1. The Biological Perspective
Chapter 2

2. The Nervous System
Neurons – basic cell that makes up the nervous system and that receives and sends messages within that system

3. The Neuron
Dendrites – branchlike structures that receive messages from other neurons
The dendrite is connected to a soma – or a cell body of the neuron responsible for maintaining the life of the cell

4. The Neuron
Axon – fiber attached to the soma and carries the neural message to other cells
Myelin – fatty substances that coat the axons of neurons to insulate, protect, and speed up the neural impulse

5. Depolarization Electrical charge – like dominos falling
Action potential – impulse is now in action rather than at rest
Each action potential sequence takes about one-thousandth of a second
2 miles per hour to 270 miles per hour
Hands - slaps

6. The Neuron Axon terminals – branches at the end of the axon
At the end of the axon terminals, there are synaptic vesicles – saclike structures found inside the synaptic know containing chemicals

7. The Neuron
Neurotransmitter – chemical found in the synaptic vesicles that, when released, has an effect on the next cell
The synapse reaches the end of the nerve, and sends the neurotransmitters through little locks called receptor sites

8. Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain and Spinal cord
Life-sustaining functions of the body – also thought, emotion, and behavior
Without each other, they would be useless

9. Peripheral Nervous System
All the nerves and neurons that are not contained in the CNS
Communicates with the eyes, ears, skin, and mouth

10. Divisions of the PNS
Somatic Nervous System – skeletal muscles, voluntarily
Autonomic Nervous System – not voluntarily control – breathing digestion, heart rate, hormones

11. Fight or flight response
Anything that gets your heart pumping – autonomic arousal
VIDEO

12. Endocrine Glands
System of ductless glands that secrete their chemicals directly into the bloodstream for fast distribution
Endocrine glands secrete chemicals called hormones (“to excite”)
Project then quiz

13. Studying the brain How do we study it? Brain-dead people
Animals – anesthetized
Deep lesioning – inserting a thin, insulated wire into the brain and sending an electrical current that destroys brain cells

14. Safer ways to study CT scan – computed tomography – mapping
MRI – Magnetic resonance imaging – 3D
PET scan – radioactive glucose to detect activity
Page 55

15. Neuroplasticity
The brains ability to constantly change both structure and function of many cells in response to experience or trauma
Old ones die or are damaged, the brain can adapt and form new functions

16. Neuroplasticity leads to…
Stem cells – special cells found in all the tissues of the body that are capable of becoming other cell types when those cells need to be replaced due to damage or wear and tear
Found in organs, bone marrow, placentas
Very controversial – video - edmodo

17. What does each part of the brain do!?
Hypothalamus
Hippocampus
Medulla
Thalamus
Cerebellum
Cerebral cortex
Corpus callosum

18. How does the left differ from the right?!
Class demonstration
Both have four lobes

20. Mirror Neurons
Read page 64
Answer
Discuss
Quiz

21. DNA 23 + 23 = 46 Dominant and recessive
Predispositions – not guaranteed, but a possibility
Look at your family tree…

22. Hitler
Was Hitler born that way, or did something happen to make him the person he was?

23. Nature vs. Nurture
Nature – genetic traits and inherited characteristics
Nurture – the environmental factors that surround us throughout our lives and influence our development
Class demonstration discussion page 69

24. What influences you?

25. Siblings
Are you different than your siblings?

26. Twins Read of James Lewis and James Springer on pg 68
Adoption studies – more than 20 years found that adopted children share more similarities with their biological parents than their adoptive parents
Class demonstration page 68

27. Charles Darwin Evolution
Quiz
Evolution
Natural Selection – traits and behaviors that provide a survival advantage are more likely than other characteristics to be passed on to future generations