What is Biopsychology?
-the field of psych that examines our brain structure and how it affects our behavior
-it is concerned with the link between our biological activity within our bodies and psychological events such as behavior that results from it
what do biosphychologist do?
they gather information to gain a better understanding of such things as
-sleep patterns and dreams
-depression and schizophrenia
-hunger and sex drives
-stress as well as disease
each nerve cell is linked to as many as....others
15,000
what is a neuron
an individual nerve cell
the brain consists of how many neurons? And we are born with how many?
100 billion
200 billion
when several neurons in various parts of our body come together, they can produce such things as...
conscious and intelligence
major parts of the neuron
dendrites
soma
axon
axon terminals
synapse gap
define dendrite
part of the neuron that resembles tree roots, Thread-like extensions from the cell body. Transports message from the stimulus to the cell body.
define soma
the main cell body that contains the nucleus and keeps the entire cell alive and functioning
what is the soma's job
to send and recieve messages from other neurons
define axon
a fiber that is attached to the soma and it carries messages out to other cells. we have 3 million miles of axon which allows us to perform a act or behavior
define axon terminals
are located at the end of axons and also resemble tree branches. the branches are interlinked and send messages to other dendrites and somas of other nuerons grouped together
-acting potential and resting potential
define synape
is the space or gap between two neurons that allow messages to pass through
how do nerve cells communicate with one another?
through the axon, the soma sends nerve impulses to nucleus that contain tiny electricaly charged molecules call ions
inactive neurons are in a state called?
resting potential which is dependent upon how many messages are being received from neuron to neuron
once the ions electrical impulses of a neuron reach a certain level the neuron will reach what?
its threshold which means the neuron is at its trigger point for firing
when the neuron reaches their firing point, the impulse that goes from the neuron is known as what?
the action potential or a nerve impulse
how does information move from one neuron to another
by neurotransmitters
define neurotransmitter
chemical message that carries electrical impluse across gap between 2 neurons
how do neurotransmitters function
by releasing chemicals that alter the activity in other neurons across the synapse and attaches to tiny receptor sites. there are more than 100 transmitter chemicals in the brain
what are the 8 types of neurotransmitters
Acetylcholin (Ach)
Dopamine
Norepinephrine
Endorphins
Serotonin
Histamine
GABA
Glumate
What does the neurotransmitter Acetylcholin Ach do?
-enables muscle action, learning, and memory
what does Ach determing
brain processing speed and memory
What does a deficiency in Ach do to us?
Alzheimers disease
Dopamine influences what?
-similar to adrenaline and affects movement control
-emotional response
-the compacity to feel pleasure and pain
dopamine is vital for what?
performing balacing and controlled movement
how does dopamine work?
it moves into the frontal lobes of brain and regulates the flow of information coming in from other areas of the brain
if we have too much dopamine in our system what can happen?
paranoia
if we don't have enough dopamine in our system what can happen?
lack of controlled movements like Parkinson disease
Norepinephrine helps control what?
alertness and arousal
high levels of Norepinephrine can cause what?
hostile behavior
The nervous system responds to short term stress with Norepinephrine and epinephrine which increases what?
heart rate and blood pressure
Norepinephrine is also responsible for lauching a person into what natural defense mode?
fight mode
Endorphines have what type of effects?
painkilling like opiate drug morphine
how are Endorphines released?
by the pituirary gland to help reduce pain we experience when we injure ourselves
Serotonin affects what?
our mood, hunger, and sleep and arousal
Serotonin is a molecule that controls what?
depression, sleep, and memory
Serotonin regulates what?
eating and aggression and can contribute to depression if your low in serotonin it is considered the "happy" hormone
Serotonin is also a natural what?
sleep aid and helps regulate body temp. and metabolism
Histamine is an important protein involved in our local what?
immune responses, it regulates stomach acid production and acts as a mediator in allergic reactions
GABA is the most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain, it balances what?
-relaxation and sleep by inhibiting over excitation
-motor control, vision, and many cortical functions
-anxiety
Some drugs that increase the level of GABA in the brain are used to treat what?
epilepsy to calm the trembling of people suffering from Huntington's disease
Gulmate in involved in what?
memories
What can having too much Gulmate do?
cause migraines or seizures and over stimulate the brain
How does alcohol affect neurotransmitters?
making things sluggish
How does cocaine affect neurotransmitters?
Cocaine acts by blocking the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters such as dopamine
How does marijuana affect neurotransmitter?
attaching to brain's neurons and interfering with normal communication between the neurons, causing euphoria
How does heroin affect neurotransmitters?
act to kill pain, cause sensations of pleasure, and cause sleepiness
Two divisions of our nevous system are what?
