Download Introduction to Psychology

Biological Psychology
 Biological Psychology
 Branch of psychology concerned with the links
between biology and behavior
 Areas of study include neuroscience, the endocrine
system and the relative contribution of genetics and
evolution
 The Brain
The Most Basic Structure: A Neuron
The Behaving Brain - Discovering Psych
Inner Workings NIMH
 Diagram a neuron
Concepts in Neural Communication
 Action Potential A neural impulse;
a brief electrical charge that travels
down an axon
 Threshold The level of stimulation
required to trigger a neural
impulse
 All or Nothing (None) response
Like it sounds. Neurons fire on the
basis of “all or nothing”
 Refractory period The period of
rest following a neural impulse

Describe the electrical transmission of an action
potential along a neuron*
Synapse The junction between the axon tip of the sending
neuron and the dendrite of a receiving neuron. Also called
the synaptic gap or cleft. Synaptic vesicles
Neural Communication
 Neurotransmitters Chemical messengers that traverse the
synaptic gaps between neurons (held and released by
synaptic vesicles). NTs bind to specific receptor sites on
the receiving neuron, and cause a neural impulse.
 Excess neurotransmitters are enzymatically broken down
or reabsorbed by receptors in a reuptake process
 Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters

Explain the function of neurotransmitters.
from the sending to receiving neuron.
Describe the neurotransmission process
Know Specific Neurotransmitters, Their
Functions and Effects on Health
 Acetylcholine Learning, memory and
muscle control. Deficit present in
Alzheimer’s disease. Curare-, botulism and black widows +
 Endorphins Opiate-like action linked to
pain control and to pleasure. Mimicked
by opiates (agonist). Kosterlitz’s
discovery The Mind: Endorphins
 Norepinephrine/Noradrenaline Related
to arousal and state of alert (fight or
flight). Undersupply can affect
motivation and mood (anti-depressants)
More Specific Neurotransmitters
 Serotonin Mood, sleep, arousal, pain
sensitivity and hunger regulation.
Implicated in depression.
Antidepressants raise levels. SSRIs
 Dopamine Movement, learning and
attention
 A deficit seen in Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson's...Use of l-dopa (passes BBB)
 Sacks and Awakenings. Encephalitis
lethargica Use of l-dopa
 An excess of Dopamine = schizophrenia
(use of dopa blockers)

Know specific neurotransmitters, their functions and effects
on health
More Specific Neurotransmitters
 Glutamate Used at the great majority of fast excitatory
synapses in the brain. Involved in memory. Can
overstimulate brain. Headaches and seizures. Epilepsy
 GABA Inhibitory neurotransmitter. Low amounts present
in seizures and insomnia. Many sedative/tranquilizing
drugs act by enhancing the effects of GABA. Alcohol and
increases GABA. Anti-anxiety meds Epilepsy and GABA
 Substance P Responsible for transmission of pain from
certain sensory neurons to the central nervous system

