Biological Basis: Fact of Falsehood.

1. Biological Basis: Fact of Falsehood. • A small amount of brain tissue from a person cannot be distinguished from that of a monkey. • The human brain produces its own natural opiates that elevate mood and ease pain. • Electrically stimulating a cat’s brain at a certain point can cause the animal to cower in terror at the presence of a small mouse. • We ordinarily use only 10 percent of our brains. • Adults cannot generate new brain cells.

2. Neural Communication • Biological Psychology • branch of psychology concerned with the links between biology and behavior • behavioral neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, behavior geneticists, physiological psychologist, or biopsychologists– all names for Biological Psychologists

3. Neural Communication • Also should know: • Nodes of Ranvier • Soma • Axon hillock • Schwann cell

4. Neural Communication • Action Potential • a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon • generated by the movement of positively charges atoms in and out of channels in the axon’s membrane • Threshold • the level of stimulation required to trigger a neural impulse

5. Cell body end of axon Direction of neural impulse: toward axon terminals Neural Communication

6. Neural Communication

7. Neurotransmitters • Serotonin • F: mood, hunger, sleep, arousal • D: undersupply linked to depression; antidepressants increase S levels • Sara Serotonin the Teenager • Dopamine • F: movement, learning, attention, emotion • D: excess amounts linked to schizophrenia & decreased amounts linked to Parkinson’s • Daphne the Dancer has a lot of Dopamine

8. Neurotransmitters

9. Neurotransmitters • Acetylcholine • F: Enables muscle action, learning, memory • D: Alzheimer’s deteriorates the production of ACh • Ace “ACh” is the best guy on campus • Norepinephrine • F: Helps control alertness & arousal • D: undersupply can depress mood, but not as much as serotonin • Neurotic Nora

10. Neurotransmitter molecule Receiving cell membrane Agonist mimics neurotransmitter Receptor site on receiving neuron Antagonist blocks neurotransmitter Neural Communication

11. Neurotransmitters • Endorphins • “morphine within” • natural, opiatelike neurotransmitters • linked to pain control and to pleasure

12. Nervous system Peripheral Central (brain and spinal cord) Autonomic (controls self-regulated action of internal organs and glands) Skeletal (controls voluntary movements of skeletal muscles) Sympathetic (arousing) Parasympathetic (calming) Neural and Hormonal Systems

13. Neural and Hormonal Systems • Nerves • neural “cables” containing many axons • part of the peripheral nervous system • connect the central nervous system with muscles, glands, and sense organs • Sensory Neurons • neurons that carry incoming information from the sense receptors to the central nervous system

14. Neural and Hormonal Systems • Interneurons • CNS neurons that internally communicate and intervene between the sensory inputs and motor outputs • Motor Neurons • carry outgoing information from the CNS to muscles and glands • Skeletal Nervous System • the division of the peripheral nervous system that controls the body’s skeletal muscles

15. Neural and Hormonal Systems • 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) • Sympathetic Nervous System • division of the autonomic nervous system that arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations • Parasympathetic Nervous System • division of the autonomic nervous system that calms the body, conserving its energy

16. Brain Sensory neuron (incoming information) Interneuron Motor neuron (outgoing information) Muscle Spinal cord Skin receptors Reflex • a simple, automatic, inborn response to a sensory stimulus