Download Chpt.3 Brain-Endocrine System-Behavior Genetics mini-PPT

Brain Structures and their
Functions
The Endocrine System
 Endocrine System
 the body’s “slow”
chemical
communication
system
 a set of glands that
secrete hormones
into the
bloodstream
Neural and Hormonal Systems
 Hormones
 chemical messengers, mostly those manufactured by the
endocrine glands, that are produced in one tissue and affect
another
 Adrenal [ah-DREEN-el] Glands
 a pair of endocrine glands just above the kidneys
 secrete the hormones epinephrine (adrenaline) and
norepinephrine (noradrenaline), which help to arouse the body
in times of stress
 Pituitary Gland
 under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary
regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands
Genes and Behavior: The Interdisciplinary Field of
Behavioral Genetics
• Behavioral genetics = the study of the influence of
genetic factors on behavioral traits
• Basic terminology:
• Chromosomes – strands of DNA carrying genetic
information
– Human cells contain 46 chromosomes in pairs (sexcells – 23 single)
– Each chromosome – thousands of genes, also in pairs
• Dominant, recessive
• Homozygous, heterozygous
• Genotype/Phenotype and Polygenic Inheritance
Research Methods in Behavioral Genetics
• Family studies – does it run in the family?
• Twin studies – compare resemblance of
identical (monozygotic) and fraternal
(dizygotic) twins on a trait
• Adoption studies – examine resemblance
between adopted children and their biological
and adoptive parents
Modern Approaches to the Nature vs. Nurture Debate
• Molecular Genetics = the study of the
biochemical bases of genetic
inheritance
– Genetic mapping – locating specific genes
- The Human Genome Project
• Behavioral Genetics
– The interactionist model
– Richard Rose (1995) – “We inherit
dispositions, not destinies.”
Parental Investment and Mating
Systems - sociobiology
• Polygyny – high female, low male – based on a study by Buss (1994)
found in 84 % of human cultures
• Polyandry – high male, low female – rare but examples have been
found for example in the Pahari of Nepal and India, and Tibet and
other limited places in the world. The system in Tibet was based on
class and land considerations.
http://www.case.edu/affil/tibet/booksAndPapers/pahari.html
• Monogamy – shared parental investment but not always equal.
There are few exclusively monogamous species – 15 % of human
cultures (Buss, 1994)
• Polygynadry – group parental investment and very rare – in
chimpanzees mating is promiscuous for males and females
• Incest – universal taboo – increased genetic diversity
Figures 3.32 &
3.33 – brain
asymmetry and
speech
localization – use
of Wadi technique
and TMS