Chapter 7- Biological Bases Of Behavior Flashcards
(106 cards)
1
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CAT Scans
A
Computerized axial tomography scans; generate cross-sectional images of the brain using series of x-Ray pictures taken from different angles
2
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MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)
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Uses extremely powerful electromagnets and radio waves to get 3-D structural information from the brain
3
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fMRI (functional MRI)
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Views the brain as it’s working by rapid sequencing of MRI images
4
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PET Scans
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Views the brain as its working via diffusion of radioactive glucose in the brain; allows psychologists to observe what brain areas are at work during various tasks and psychological events
5
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The Hindbrain
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The oldest part of the brain to develop in evolutionary terms; composed of the cerebellum, medulla oblongata, reticular activating system (RAS), and pons
6
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Cerebellum
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Controls muscle tone and balance
7
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Medulla oblongata
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Controls involuntary actions, such as breathing, digestion, heart rate, and swallowing (basic life functions)
8
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Reticular activating system (RAS)
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Controls arousal (wakefulness and alertness); also known as reticular formation
9
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Pons
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A way station, passing neural info from one brain region to another; implicated in REM sleep; Latin for “bridge”
10
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Make Components of the midbrain
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Tectum and tegmentum
11
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Tectum
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Brain’s roof
12
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Tegmentum
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Brain’s floor
13
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Function of tectum and tegmentum
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Governs visual and auditory reflexes, such as orienting to sight or sound
14
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The forebrain
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Contains limbic system; composed of the thalamus, hippocampus, anygdala, and hypothalamus
15
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Limbic system
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Emotional center of the brain
16
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Thalamus
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Relays sensory info; receives and directs sensory info from visual and auditory systems
17
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Hippocampus
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Involved in processing and integrating memories
18
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Amygdala
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Implicated in the expression of anger and frustration
19
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Hypothalamus
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Controls the temp and water balance of the body; controls hunger and sex drives; orchestrates the activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system
20
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Lateral hypothalamus
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the “on switch” for eating
21
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Ventromedial hypothalamus
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The “off switch” for eating
22
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Cerebral cortex
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The wrinkled outer layer of the brain; involved in higher cognitive functions such as thinking, planning, language use, and fine motor control
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Sensory cortex
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Receives sensory input
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Motor cortex
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Sends out motor info
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Corpus callosum
A band of connective nerve fibers joining together two symmetrical-looking sides of the brain known as the left and right cerebral hemispheres
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Left cerebral hemisphere
Typically specialized for language processing
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Broca's area
Area where speaking occurs; if damaged, you would not be able to speak
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Paul Broca
Observed that the brain damage to the left hemisphere in stroke patients resulted in expressive aphasia
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Expressive aphasia
Loss of the ability to speak; also referred to as "aphasia"
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Carl Wernicke
Discovered an area in the left temporal lobe that, when damaged in stroke patients, resulted in receptive aphasia; area called Wernicke's area
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Receptive aphasia
The inability to comprehend speech
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Right cerebral hemisphere
Processes certain kinds of visual and spatial info
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Roger Sperry
Demonstrated that the two hemispheres of the brain can operate independently of each other by performing experiments on split-brain patients
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Split-brain patients
People who had their corpus callosums severed to control their epileptic seizures
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Contralateral processing
If missing right of of brain & something is shown in the right field & processed on the left side, the person can verbally describe the object that was shown on the right side; if missing left side of brain & something is shown in the left field & processed on the right side, the person could draw the object but can't verbally explain it
36
Association areas
Responsible for associating info in the sensory and motor cortices; damage results in apraxia (the inability to organize movement) agnosia (a difficulty processing sensory input) alexia (the inability to read) and agraphia (the inability to write)
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Central nervous system (CNS)
Comprising of the brain and the spinal cord
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Peripheral Nervous system (PNS)
Comprising of all other nerves in the body branching off of the brain and spinal cord
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Somatic nervous system
Responsible for voluntary movement of large skeletal muscles
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Autonomic nervous system
Controls the no skeletal or smooth muscles such as those of the heart and digestive tract; involuntary movements
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Sympathetic nervous system
Associated with processes that burn energy: responsible for the heightened state of physiological arousal known as the fight-or-flight reaction
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Fight-or-flight reaction
And increase in heart rate and respiration, accompanied by a decrease in digestion and salvation
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Parasympathetic nervous system
Responsible for conserving energy; becomes active, sending blood to the stomach for digestion and slowing the heart rate; returns the body to homeostasis after fight-or-flight response
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Nerves
Bundles of neurons
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Neurons
The basic unit of the nervous system
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Soma
Nucleated cell body
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Dendrites
Branches out from the soma; receives input from other neurons through receptors on their surface; electrically charged
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Axon
A long, tubelike structure that responds to input from the dendrites and soma; transmits a neural message down its length and the. Passed its info onto other cells
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Myelin sheath
fatty coating surrounding the axon; serves as insulation for the electrical impulses carried down the axon and also speeds up the rate at which electrical info travels down the axon
