January 18, 2011January 18, 2011

You are driving down You are driving down the road, when the road, when suddenly a car pulls suddenly a car pulls out in front of you. out in front of you. How does your body How does your body respond? respond?

Neuroscience, Neuroscience, Genetics and Genetics and BehaviorBehaviorThe Biological Basis for BehaviorThe Biological Basis for Behavior

Chapter 3Chapter 3

The Nervous SystemThe Nervous System

Our body’s primary Our body’s primary information systeminformation system

Brain and spinal cordBrain and spinal cord form the central nervous form the central nervous systemsystem

The Peripheral The Peripheral NervousNervous system links system links the central nervous the central nervous system with the body’s system with the body’s sense receptors, sense receptors, muscles and glandsmuscles and glands

NeuronsNeurons

Nerve cellNerve cell Cell bodyCell body DendritesDendrites AxonAxon Myelin SheathMyelin Sheath Axon terminalsAxon terminals

How Neurons How Neurons CommunicateCommunicate

The junction between the The junction between the axon tip of the sending axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the or cell body of the receiving neuron is receiving neuron is called the SYNAPSEcalled the SYNAPSE

Synaptic gap or cleft-a Synaptic gap or cleft-a tiny gap between the tiny gap between the receiving neuron and receiving neuron and sending neuronsending neuron

NeurotransmittersNeurotransmitters

Chemical Chemical messengers messengers released by axonsreleased by axons

NeurotransmittersNeurotransmitters

AcetylcholineAcetylcholine-transmits between nerves and -transmits between nerves and muscles-Alzheimer’s diseasemuscles-Alzheimer’s disease

NorephinephrineNorephinephrine-sleep;bp;mood-depression-sleep;bp;mood-depression SerotoninSerotonin-mood;appetite;aggression--mood;appetite;aggression-

depression and migrainesdepression and migraines DopamineDopamine-involuntary body movement--involuntary body movement-

Parkinson’s Disease, possibly schizophrenia Parkinson’s Disease, possibly schizophrenia and addictionsand addictions

GABA(gamma-aminobutyric acid)GABA(gamma-aminobutyric acid)-major -major inhibitory transmitter in the brain-neuron loss inhibitory transmitter in the brain-neuron loss after strokeafter stroke

2 more neurotransmitters2 more neurotransmitters

GlutamateGlutamate-major excitatory transmitter in -major excitatory transmitter in the brain (probably present in all the the brain (probably present in all the nervous system)-neuron loss after strokenervous system)-neuron loss after stroke

EndorphinEndorphin-modulates sensory system, -modulates sensory system, including relief of pain and feeling of well including relief of pain and feeling of well being-addictionsbeing-addictions

The Peripheral Nervous The Peripheral Nervous SystemSystem

Somatic Nervous Somatic Nervous SystemSystem is voluntary is voluntary

Autonomic nervous Autonomic nervous systemsystem is is involuntary divides involuntary divides into into sympatheticsympathetic and and parasympatheticparasympathetic

The BrainStemThe BrainStem

The brainstem-it begins The brainstem-it begins where the spinal cord where the spinal cord enters the skull and enters the skull and swells slightly forming swells slightly forming the medullathe medulla

Reticular Formation-a Reticular Formation-a finger-shaped network of finger-shaped network of neurons, extends from neurons, extends from the spinal cord right up the spinal cord right up to thalamus to thalamus

CerebellumCerebellum

Extends from the Extends from the rear of the brainstemrear of the brainstem

Means little brainMeans little brain Coordinating Coordinating

voluntary movementvoluntary movement

ThalamusThalamus

Jointed pair of egg-Jointed pair of egg-shaped structures sit shaped structures sit atop the brainstematop the brainstem

Brain’s sensory Brain’s sensory switchboardswitchboard

Receives info from the Receives info from the sensory neurons and sensory neurons and routes it to the higher routes it to the higher brain regions that deal brain regions that deal with seeing, hearing, with seeing, hearing, tasting, and touchingtasting, and touching

The Limbic SystemThe Limbic System

Donut shaped neural Donut shaped neural systemsystem

Controls emotions Controls emotions and basic motivesand basic motives

AmygdalaAmygdala

Almond shaped Almond shaped neural clustersneural clusters

Influences Influences aggressionaggression

Kluver and Bucy Kluver and Bucy surgically lesioned surgically lesioned part of a rhesus part of a rhesus monkey’s brain monkey’s brain including the including the amygdalaamygdala

HypothalamusHypothalamus

Lies just below the Lies just below the thalamusthalamus

Perform specific Perform specific bodily maintenance bodily maintenance dutiesduties

It directs survival It directs survival skills-eating, skills-eating, drinking, body temp.drinking, body temp.

