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PSYC 1010 > Biological Basis of Behaviour > Flashcards

Biological Basis of Behaviour Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two communication systems?

A

The endocrine and nervous system

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2
Q

What does the endocrine system consist of? Give some examples.

A

Hormones and glands

Ex. Pituitary, thyroid, adrenal, pancreas, gonads

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3
Q

What does the nervous system consist of?

A

Brain, neurons, and neurotransmitters

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4
Q

What are the three broad sections of the brain?

A

Hindbrain, midbrain, forebrain

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5
Q

What makes up the reptilian brain? What functions are done here?

A

Hind brain and midbrain, controls reflexive responses and arousal

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6
Q

What makes up the old mammalian brain? What functions are controlled here?

A

Hypothalamus and limbic system, emotions and learning

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7
Q

What makes up the new mammalian brain? What functions are controlled here?

A

Cerebrum, capacity for complex thoufht

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8
Q

What is the central nervous system?

A

Brain and spinal cord

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9
Q

What does the hypothalamus regulate?

A

Basic biological drives related to survival

Ex. Hunger, thirst, sex, body temperature

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10
Q

What does the limbic system control? What does it consist of?

A

Emotion, memory, motivation

Consists of the hippocampus, amygdala, and pleasure centers

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11
Q

What part of the limbic system controls each function?

A

Hippocampus- memory
Amygdala- emotion
Pleasure centers- motivation

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12
Q

What is the cortex?

A

Thin outer layer of the cerebrum

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13
Q

What is the cortex responsible for?

A

Higher processes in the human brain, memory, thinking, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and consciousness

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14
Q

Why does our brain have grooves?

A

To increase surface area for neural connections

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15
Q

What are the four lobes of the cerebrum and their general location?

A

Occipital (back of head), parietal (top back of head), temporal (above ears), frontal (front of head)

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16
Q

What is the occipital lobe responsible for?

A

Visual perception, including colour, form, and motion

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17
Q

What is the parietal lobe responsible for?

A

Processing somatosensory information from the body including touch, pain, temperature, and limb position

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18
Q

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

A

Processing auditory information and the encoding of memory

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19
Q

What is the frontal lobe responsible for?

A

Consciousness, higher level executive function, also contains prefrontal cortex which is where executive function takes place, also contains primary motor cortex

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20
Q

What is the longitudinal fissure?

A

The groove which runs down the center of the brain and separates the two hemispheres

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21
Q

Are the right and left brain symmetrical?

A

No

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22
Q

What does the corpus callosum do?

A

It bridges the two hemispheres and connects them

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23
Q

What is the left brain responsible for?

A

Analytic thought, logic, reading, writing, science, math, linear

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24
Q

What is the right brain responsible for?

