GRE- Physiological Psychology

Pierre Flourens

extirpation, or ablation (damage. Lesion in the brain)

William James & John Dewey

Functionalism
Dewey believed: Psychology should study the function of the individual as a whole as it adapted to fit into its environment
*Dewey did not believe in breaking down neurons into reflex arc theory

Johannes Muller

Law of specific nerve energies

Hermann von Helmholtz

speed of a nerve impulse

Sir Charles Sherrington

inferred the existence of synapses (gaps between neurons)- believed synaptic transfer was an electric transfer, opposed to reality that we now know it is a chemical reaction

Sensory Neurons

(AFFERENT neurons) Transmit sensory information from receptors to the spinal cord and brain

Motor Neurons

(EFFORENT neurons) Transmit motor information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles ) Efferent neurons, Exit brain

Interneurons

In the brain and spinal cord, linked to reflexive behavior, controlled by neutral circuits call reflex arcs

Parasympathetic Nervous system

Resting & Digestion Acetylcholine Conserves energy; decelerates heartbeat and increases digestion

Sympathetic Nervous System

Stressful situation; "Fight or flight" Adrenaline Maximize energy for quick response; increases

Hindbrain

located where brain meets spinal cord- main functions include, balance, motor coordination, breathing, and general arousal processes such as sleeping and waking; vital functioning necessary for survival

Midbrain

sensorimotor reflexes, necessary for survival

Forebrain

associated with complex cognitive, and behavioral functioning; complex perceptual, cognitive, and behavioral processes- associate with emotion and memory. Not necessary for survival, but associated with thinking and emotional behaviors most characterized

Phylogeny

term for evolutionary development in humans

Medulla Oblongata

(Hindbrain) Regulates breathing, heartbeat, & blood pressure

Cerebellum

(Hindbrain) Helps maintain posture & balance, coordinates body movement

Reticular formation

(Hindbrain) Regulates arousal, attention & alertness (sleeping and waking)

Superior colliculus
(superior ? seeing)

(Midbrain) Receives visual sensory input

Inferior colliculus

(Midbrain) Receives auditory sensory input

Thalamus

(Forebrain) Relay station for incoming sensory information (except smell)

Hypothalamus

(Forebrain) Homeostatic functions, emotional experience, aggression, sexual behavior

Basal ganglia

(Forebrain) Regulates posture and coordination through extra-pyramidal motor system (Parkinson's/ schizophrenia)

Limbic system

(Forebrain) Emotion and memory

Function of the Hypothalamus

1.) Feeding
2.) Fighting
3.) Fleeing
4.) Sexual Functioning

Lateral hypothalamus (LH)

The hunger center, rage & fighting Damage Causes: Aphagia (Lack of Hunger)

Ventromendial Hypothalamus (VMH)

The satiety center Damage Causes: Hyperphagia (excessive eating and obesity- VH, Very hungry)

Anterior Hypothalamus

Sexual behavior Damage Causes: Asexual behavior

Homeostasis

- Walter Cannon
- Metabolism, temperature, water balance (osmoregulation)

The "Fight or Flight" responses

- Emotion experience during high arousal states
- Sham rage (pseudo-rage, triggered by mildest stimuli)

Anterior Hypothalamus

Damage leads to- Aggressive sexual behavior- inhibition of sexual behavior

Septum (Septal Area)

(Limbic System) Primary pleasure center (James Olds & Peter Milner)
Inhibits aggression- Septal Rage

Amygdala

(Limbic System) Defensive and aggressive behaviors (Heinrick Kluver & Paul Bucy)

Hippocampus

(Limbic System) Learning and memory processes (Brenda Milner's patient H.M.)

Cerebral Cortex

Outer surface of the brain

Prefrontal lobes

cognitive and behavioral processes (an association area; combines input from diverse brain regions)- damage impairs overall supervisory functions, individual with prefrontal lesions may be more impulsive or depressed

Motor cortex

initiates voluntary motor movement, sends neural impulses down spinal cord to muscles

Parietal

Somatosensory information processing, spatial processing and manipulation; Brocas area is usually found in LEFT, Parietal lobe; somatosensory cortex is in parietal lobe too

Occipital

visual (striate cortex)- visual perception, learning and motor control, found at very rear of the brain

Temporal

auditory cortex: auditory perception; memory processing, emotion control, and language, Wiernicke's Area is found in temporal lobe, concerned with reception and communication abilities. Hippocampus is located in side temporal lobe, electrical stimulation

Dominant hemisphere

usually left hemisphere
� Analytic: logic and math
� Language comprehension (Wernicke's area) and language production (Broca's area)

Non-dominant Hemisphere

� Emotional tone of spoken language
� Intuition, creativity, music & spatial processing

