Unit 2- Biological Bases of Behavior

Agonist

A chemical that mimics the action of a neurotransmitter.

REM rebound

A condition of increased REM sleep caused by REM-sleep deprivation.

limbic system

A doughnut-shaped system of neural structures at the border of the brainstem and cerebral hemispheres; associated with emotions such as fear and aggression and drives such as those for food and sex. Includes the hippocampus, amygdala, and hypothalamus.

cerebellum

A large structure of the hindbrain that controls fine motor skills.

myelin sheath

A layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater transmission speed of neural impulses as the impulse hops from one node to the next.

natural selection

A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits.

temporal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex responsible for hearing and language.

frontal lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that has specialized areas for movement, abstract thinking, planning, memory, and judgement

occipital lobe

A region of the cerebral cortex that processes visual information

fMRI

A technique for revealing blood flow and, therefore, brain activity by comparing successive MRI scans.

serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal.

EEG

An amplified recording of the waves of electrical activity that sweep across the brain's surface. These waves are measured by electrodes placed on the scalp.

axons

Carry impulses away from the cell body

Interneurons

Central nervous system neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs

pituitary gland

Controls growth and produces/releases hormones such as oxytocin, which promotes pair bonding and social trust.

Hypothalamus

Controls the pituitary gland and is very significant in our endocrine system. It releases hormones and has a lot to do with the "4 Fs:" Fighting, Fleeing, Feeding, Mating

NREM-2

Deeper into sleep, bursts of brain activity (sleep spindles)

NREM-3

Deepest sleep characterized by deep and slow delta waves.

stimulants

Drugs (such as caffeine, nicotine, and the more powerful amphetamines, cocaine, and Ecstasy) that excite neural activity and speed up body functions.

Acetylcholine

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory.

NREM-1

Falling into unconsciousness, easily awakened.

Norepinephrine

Helps control alertness and arousal

Dopamine

Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion.

pons

Part of the brainstem that controls movement

pineal gland

Produces melatonin and helps regulate your circadian rhythm

REM sleep

Rapid eye movement sleep, a recurring sleep stage during which vivid dreams commonly occur. Also known as paradoxical sleep, because the muscles are relaxed (except for minor twitches) but other body systems are active.

pancreas

Regulates the level of blood sugar and releases a hormone called insulin. It also helps with digestion!

basil ganglia

Similar to cerebellum - controls movement, balance, implicit memory, and a little bit of emotion.

Cerebral cortex

The intricate fabric of interconnected neural cells covering the cerebral hemispheres; the body's ultimate control and information-processing center.

cell body (soma)

The neuron's support center

adrenal glands

These glands trigger our flight or fight responses. They also release epinephrine and norepinephrine.

Parathyroids

They simply regulate the level of calcium in your blood!

psychoactive drug

a chemical substance that alters perceptions and moods

Antagonist

a chemical substance that blocks or reduces the effects of a neurotransmitter

split brain

a condition resulting from surgery that isolates the brain's two hemispheres by cutting the fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) connecting them

CAT scan

a method of creating static images of the brain through computerized axial tomography

neurons

a nerve cell; the basic building block of the nervous system

reticular formation

a nerve network in the brainstem that plays an important role in controlling arousal

action potential

a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon

dendrites

a neuron's bushy, branching extensions that receive messages and conduct impulses toward the cell body

all-or-none response

a neuron's reaction of either firing (with a full-strength response) or not firing.

reuptake

a neurotransmitter's reabsorption by the sending neuron

refractory period

a period of inactivity after a neuron has fired

LSD

a powerful hallucinogenic drug; also known as acid (lysergic acid diethylamide)

Methamphetamine

a powerfully addictive drug that stimulates the central nervous system, with speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes; over time, appears to reduce baseline dopamine levels

mutations

a random error in gene replication that leads to a change

reflex

a simple, automatic response to a sensory stimulus, such as the knee-jerk response

sleep apnea

a sleep disorder characterized by temporary cessations of breathing during sleep and repeated momentary awakenings

Nicotine

a stimulating and highly addictive psychoactive drug in tobacco

Ecstasy (MDMA)

a synthetic stimulant and mild hallucinogen. Produces euphoria and social intimacy, but with short-term health risks and longer-term harm to serotonin-producing neurons and to mood and cognition.

