1. Lecture Overview Neural Bases of Behavior Nervous System Organization
A Tour Through the Brain
Our Genetic Inheritance
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2. Neural Bases of Psychology
Neuroscience:
interdisciplinary field studying how biological processes relate to behavioral & mental processes
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3. Neural Bases of Psychology (Continued)
Our nervous system consists of neurons (cells responsible for receiving & transmitting electrochemical information).
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4. Neural Bases of Psychology: The Structure of a Neuron
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5. Neural Bases of Psychology: Neural Communication
Within a neuron, communication results from an action potential (a neural impulse that carries information along the axon of a neuron).
Action potential animation:
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6. Neural Bases of Psychology: Neural Communication (Continued)
Between neurons, communication occurs through transmission of neural information across a synapse by neurotransmitters (chemicals released by neurons that alter activity in other neurons).
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7. Neural Bases of Psychology: Neural Communication (Continued)
Receiving neurons receive multiple messages from other neurons. These multiple messages then determine if an action potential occurs or not.
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8. Neural Bases of Psychology: Neural Communication (Continued)
Note how the axon terminals of sending neurons almost completely cover the cell body of the receiving neuron.
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9. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
What happens to excess neurotransmitters or to those that do not “fit” into the adjacent receptor sites? (The answer appears on the next slide.)
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10. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
The sending neuron normally reabsorbs the excess (called “reuptake) or they are broken down by special enzymes.
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11. Neural Bases of Psychology: Applying Psychology to Everyday Life
Key neurotransmitters:
Serotonin
Acetylcholine (ACh)
Dopamine (DA)
Norepinephrine (NE)
Epinephrine (adrenaline)
GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid)
Endorphins
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12. Neural Bases of Psychology: How Hormones Affect Us
Endocrine System: collection of glands that manufacture & secrete hormones into the bloodstream
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13. Why Do We Need Two Communication Systems—Neurotransmitters + Hormones?
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14. Nervous System Organization
Central Nervous System (CNS): brain & spinal cord
Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): all nerves & neurons connecting CNS to the rest of the body
PNS is subdivided into the somatic & autonomic nervous systems
Autonomic nervous system subdivided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
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16. Central Nervous System: Important Terms
Neuroplasticity: brain’s lifelong ability to reorganize & change its structure & function throughout the life span
Neurogenesis: process by which new neurons are generated
Stem Cells: immature (uncommitted) cells with the potential to develop into almost any type of cell
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17. Nervous System Organization: Central Nervous System (CNS)
Brain
Spinal Cord (transmits information into & out of the brain )
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18. Nervous System Organization: Central Nervous System (CNS)
The spinal cord is also responsible for involuntary, automatic behaviors called reflexes.
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19. Nervous System Organization: Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
PNS connects CNS to the rest of the body & is subdivided into:
Somatic Nervous System (SNS): connects to sensory receptors & controls skeletal muscles
Autonomic Nervous System (ANS): controls involuntary bodily functions & is further subdivided into:
Sympathetic Nervous System (arouses)
Parasympathetic Nervous System (calms)
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20. Nervous System Organization
Anatomy & functions of the sympathetic (arouses) & parasympathetic (calms) nervous systems
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21. Pause & Reflect: Assessment
You touch a hot stove & then immediately & reflexively pull away. This action was controlled by _____.
After being startled by the sight & sound of a fierce dog rushing toward you, it is most likely that your _____ is dominant.
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22. A Tour Through the Brain
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23. A Tour Through The Brain: Hindbrain
Three key structures & functions of the hindbrain:
Medulla: life survival functions
Pons: respiration, movement, waking, sleeping, & dreaming
Cerebellum: coordination of fine muscular movement, balance, & some aspects of perception & cognition
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24. A Tour Through The Brain (Continued)
Midbrain: collection of brain structures in the middle of the brain; coordinates movement patterns, sleep, & arousal
Reticular Formation: (archaic term for cells in the hindbrain, midbrain, & brainstem); screens incoming information & controls arousal
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25. A Tour Through The Brain (Continued)
Forebrain: collection of upper-level brain structures, including the thalamus, hypothalamus, & limbic system
Thalamus: relays sensory messages to the cerebral cortex
Hypothalamus: responsible for drives, hormones, & regulating the body’s internal environment
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26. Structures of the Forebrain
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27. A Tour Through The Brain (Continued)
Limbic System: interconnected group of forebrain structures involved with emotions, drives, & memory
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28. A Tour Through The Brain: Cerebral Cortex
Cerebral Cortex: surface layer on the left & right cerebral hemispheres; regulates most complex behavior, including sensations, motor control, & higher mental processes
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29. A Tour Through The Brain: Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex (Continued.)
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30. A Tour Through The Brain: Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
Frontal Lobes: receive & coordinate messages from other lobes; responsible for motor control, speech production, & higher functions, such as thinking, personality, emotion, & memory
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31. Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking
Phineas Gage’s mining accident sent a 13-pound tamping iron through his frontal lobes. How did this affect his short- & long-term behavior & mental processes?
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33. Cerebral Cortex
Parietal Lobes: located at the top of the brain direct behind the frontal lobes; responsible for interpreting bodily sensations
Temporal Lobes: located on each side of the brain above the ears; responsible for audition, language comprehension, memory, & some emotional control
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34. A Tour Through The Brain: Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex (Continued)
Occipital Lobes: located at the back of the brain; responsible for vision & visual perception
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35. A Tour Through The Brain: Primary Motor Cortex & Somatosensory Cortex
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36. Pause & Reflect: Critical Thinking
Why are the hands & face on this drawing so large? What do they represent?
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37. A Tour Through The Brain: Lateralization
The left & right hemispheres of your
brain each specialize
in particular (but often overlapping) operations.
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38. Nature or Nurture?
Sex differences in lateralization. Note how activation (red color) is confined to only one hemisphere in the male brain on the left, & how it occurs on both hemispheres in the female brain on the right.
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39. A Tour Through The Brain: Split-Brain Research
Severing the corpus callosum provides information on the role & functions of the left & right hemispheres.
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40. A Tour Through The Brain: Split-Brain Research (Continued)
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