Biopsychology

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Biopsychology

• The Biological Basis of Behavior

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Neurons Structure

• Dendrites
• Cell Body
• Axon
• Myelin Sheath
• Nodes of Ranvier
• Terminal Buttons

p. 45
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Normally Functioning Nerves
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The Synapse

• Synaptic Vesicles
• Synaptic Cleft
• Receptor Sites
• Presynaptic membrane
• Postsynaptic membrane
• Neurotransmitters

p. 47
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Neurotransmission

1. Resting Potential (-70 millivolts)
2. Threshold ( greater than -70 mv)
3. Action Potential ( positive)
4. Hyperpolerization (less than 70 mv)
5. Resting Potential (-70 mv)

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Action Potential
All or None Response
Hyperpolarization
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Steps in Neurotransmission

1. Dendrites/Cell are stimulated to threshold
2. Action potential travels down axon to presynaptic
   terminal
3. Vesicles fuse to terminal membrane and release
   neurotransmitter
4. Neurotransmitter crosses synaptic space

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Steps in Neurotransmission

• It binds to receptor site and alters charge of
  postsynaptic membrane.
• The reaction of postynaptic membrane dislodges
  neurotransmitter from the receptor.
• Neurotransmitter is deactivated.
• Diffuses away.
• Enzymes metabolize it (MAO).
• It is reuptaken into presynaptic terminal.

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Effects of Neurotransmitters

• Excitatory
• Inhibitory

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Types of Neurotransmitters

• Acetylcholine ACh
• Norephinephrine NE
• Dopamine DA
• Serotonin 5-HT
• Gamma-amino-butyric acid GABA

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Acetylcholine (ACh)

• found through out the central nervous system,
  autonomic nervous system, and all neuromuscular
  junctions.
• Excitatory
• Involved in muscle action, attention, learning,
  and memory
• Too much spasms
• Too little paralysis

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Norephinephrine NE

• Synonymous with Adrenalin
• Found in ANS
• Excitatory
• Responsible for getting pumped up
• Fight or Flight Response
• Eating behavior
• Carbo-craving

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Dopamine DA

• Reward system
• Produced by neurons located in a region of the
  brain called the substantia nigra.
• Involved in pleasure, movement, attention, and
  learning.
• Degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons has
  been linked with Parkinsons Disease. Too much
  dopamine is implicated in schizophrenia and
  Tourettes .

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Serotonin 5-HT

• Found in the brain and spinal cord.
• Inhibitory
• Plays a role in the regulation of mood and is
  control of eating, sleep and arousal. Has also
  been implicated in the regulation of pain and
  dreaming.
• Destroyed by MAO
• SSRIs (Prozac, Zoloft)

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Gamma-amino-butyric acid GABA

• Found through out the brain and spinal cord, in
  very high concentrations compared to other
  Neurotransmitters.
• Inhibitory
• Is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the
  brain. Abnormal levels of GABA have been linked
  to eating and sleeping disorders.

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Nervous System
N.S.
Peripheral
Central

• Central
• Brain Spinal Cord
• Peripheral
• Somatic
• ???
• Autonomic
• Parasympathetic
• Sympathetic

Somatic
Autonomic
Sympathetic
ParaSymp
p. 51
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Autonomic Nervous System

• Sympathetic
• Fight or Flight

• Parasympathetic
• Maintenance Refuel

1. Eyes open Wide
2. Mouth Goes Dry
3. Hr Increase
4. Start to Sweat

1. Eyes constrict
2. Mouth Waters
3. Digestion
4. Blood away from muscles

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The Endocrine System The Brain Stem

• What is the difference between a
  neurotransmitter and a hormone?

• Where are the seats of consciousness?

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Motivation Emotion in the Brain

• Hypothalamus
• Limbic System
• Thalamus

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Cortex

• Parietal Lobe
• Temporal Lobe
• Occipital Lobe
• Frontal Lobe

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Brain Lateralization

• Left Hemisphere
• Right side of the body
• Language
• Wernike Broca

• Right Hemisphere
• Left side of the body
• Creativity
• Math Spatial tasks
• Nonverbal - Emotion

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Q What is the cause of ambidexterity?

• A Handedness (the preference to use one hand
  over the other) is species-specific. In humans,
  about 90 prefer to use their right hand. What
  does this mean? Recall that the human brain is
  divided into a right and a left hemisphere.
  Typically, the left hemisphere in humans is
  dominant. We're not really sure why the left
  rather than the right (or both) becomes dominant,
  but probably it reflects the early fetal
  environment, particularly hormonal factors. Since
  the left hemisphere controls the right side of
  the body, people with left hemisphere dominance
  will be right-handed. For left-handers and for
  those who are ambidextrous (can use both hands
  with the same level of skill), the right
  hemisphere tends to be dominant. Interestingly,
  language, which typically is the province of the
  dominant hemisphere, is equally likely to reside
  in either the left or right hemisphere for
  non-right-handed people. Those who are
  left-handed or ambidextrous also tend to have a
  thicker corpus callosum (the bundle of fibers
  joining the two hemispheres).

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Genetics

• Structure and Function
• Gene therapy
• Nature vs. Nurture