Know specific neurotransmitters, their functions and effects on health
Agonists
• Using an example explain the difference between an agonist
and an antagonist
Antagonists
• Using an example explain the difference between an
agonist and an antagonist
Neurotransmitters and Addiction
• Some drugs, like cocaine, increase
dopamine by preventing reuptake,
leaving more dopamine in the
synapse. Cocaine addiction
• Amphetamines (stimulants) help to
release more dopamine
• Opiates act as agonists, mimicking
endorphins
• Adaptations to drug use = tolerance
• The withdrawal hypothesis
•
Using an example explain the difference between an
agonist and an antagonist
Additional Concepts Related to
Neural Transmission
• The Secret Life of the Brain
– Neural networks
– Developmental Plasticity
– Synaptic pruning
• Neurogenesis Adult Neurogenesis
• Brain damage Hemispherectomy
and Plasticity
• Mirror neurons ScienceNow
• Neurons and Ramachandran
The Nervous System
Nervous
system
Central
(brain and
spinal cord)
Peripheral
Autonomic (controls
self-regulated action of
internal organs and glands)
Skeletal (controls
voluntary movements of
skeletal muscles)
Sympathetic
(arousing)
Parasympathetic
(calming)
The Nervous System
 Somatic Nervous System controls the body’s skeletal
muscles
 Autonomic Nervous System controls the glands and the
muscles of the internal organs
 Sympathetic Nervous System division of the ANS that
arouses the body, and mobilizes in stressful situations;
fight or flight response
 Parasympathetic Nervous System division of the ANS
that calms the body, and conserves its energy
•
Distinguish between the somatic and autonomic nervous systems and describe the
difference between a sympathetic and a parasympathetic response
The Nervous System
The Nervous System
The Nervous System
 Nerves “cables” connect the CNS
with muscles, glands, and sense
organs (SAME)
 Sensory Neurons (Afferent) Carry
information from the sense
receptors to the CNS
 Motor Neurons (Efferent) Carry
outgoing information from the
CNS to muscles and glands
 Interneurons communicate quickly
between sensory inputs and
motor outputs
• Distinguish between sensory and motor neurons
Homunculus
The Cerebral Cortex
Measuring Brain Structures/Functions
 Lesioning
 Experimentally caused
destruction of brain tissue
 EEG (Electroencephalograph)
 Amplified recording of the
waves of electrical activity
•
Describe the various types of brain measuring
and imaging techniques
Measuring Brain Structures/Functions
 CT (computed tomography) Scan
 Series of x-ray photographs from
different angles. Shows
structures
 MRI (magnetic imaging) resonance
 Uses magnetic fields to produce
computer-generated images that
distinguish among different types
of soft tissue; allows us to see
structures within the brain
•
Describe the various types of brain measuring and
imaging techniques
Measuring Brain Structures/Functions
 PET (positron emission
tomography) Scan
 Visual display of brain activity
that detects a radioactive form
of glucose goes while the brain
performs a given task
 fMRI (Functional MRI)
 Series of MR images used to
see structures within the brain
as they function
BBC Brain Story
The Hind Brain
 Brainstem responsible for (autonomic) survival functions
 Medulla Oblongata controls heartbeat and breathing
 Reticular formation source of alertness and arousal. The
Pons regulates sleep-wake cycle
 Cerebellum regulates movement and coordination
 Thalamus the brain’s sensory switchboard, located on
top of the brainstem directs messages to the sensory
receiving areas in the cortex
The Limbic System
The Limbic System
 Limbic System doughnut-shaped system of neural
structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral
hemispheres. Associated with emotions drives such as
those for food and sex. Includes the hypothalamus
amygdala, and hippocampus
 Amygdala two almond-shaped neural linked to
emotion; anger and aggression
 The Brain: Aggression
 Septum seat of fear
The Brain
 Hypothalamus structure lying
below (hypo) the thalamus;
directs several maintenance
activities (eating, drinking, body
temperature)
 helps govern the endocrine
system via the pituitary gland
 linked to emotion as well
 sexual arousal, satiation,
pleasure (or rewards) centers
The Limbic System - Hypothalamus
 Electrode
implanted in
reward center
(Olds)
 Pleasure and
Addiction
The Cerebral Cortex
 Cerebral Cortex
 The intricate fabric of interconnected neural
cells that covers the cerebral hemispheres
 The body’s ultimate control and information
processing center
 Comprised of two hemispheres and four lobes
 Folds or convolutions increase surface and
number of neural connections
 Association areas uncommitted areas
throughout cortex for higher thought processes
 Contralaterality
The Cerebral Cortex - FPOT
The Cerebral Cortex - Four Lobes
 Frontal Lobes Involved in making plans and judgments,
language (Broca), motor cortex located along rear
 The Mind: Frontal Lobe 9
 Parietal Lobes
 Includes the sensory cortex.
 Occipital Lobes
 Include the visual areas, which receive visual
information from the opposite visual field (angular gyrus)
 Temporal Lobes
 Auditory processing (Wernicke)
Visual and Auditory Cortices
The Cerebral Cortex - Language
 Broca’s Area an area of the left frontal lobe that directs
the muscle movements involved in speech
 Wernicke’s Area an area of the left temporal lobe involved
in language comprehension and expression
 Angular Gyrus an area in the left hemisphere that
transforms visual images into auditory code
 Aphasia impairment of language, usually caused by left
hemisphere damage either to Broca’s area (impairing
speaking) or to Wernicke’s area (impaired understanding),
also angular gyrus
 The Brain: Broca and Wernicke
Specialization and Integration
Our Divided Brain
Corpus callosum
 Corpus Callosum
 Band of neural fibers
connecting the two
brain hemispheres
and carrying
messages between
the hemispheres
 Issue of
contralaterality
 Jill Bolte Taylor
Our Divided Brain
 The information
highway from the
eye to the brain
 Role of the optic
chiasm
Split Brain Research
 A condition in which the
two hemispheres of the
brain are isolated by
cutting the connecting
fibers (mainly the corpus
callosum) between them
 Sperry and Gazzaniga
 The Brain: Split Brain
 Scientific American
 Split Brain NP.Org
The Endocrine System
 Endocrine System
 The body’s “slow”
chemical
communication
system
 A set of glands that
secrete hormones into
the bloodstream
 Controlled by the
hypothalamus and the
pituitary gland