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True or False?. We only use about 10% of our brains. False. We use 100% of our brains. 100 billion 900 billion. IV. Biological Bases of Behavior. 8 – 10 % Neuroanatomy Functional Organization of Nervous System Neural Transmission Endocrine System Genetics
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True or False? We only use about 10% of our brains
False We use 100% of our brains
IV. Biological Bases of Behavior 8 – 10 % Neuroanatomy Functional Organization of Nervous System Neural Transmission Endocrine System Genetics Evolutionary Psychology
Nucleus Dendrites Cell Body (Soma) Myelin Sheath End Bulb Enlarged Vesicles (storing Nts) End Bulb Neurotransmitters
http://outreach.mcb.harvard.edu/animations/synaptic.swf http://outreach.mcb.harvard.edu/animations/actionpotential.swf
The Neural Impulse – The Electrochemical transfer of information • Resting Potential – when no information is being exchanged the neuron is polarized: overall neg. charge inside / pos. charge outside of the axon
When stimulated the neuron’s axon becomes depolarized – Sodium (Na +) flows in, temporarily changing the charge (becomes more positive inside) at a point along the axon creating an action potential
The action potential fires down the length of the axon, sending energy to the terminal button • Behind the action potential the axon becomes polarized again
Action potentials follow the all-or-none law: it fires or it doesn’t – the energy is always the same • The strength of the stimulus depends on the rate of action potentials (faster rate = stronger feeling)
The action potential’s energy causes the release of neurotransmitters (chemical messengers) • The neurotransmitters cross the synapse, to possibly bind at receptor sites of the adjacent neuron, muscle fiber, or organ
http://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/actionpotential.htmlhttp://www.sumanasinc.com/webcontent/animations/content/actionpotential.html http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter14/animation__the_nerve_impulse.html
Part II: Postsynaptic Potentials • After the release of the neurotransmitters they may attach to a receptor site of the adjacent neuron, muscle fiber, or organ creating a postsynaptic potential (PSP) – a change in voltage at the receptor site
PSP’s can be either excitatory or inhibitory • Excitatory – increases the chance of another action potential (at the adjacent neuron) by increasing the voltage • Inhibitory – decreases the chance by decreasing the voltage at the receptor site
PSP’s do NOT follow the all-or-none law! Excitatory and inhibitory PSP’s can cancel each other out • If there are enough excitatory PSP’s to reach the threshold another action potential is created (or the muscle/organ responds) • Inhibitory actions are important to slow down or stop processes in body and brain • Some neurotransmitters are returned to the terminal button for reuse – this is called reuptake.