Helps govern the Helps govern the endocrine systemendocrine system

The Cerebral CortexThe Cerebral Cortex

An intricate covering of An intricate covering of interconnected neural interconnected neural cells that form a thin cells that form a thin layer on the cerebral layer on the cerebral hemispheres (like bark hemispheres (like bark on a tree)on a tree)

Our body’s ultimate Our body’s ultimate control and information control and information processing centerprocessing center

Four Lobes of the CortexFour Lobes of the Cortex

Frontal Lobes-behind Frontal Lobes-behind your foreheadyour forehead

Parietal Lobes-at the Parietal Lobes-at the top and reartop and rear

Occipital Lobes-at Occipital Lobes-at the back of your the back of your headhead

Temporal Lobes-just Temporal Lobes-just above your eyesabove your eyes

Motor and Sensory Motor and Sensory CortexCortex

Senses on the brainSenses on the brain

Our Divided BrainsOur Divided Brains

The Brain divides its The Brain divides its mental functions of mental functions of speaking, perceiving, speaking, perceiving, remembering, and remembering, and thinking into sub thinking into sub functions.functions.

Corpus CallosumCorpus Callosum

Wide band of axon Wide band of axon fibers that connect fibers that connect the two hemisphersthe two hemisphers

Studies of the Corpus Studies of the Corpus CallosumCallosum

Vogel and Bogen performed surgery on a Vogel and Bogen performed surgery on a patient with epilepsypatient with epilepsy

Patient acted normal afterward Patient acted normal afterward personality and intellect hardly affectedpersonality and intellect hardly affected

Sperry and Gazzaniga noticed patients Sperry and Gazzaniga noticed patients who had surgery developed changes in who had surgery developed changes in perception and speechperception and speech

Right and Left Right and Left HemispheresHemispheres

Right-copying, Right-copying, drawing, recognizing drawing, recognizing faces, perceiving faces, perceiving differences, differences, expressing emotionsexpressing emotions

Left-press agent or Left-press agent or the interpreterthe interpreter

Ways we study the brainWays we study the brain

Recordings (EEG)Recordings (EEG) StimulationStimulation LesionsLesions AccidentsAccidents ImagingImaging

CAT-X-rayCAT-X-ray PET-brain activityPET-brain activity MRI-structureMRI-structure fMRI-blood flowfMRI-blood flow

Phineas Gage 1848

The Endocrine SystemThe Endocrine System

The Endocrine Glands secrete hormones The Endocrine Glands secrete hormones (Chemical messengers that are produced in (Chemical messengers that are produced in one tissue and travel through the bloodstream one tissue and travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues including the brain)and affect other tissues including the brain)

Hormones acting on the brain influence our Hormones acting on the brain influence our interest in interest in SEXSEX, , FOOD, FOOD, and and AGGRESSIONAGGRESSION!!

CNS works like email, the Endocrine works like CNS works like email, the Endocrine works like snail mail.snail mail.

Endocrine messages last longer! Influence Endocrine messages last longer! Influence many aspects of our lives.many aspects of our lives.

Endocrine SystemEndocrine System

Genetics and BehaviorGenetics and Behavior

Our genes provide Our genes provide the blueprint for our the blueprint for our biologybiology

Psychologists ask Psychologists ask “Do genes provide “Do genes provide the blueprints for our the blueprints for our bodies and our bodies and our behaviors?”behaviors?”

Evolutionary PsychologyEvolutionary Psychology

““Are we shaped to make choices Are we shaped to make choices because of the genes of our ancestors?”because of the genes of our ancestors?”

Behavior GeneticsBehavior Genetics

Explore our differencesExplore our differences Twin StudiesTwin Studies Adoption StudiesAdoption Studies HeritabilityHeritability Molecular geneticsMolecular genetics