein molecules (building blocks)

• Genome = all the coded instructions for making an organism

SUMMARY STUFF

TWINS:

• Identical:– Same gender– Same genes but

different number of copies

– Usually same placenta– Also called monozygotic

• Fraternal:– Can be mixed genders– No more similar than

other siblings

• Heritability: “the variation among individuals that we can attribute to their varying genes.”

• So important to understand that the book said it twice. P. 100.

• So… let’s repeat again• “We can never say what

percentage of an individual’s personality or intelligence [or other trait] is inherited…. Heritability refers instead to the extent to which differences among people are attributed to genes.”

OTHER KEY CONCEPTS IN THE CHAPTER

• Some genes express no matter what

• Some genes react to the environment

• Those genes are self-regulating

• Molecular genetics: Discussion – how far is too far?

GENE STUFF

–Natural selection• Mutation• Adaptation• Fitness

EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

• Evolutionary Success Helps Explain Similarities

– Behaviors that contribute to survival are found throughout cultures

• Outdated Tendencies– Genetic traits which helped

our ancestors survive may harm us today

• Similarity across cultures– No more than 5 percent of

the genetic differences among humans arise from population group differences.

• Three main concerns:1. EPs start with an

effect and work backwards to explain

2. EP theory gives too little emphasis to social influences

3. The EP viewpoint absolves people from taking personal responsibility for their actions

CRITIQUES OF EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY

AHHH…. BALANCE:

That’s

YOU!!! !

We are Biopsychosocial