MRI

a technique that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to produce computer-generated images that distinguish among different types of soft tissue; allows us to see structures within the brain

PET

a visual display of brain activity that detects where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task

night terrors

abrupt awakenings with panic and intense emotional arousal

manifest content

according to Freud, the remembered story line of a dream

latent content

according to Freud, the underlying meaning of a dream

thyroid gland

affects metabolism.

alcohol use disorder

alcohol use marked by tolerance, withdrawal, and a drive to continue problematic use

genome

all of an organism's genetic material

near-death experience

an altered state of consciousness reported after a close brush with death (such as through cardiac arrest); often similar to drug-induced hallucinations

motor cortex

an area at the rear of the frontal lobes that controls voluntary movements

somatosensory cortex

area at the front of the parietal lobes that registers and processes body touch and movement sensations

association areas

areas of the cerebral cortex that are not involved in primary motor or sensory functions; rather, they are involved in higher mental functions such as learning, remembering, thinking, and speaking

twin/adoption study

behavioral genetic research strategy that involves comparing the similarities of identical twin pairs adopted into different families, to determine the genetic contribution to a given trait

nerves

bundled axons that form neural "cables" connecting the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs

glial cells

cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons

Neurotrasmitters

chemical found in the synaptic vesicles that, when released, has an effect on the next cell

hormones

chemical messengers that are manufactured by the endocrine glands, travel through the bloodstream, and affect other tissues

psychoactive drugs

chemicals that affect the central nervous system and alter activity in the brain

William James

coined the term "stream of consciousness." He is considered the Father of American Psychology.

addiction

compulsive drug craving and use

substance use disorder

continued substance craving and use despite significant life disruption and/or physical risk

Paul Broca

discovered the Broca's area in the brain, which is associated with language and speaking.

depressants

drugs (such as alcohol, barbiturates, and opiates) that reduce neural activity and slow body functions

Barbiturates

drugs that depress the activity of the central nervous system, reducing anxiety but impairing memory and judgment

Amphetamines

drugs that stimulate neural activity, causing speeded-up body functions and associated energy and mood changes

environment

every nongenetic influence, from prenatal nutrition to the people and things around us

Sigmund Freud

father of psychoanalysis and studied many areas of psychology through his psychoanalytic perspective. He came up with three levels of consciousness: the conscious, preconscious, and the unconscious.

Michaek Gazzaniga

helped with the understanding of lateralization. He also worked with split-brain patients to advance his research and began to understand how the two hemispheres of the brain work together.

Charles Darwin

is known for his principle of natural selection and his other contributions to evolution. He established the idea that all species of life come from the same ancestor.

Wernicke's area

language comprehension

endorphins

natural, opiate-like neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to pleasure

sensory (afferent) neurons

neurons that carry incoming information from the sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord

motor (efferent) neurons

neurons that carry outgoing information from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands

Opiates

opium and its derivatives, such as morphine and heroin; they depress neural activity, temporarily lessening pain and anxiety

consciousness

our awareness of ourselves and our environment

hallucinogens

psychedelic drugs, such as LSD, that distort perceptions and evoke sensory images in the absence of sensory input

alpha waves

slow brain waves of a relaxed, awake state

Broca's area

speech production

Carl Wernicke

studied nerve disease and parts of the brain. He discovered Wernicke's area which is essential in understanding language and speech.

medulla

the base of the brainstem; controls heartbeat and breathing

genes

the biochemical units of heredity that make up the chromosomes; a segment of DNA capable of synthesizing a protein

circadian rhythm

the biological clock; regular bodily rhythms that occur on a 24-hour cycle

endocrine system

the body's "slow" chemical communication system; a set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream

nervous system

the body's speedy, electrochemical communication network, consisting of all the nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems

Plasticity

the brain's ability to change, especially during childhood, by reorganizing after damage or by building new pathways based on experience

thalamus

the brain's sensory switchboard, located on top of the brainstem; it directs messages to the sensory receiving areas in the cortex and transmits replies to the cerebellum and medulla

tolerance

the diminishing effect with regular use of the same dose of a drug, requiring the user to take larger and larger doses before experiencing the drug's effect

sympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations

parasympathetic nervous system

the division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

somatic nervous system

the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body's skeletal muscles

neurogenesis

the formation of new neurons

cognitive neuroscience

the interdisciplinary study of the brain activity linked with cognition (including perception, thinking, memory, and language)

synapse

the junction between the axon tip of the sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the receiving neuron

corpus callosum

the large band of neural fibers connecting the two brain hemispheres and carrying messages between them

delta waves

the large, slow brain waves associated with deep sleep

threshold

the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

THC

the major active ingredient in marijuana; triggers a variety of effects, including mild hallucinations

brainstem

the oldest part and central core of the brain, beginning where the spinal cord swells as it enters the skull; the brainstem is responsible for automatic survival functions

autonomic nervous system

the part of the peripheral nervous system that controls the glands and the muscles of the internal organs (such as the heart). Its sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic division calms.

dual processing

the principle that information is often simultaneously processed on separate conscious and unconscious tracks

Testies and ovaries

the study of environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

epigenetics

the study of influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

chromosomes

threadlike structures made of DNA molecules that contain the genes

lesion

tissue destruction

pariatal lobe

touch

amygdala

two lima bean-sized neural clusters in the limbic system; linked to emotion.

Narcolepsy

uncontrollable sleep attacks

Roger Sperry

was one of the few key neuropsychologists to claim that we have two brain hemispheres and each has its own specialized functions. He studied split-brain patients and conducted experiments to learn more about each half of the brain. He actually won a Nobel Prize for his research.