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Nodes of Ranvier
The small gaps between the myelin sheath; helps speed up neural transmission
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Terminal buttons
Axon ends; knobs in the branches end of the axon; come very close to the cell body and dendrites of other neurons but they do not touch; release neurotransmitters
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Reflexes
Quick and involuntary responses to environmental stimuli; path goes from sensory neurons to motor neurons
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Synapse
Gap between terminal buttons and dendrites
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Efferent
Those conveying info from the brain
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Cerebrospinal fluid
The protective liquid surrounding the brain and spinal cord
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Afferent
Nerves sending info to the brain
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Neurotransmitters
Released by terminal buttons; chemical messengers across the synapse where they bind with receptors on subsequent dendrites
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Number of lives in cortex
Four; frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
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Frontal lobe
Responsible for higher-level thought and reasoning
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Parietal lobe
Handles somatosensory info and is the home of the primary somatosensory cortex; receives info about temp, pressure, texture, and pain
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Temporal lobe
Handles auditory input and is critical for processing speech and appreciating music
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Occipital lobe
Processes visual input; info crosses the optic chiasm
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Acetylcholine
Neurotransmitter that affects memory function, as well as muscle contraction, particularly in the heart
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Serotonin
Neurotransmitter related to arousal, sleep, pain sensitivity, mood, and hunger regulation
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Dopamine
Neurotransmitter associated with movement, attention, and reward; imbalances may lay a role in Parkinson's disease and in schizophrenia
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GABA
And inhibitory neurotransmitter
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Glutamate
And excitatory neurotransmitter and the all-purpose counterpart to GABA
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Norepinephrine
Neurotransmitter that affects levels of alertness; a lack of it is implicated in depression
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Endorphins
Neurotransmitter; the body's natural pain killers
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Endocrine system
Various parts of our bodies relating info to one another; works through groups of cells known as glands
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Glands
Release hormones
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Hormones
Affect cell growth and proliferation; control hormonal release by many other glands
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Pituitary gland
Master gland; releases hormones; located just under the part of the brain that controls it (hypothalamus); produces human growth hormone
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Differences between hormones and neurotransmitters
N- released locally, trigger night localized, present in bloodstream, affect the body for short periods of time, electrical impulses, voluntary or involuntary; H- released distant, coordinate a wide range of responses, work in the synapse, affect the body for long periods of time, chemical impulses, always involuntary
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Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)
Pituitary releases in stressful situations; stimulates the adrenal glands resulting in fight-or-flight reactions
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Adrenal glands
Secrete epinephrine and norepinephrine
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Epinephrine
Adrenaline
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Thyroid gland
Located at the front of the neck; produces thyroxine
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Thyroxine
Important for regulating cellular metabolism
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Hypothalamus
Controls pituitary gland
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Parathyroid gland
Produces parathyroid hormone used for calcium regulation
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Pancreas
Produces insulin; used for blood glucose level regulation
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Ovaries
Produces estrogen
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Testes
Produces testosterone
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Behavioral genetics
The application of the principals of evolutionary theory to the study of behavior; examines the ways in which we are different from one another
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Traits
Distinctive characteristics of behavior patterns that are determined by genetics
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Dominant trait vs recessive trait
Dominant trait is more likely to be expressed in offspring that is a recessive trait
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Genes
The basic biological elements responsible for carrying info about traits between successive generations; determine traits; reside on rod-shaped chromosomes
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Genotype
Comprises all of the possible combinations of genes
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Phenotype
The observable trait; dominant trait usually shown; shows recessive when two recessive a are paired together
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Number of chromosomes in human body
46; 23 from each parent
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Down's Syndrome
Occurs when there are three copies of the 21st chromosome
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Huntington's disease
A genetic disorder that results in muscle impairment that does not typically occur until after age 40; caused by the degeneration of the structure of the brain known as the basal ganglia and is fatal
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Neural communication
Occurs within and between cellar; communication within cells is electrochemical
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Resting membrane potential
An electrical potential across the plasma membrane of approximately -70 millivolts (mV); establishes a negative charge along the interior of axons; cells are polarized: negative on the inside and positive on the outside
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Two primary men ran proteins requires to establish the resting membrane potential
NA+/K+ ATPase; potassium leak channels
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NA+/K+ ATPase
Pumps three sodium ions out of the cell and two potassium ions into the cell
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Leak channels
Channels that are open all the time that simply allow ions to "leak" across the membrane according to their gradient; ex. Potassium leak channels allow potassium but no other ions
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Action potential
Aka nerve impulse; a disturbance in the membrane's potential; a wave of depolarization of the plasma membrane that travels along the axon; "all or none"
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Depolarization
A change in the membrane potential from the resting membrane potential to a less negative, or even positive potential; change of membrane potential is caused by movement of ions into and out of the neuron through ion channels
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Repolarization
Returns the membrane potential to normal after depolarization has occurred
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Absolute refractory phase
Occurs after a neuron fires; point where no amount of stimulation can cause the neuron to fire again
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Refractory phase
Occurs after the absolute refractory phase; point where the neuron needs much more stimulation than usual to fire again
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Excitatory neurotransmitters
Serve to excite the cell or cause the neuron to fire
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Inhibitory neurotransmitters
Inhibit (or stop) cell firing
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EEG (electroencephalogram)
Measures subtle changes in brain electrical activity through electrodes placed on the head; allows psychologists to get an electrical picture of brain activity during various cognitive states or tasks