A

Holistic thought, intuition, creativity, art, music, spatial, non-rational

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25
What is the Broca’s area responsible for and where is it located?
In talking and speech production and it is in the left hemisphere of the brain
26
What is Wernicke’s area involved in and where is it?
Listening and language comprehension, located in left hemisphere of brain
27
Why can someone understand a language but not speak it?
Speech production and listening processing and in two different areas of the brain
28
What is the peripheral nervous system?
All the nerves extending out of the spinal cord
29
What is the somatic nervous system? What is it responsible for?
Made up of nerves connecting to voluntary skeletal muscles and sensory receptors Voluntary movements
30
What is the autonomic nervous system? What is it responsible for?
Made up of nerves that connect to the heart, blood vessels, smooth muscles, and gland Involuntary movements
31
Why is chronic stress a health issue?
Because the autonomic system is being activated chronically or abnormally
32
What is the sympathetic division focused on?
Mobilizing the body’s resources for emergencies
33
How does the sympathetic division affect the body?
Dilated pupils, dry mouth, increased breathing and heart rate, decreased digestion, secretion of adrenal hormones, increased sweating, goosebumps, relaxed bladder
34
What is the parasympathetic division focused on?
Conserving the body’s resources
35
How does the parasympathetic division affect the body?
Constricted pupils, stimulated salivary glands, decreased breathing and heart rate, increased digestion, contracted bladder
36
Which neurotransmitter is invoked in the experience of anxiety?
GABA
37
Which neuronal structure is compared to branches on a tree?
Dendrites
38
What are the two types of cells in the brain?
Neurons and glial cells
39
What are neurons?
Cells in the nervous system that receive, integrate, and transmit information
40
What are glial cells?
Cells found throughout the nervous system that provide different kinds of support for neurons
41
What kind of support do glial cells provide for neurons?
Nutrition, healing, protection, physical support, and can remove debris and devour dead or damaged cells
42
What do glial cells form/produce?
Cerebrospinal fluid, blood brain barrier, and brains immune system
43
What is cerebrospinal fluid?
Colourless fluid that surrounds the brain and spinal cord and provides cushioning
44
What does the blood brain barrier do?
Prevents foreign materials like viruses and drugs from entering the brain
45
What may the deterioration of glial cells lead to?
Cognitive impairment seen in schizophrenia and some forms of depressive disorder, and Alzheimer’s
46
What is a synapse?
Junction between neurons where information is transmitted from one neuron to another
47
What features do neurons share?
Cell membrane, cell body, dendrites, axon, axon terminal
48
What is myelin sheath? What is it derived from?
Insulation that wraps around axons that have a high fat concentration Derived from specialized glial cells
49
What is the advantages of myelin sheath?
Signals transmit faster, more efficient because they only have to maintain charge on unmyelinated parts
50
How do neurons primarily communicate with each other?
Synaptic transmission
51
What is the neuron before and after a synapse called?
Presynaptic neuron and postsynaptic neuron
52
What’s a synapse?
Site of transmission between two neurons or a neuron and gland/muscle
53
What is the first step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Synthesis Chemicals called neurotransmitters are made
54
What is the second step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Transportation and storage Neurotransmitters are sent from cell body to axon terminal where they are stored in synaptic vesicles
55
What is the third step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Release When action potential reaches axon terminal the synaptic vesicles fuses with membrane and releases neurotransmitter into synapse
56
What is the fourth step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Binding Neurotransmitters cross the synapse and bind to receptors in the membrane after synapse
57
What is the fifth step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Deactivation Only one kind of neurotransmitter can’t be restored by enzyme in synapse which prevents the neurotransmitter from continuously affecting the postsynaptic cell
58
What is the sixth step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Autoreceptor activation Some neurotransmitters bind to receptors of neurons that release them called autoreceptors, this regulates synthesis and release
59
What is the seventh step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Reuptake Excess neurotransmitters are brought back to presynaptic region of cell
60
What is the eighth step of synaptic transmission? What happens during that step?
Degradation Enzymes in presynaptic region break down excess neurotransmitters
61
What common properties do neurotransmitters share?
Synthesized in neuron Stored in synaptic terminals Released when neuron has action potential Deactivated or removed they complete their task
62
Neurotransmitters are either?
Inhibitory or excitatory
63
Acetylcholine is the only transmitter between?
Motor neurons and voluntary muscles
64
What are some characteristics and relations to behaviour of acetylcholine?
Released by motor neurons controlling skeletal muscles Contributes to regulation of attention, arousal, and memory Some ACh receptors can be stimulated by nicotine
65
What disorder is associated with the dysregulation of ACh?
Alzheimer’s
66
What are the characteristics and relations to behaviour of dopamine?
Contributes to control of voluntary movement Cocaine and amphetamines elevate activity at DA synapses Dopamine circuits are characterised as reward pathways
67
What disorders are associated with dopamine?
Parkinson’s, schizophrenic disorders, addictive disorders
68
What are the characteristics and relations to behaviour of norepinephrine?
Contributes to regulation of mood and arousal Cocaine and amphetamines elevate activity at NE synapses
69
What disorders are associated with norepinephrine?
Depressive disorders
70
What are the characteristics and relations to behaviour of serotonin?
Involved in regulation of sleep and wakefulness, eating, aggression Prozac and similar antidepressant drugs affect serotonin circuut
71
What disorders are associated with serotonin?
Depressive disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, eating disorders
72
What are the characteristics and relations to behaviour of GABA?
Serve as widely distributed inhibitory transmitter Contributes to regulation of anxiety, sleep, arousal Valium and similar antianxiety drugs work at GABA synapses
73
What disorders are associated with GABA?
Anxiety disorders
74
What are the characteristics and relations to behaviour of endorphins?
Resemble opiates in structure and effects Play role in pain relief and stress response Contribute to regulation of eating behaviour
75
What are afferent nerves?
Cary information toward the CNS from PNS
76
What are efferent nerves?
Carry information outward from CNS to PNS
77
What is the central nervous system protected by?
Meninges, layers of membranes that protect brain and spinal cord
78
What are the hollow cavities in the brain that are filled with cerebrospinal fluid called?
Ventricles
79
What does the hindbrain include?
Cerebellum, medulla, and pons
80
What is the medulla responsible for?
Unconscious but vital functions
81
What is pons responsible for?
Connecting brainstem to cerebellum, sleep and arousal
82
What is the cerebellum?
Large folded structure next to brainstem Coordinating movement and balance
83
What is the midbrain?
Segment of brainstem located between hindbrain and forebrain
84
What is the forebrain?
Largest and most complex region of brain, made up of thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system, and cerebrum
85
What is the thalamus?
Structure that all sensory information except smell must pass through to get to cerebral cortex
86
What is the limbic system? What does it include?
Loosely connected network located roughly along the border between cerebral cortex and depose subcortical areas Parts of thalamus and hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala
87
What are mirror neurons?
Neurons that are activated by performing an action or by seeing another animal perform the same action
88
Where do humans have mirror neurons?
Frontal and parietal lobes
89
What is brain plasticity?
The brains ability to change structure and function
90
What stimulates brain plasticity? What does this plasticity include?
Experience Changes in dendrite length, synapse formation, altered metabolic
91
What is neurogenesis?
The formation of new neurons
92
What does the pituitary gland do?
Releases a variety of hormones that are distributed throughout body, stimulating other endocrine glands

PSYC 1010 (16 decks)

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