Roger Sperry & Michael Gazzaniga

� Split Brain Studies

Glial cells

support and nourish neurons; insulate axons in a protective myelin sheath

Neurons

information carriers

Cell body (Soma)

contains the nucleus, making it the cells energy center

Dendrites

branch out from cell body to receive information from other cell bodies, external stimulation can cause a neuron to fire (generate electrical impulse)

Electrical Process

within a Neuron

Chemical Process

between neurons

Resting potential

- Sodium- potassium pump: maintains the neuron's resting potential
- Polarized: slight negative charge ( -70 millivolts

Depolarization

(firing of the neuron)
- Membrane's potential increases the threshold potential (-50 millivolts)

Action potential spike

- Rapid electrical pulse, charge becomes positive (depolarization)
- Cell membrane is repolarized

Hyperpolarization

- Cell membrane becomes resistant to positively charge sodium ions
- Internal voltage returns to the original resting potential

Potassium

Outside cell during rest? inside during action potentials

Sodium

Inside cell during rest? outside during action potentials

Refractory period

(period between action potential, where a potential is not able to take place) Governed by the "All-or-None Law "of Neutral Activity

Acetylcholine

(Found in central and peripheral nervous systems) Transmits nerve impulse to the muscles, linked to Alzheimer's disease- linked to loss of Acetylcholine and loss of links to hippocampus

Epinephrine, norepinephrine, and dopamine (Catecholamines) AKA monoamines

Emotions

Norepinephrine

Controls alertness and wakefulness, implicated in depression and mania

Serotonin

Monoamine and biogenetic-amine transmitter linked to depression, regulates mood, eating, sleeping, and arousal

Dopamine

(Usually found in basal ganglia) Movement and posture, linked to schizophrenia

GABA (gamma-amino butyric acid)

Produces inhibitory postsynaptic potentials, stabilizes neural activity in the brain

Sedative- hypnotic drugs (depressants)

Slows down the functioning of the CNS, synergistic, or additive in effect Benzodiazepines (valium) & barbiturates, alcohol

Behavioral- stimulants

Increases motor activity, stimulate receptors for dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin Amphetamines
Antidepressants

Antipsychotic

Blocks receptors sites for dopamine, treat delusions, hallucinations and agitation Thorazine, chlorpromazine, phenothiazine, haloperidol (Haldol), Lithium carbonate (bipolar disorder)

Narcotics

Bind to "opiate" receptors in the brain, respond to endorphins Opium, heroin, and morphine

Hypothalamus (endocrine)

Brain region that control release of pituitary hormones

Pituitary (endocrine)

Master gland secretes hormones that rigger hormone secretion in other endocrine glands

Thyroid (endocrine)

Affects metabolism, growth

Adrenal medulla (endocrine)

Produces adrenaline, increases heart rate ("Fight or flight")

Ovaries (endocrine)

strogen stimulates female sex characteristics; progesterone prepares uterus for implantation of embryo

Testes (endocrine)

Testosterone produces male sex characteristics, role in sexual arousal, production of sperm

Follicle stimulating hormone (FSH)

development of the ovarian follicle

Luteinizing hormone (LH)

Stimulates ovulation

egional cerebral blood flow (cCBF)

Detects patterns of neural activity based on increased blood flow to different parts of the brain

Agnosia

difficulty with perceptual recognition impairment in visual recognition

Apraxia

Impairment in organization of motor function

Beta waves

13- 30 Hz brain wave frequency brain wave while alert or concentrating (Characterize waves when we're awake)

Alpha waves

8- 12 Hz brain wave frequency during relaxed wakefulness (Occur when we're awake but relaxing with eyes closed)

Theta waves

5-8 Hz brain wave associated with relaxed wakefulness and REM sleep (occur during sleep stage 1)

Delta waves

1-3 Ha brain wave associated with deep dreamless sleep

Sleep Stage 1

Theta waves, K complexes (brief high amplitude waves) and sleep spindles (short bursts of alpha waves)

Sleep Stage 2

Theta waves

Sleep Stage 3

Progressively slower delta waves, steeper sleep spindles

Sleep Stage 4

The deepest sleep state of the full sleep cycle, slowest Delta waves, steepest sleep spindles

REM Sleep

Fast, irregular EEG similar to alpha waves, dreaming, relaxed muscles

James- Lange theory of emotions

We become aware of our emotion after we notice our physiological reactions

Cannon- Bard theory

Emotions reflects our physiological arousal and our cognitive experience of emotion

The two- factor theory of emotion (Schacter & Singer)

The subjective experience of emotion is based on the interaction between changes in physiological arousal and cognitive interpretation of that arousal