Ch. 3 Biopsychology

All of our senses, with the exception of smell, are routed through the ____________before being directed to other areas of the brain for processing

thalamus

medulla, pons, and midbrain together are known as

the brainstem

The hindbrain consists of

the medulla, pons, and cerebellum

theory of evolution by natural selection

the theory states that organisms that are better suited for their environment will survive and reproduce, while those that are poorly suited for their environment will die off.

corpus callosum,

thick band of neural fibers that connects the two hemispheres

Multiple sclerosis

an autoimmune disorder, involves a large-scale loss of the myelin sheath on axons throughout the nervous system. The resulting interference in the electrical signal prevents the quick transmittal of information by neurons

Antipsychotics used to treat schizophrenia are ________ for dopamine

antagonist

Agonists

chemicals that mimic a neurotransmitter at the receptor site and, thus, strengthen its effects.

myelin sheath

coats the axon and acts as an insulator, increasing the speed at which the signal travels

Psychotropic medications

drugs that treat psychiatric symptoms by restoring neurotransmitter balance.

The parietal lobe contains the ________

somatosensory cortex: essential for processing sensory information from across the body, such as touch, temperature, and pain

lateralization

some specialization of function in each hemisphere, mainly regarding differences in language ability

allele

specific version of a gene

epigenetics

studies how the same genotype can be expressed in different ways. In other words, researchers study how the same genotype can lead to very different phenotypes.

cerebral cortex

surface of the brain

The ____________ is involved in preparing the body for stress-related activities

sympathetic nervous system

What are the two parts of the ANS?

sympathetic nervous system parasympathetic nervous system

biological perspective

focus on the physiological causes of behavior assert that psychological disorders like depression and schizophrenia are associated with imbalances in one or more neurotransmitter systems. Use psychotropic drugs

Phineas Gage suffered an injury to his

frontal lobe

nervous system is composed of

glial cells: provide scaffolding on which the nervous system is built, neurons: serve as interconnected information processors that are essential for all of the tasks of the nervous system

sulci

grooves

examples of polygenic traits

height, hair color, skin color, weight

The cerebral cortex is associated with

higher level processes such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language, and memory.

The limbic system is made up of three main structures:

hippocampus, the amygdala, and the hypothalamus

reuptake

involves the neurotransmitter being pumped back into the neuron that released it, in order to clear the synapse

Sense of smell projects directly to the ___________ which is associated with memory and and emotion

limbic system

Chromosomes

long strands of DNA

Parkinson's disease is associated with

low levels of dopamine

genetic environmental correlation

our genes influence our environment, and our environment influences the expression of our genes

Range of reaction

our genes set the boundaries within which we can operate, and our environment interacts with the genes to determine where in that range we will fall.

the _____________ is associated with returning the body to routine, day-to-day operations.

parasympathetic nervous system

gyri

pattern of folds or bumps,

The frontal lobe contains the

prefrontal cortex (highe-level cognitive functioning), Broca area (language), and motor cortex (coordinating movements)

The occipital lobe contains the __________

primary visual cortex

longitudinal fissure,

separates the brain into two hemisphere

dendrites

serve as input sites where signals are received from other neurons

Neurons in somatic nervous system

Motor and sensory neurons

Major subdivisions of PNS

Somatic nervous system Autonomous nervous system

phenylketonuria (PKU)

If someone with this condition goes untreated, he or she will experience significant deficits in cognitive function, seizures, and increased risk of various psychiatric disorders. recessive trait.

genes

In each chromosome, genes are sequences of DNA

Serotonin

Involved in: Mood, sleep Effects on behaviors: Modulated mood, suppressed appetite

Dopamine

Involved in: Mood, sleep, learning Effects on behaviors: Increased pleasure, suppressed appetite

Major subdivisions of Nervous System

PNS & CNS

How is epigenetics different from range of reaction?

The epigenetic perspective is very different from range of reaction, because here the genotype is not fixed and limited.

What is the difference between the Wernicke's area and the Broca's area?

Whereas individuals with damage to Broca's area have difficulty producing language, those with damage to Wernicke's area can produce sensible language, but they are unable to understand it

Temporal lobe contains_________

auditory cortex, Wernicke's area

antagonist

blocks or impedes the normal activity of a neurotransmitter at the receptor

Somatic nervous system is associated with what type of activities?

conscious or voluntary

What is the function of the autonomic nervous system?

controls our internal organs and glands and is generally considered to be outside the realm of voluntary control

What is usually treated with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

depression