Central and Perpheral nervous system
How it the PNS connected to the CNS?
by the spinal cord which consists of autonomic nevous system and the somatic nevous system
What does the CNS consist of?
the brain and the spinal cord
What is the Autonomic Nervous System?
the system of nerves carrying info to and from the internal organs and glands
The Autonomic Nervous System operates on its own to influence what?
our internal functioning, including our heartbeat, digestion, perspiration and glandular activity
What are the 2 divisions of Autonomic Nervous System?
sympathetic and parasympathetic branch
Both sympathetic and parasympathetic branch are related to what?
our emotional responses and work together to coordinate the body's internal reactions with events in the outside world
What does the sympathetic branch do?
it arouses the body... it acts like an emergency system that prepares our bodies for fight or flight responses during times of danger or when we are overly emotional
What does the parasympathetic branch do?
it calms the body... it aides in quieting the body and returning it to a lower level of arousal by decreasing your heartbeat and lowering your blood sugar
Somatic Nervous System is concerned with what?
voluntary muscle actions
the somatic nervous system provides what?
an automatic and involuntary reaction to a stimuli such as lower leg jerk after being tapped
the central nervous system consists of what?
the brain and spinal cord through our reflexes
we have how many pairs of spinal neves that go from the sides of our spinal cord and how many spinal nerves coming from the tip of our spinal cord
-30
-31
how many pairs of cranial nerves leave the brain directly
12
what are cranial nerves?
major nerves that leave the brain without passing through the spinal cord
the spinal and cranial nerves are responsible for what?
keeping your entire body in communication with your brain
T or F the endocrine system is our bodies quick communication system
F, it is our slow communication system
the endocrine system consists of what?
glands and hormones in our body
how do homones travel through our body vs. how neurotransmitters?
hormones work slow and neurotransmitters work fast
what are 4 glands that secrete hormones and are included within the endocrine system?
-pituitary gland
-hypothalamus gland
-adenal gland
-thyroid gland
-thymus gland
pituitary gland is located where?
...
how do researchers study the brain?
observation and technology
what technology is used to study the brain and describe
-EEG: brain waves
-PET: internal organs and tissue
-MRI: different areal of the brain
-fMRI: blood flow and brain activity to see how the brain is functioning
What are the 3 main parts of the brain
-Forebrain (cerebrum and hypothalamus)
-Midbrain
-Hindbrain (cerbelum and medulla)
The brain stem is...?
-deepest part of brain
-oldest part of brain
-located at the top of spinal cord under the lymbic system
the functions of the brain stem are?
is the basic vital life function and injury would cause death or dizziness
the medulla is located where?
above the spinal cord and is the innermost part of the brain stem between the pons and spinal cord
The brain stem contains what?
the medulla, pons, and midbrain
the medulla is responsible for maintaining vital body functions such as?
breathing and heart rate
the pons is invovled in what?
motor control and sensory analysis, in addition, it is influential in our sleep and arousal levels
the Mid-Brain is involved in fuctions such as?
vision, hearing, eye movement, and body movement (all our senses)
Reticular formation is what?
a group of nerve fibers located inside the brainstem
what is the retucular formation functions?
to regulate our arousal, attention, cardiac reflexes, motor functions, awareness, and it relays nerve signals to the cerebral cortex by prioritizing messages
thalamus is the brain structure that ralays what?
sensory info to the cerebral cortex, it is the switching station of the brain
the thalamus controls what?
our vision, hearing, taste, and touch
injury to the thalamus can cause what?
blindness, deafness or loss of any other of our senses except for our sense of smell
Cerebellum is also known as what?
the little brain" and resembles a wrinkled walnut
the cerebellum is located where?
back of brain stem
the cerebellum is associated with the regulation and coordination of what?
movement, muscle tone, stores memories related to habits, posture and balance
the limbic system is often referred to as the?
emotional brain and is found buried in the cerebrum
What does the limbic system contain?
hypothalamus, amygdala, hippocampus
the hypothalamus is one of the busiest parts of the brain and is concerned with what?
homeostasis
the hypothalamus is responsible for regulating what?
hunger, thirst. it regulates emotional behavior and motives
-regulates the sympathetic and parasypathetic system
where is the last place where behaviors are decided before the message leaves the brain causing the body to react?
the hypothalamus
the amygdala is located where?
within the limbic system and is strongly related to fear and aggression
the amygdala looks like what?
two almond shaped masses of neurons on either side of the thalamus at the lower end of the hippocampus
when the amygdala is stimulated electircally what happens?
animals responded with aggression but when removed animals acted indifferent to fear and sexual responses
the hippocampus consists of what?
2 horns that curve back from the amygdala and is associated with memories
the hippocampus is important why?
it converts things from your short term memory to your long term memory
what happens if the hippocampus is damaged?
then a person cant build new memories for example: 50 first dates
where is the cerebral cortex, where is it located.
it is the outer layer of the cerebrum and it looks like a shrivled walnut that is only about 1/10th of an in. and it containd 70 percent of the neurons in the central nervous system.
what is the cerebral cortex responsible for?
our ability to use language, aquire complex skills and live in complex social groups
what are the functions of the cerebral cortex?
-determines intelligence
-determines personality
-interpretation of sensory impulses
-motor funtion
-ability to plan and organize things
-sensation of touch
what are the functions of the occipital lobe
visual area of the cortex
function of the parietal lobes
above occipital lobe and associated with senses
temporal lobe function
where hearing registers in the brain
frontal lobe function
higher mental abilities and if damaged there will be a personality change
the association cortex directly controls what?
the body and recieves info from the senses and is associated with higher mental abilities
what are the 2 areas within the association cortex that are related to language?
broca's area and wernicke's area
broca's area does what?
grammer and pronunciation and if damaged you would have trouble speaking
wernicke's area does what?
how we understand the meaning of words and if damaged you will comprehension issues