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Unit Two: Biological Bases of Behavior

Unit Two: Biological Bases of Behavior. AP Psychology Ms. Egan. The Biology Behind the Psychology. “Everything Psychological is ultimately Biological.” What does this say to you?. Neurons: building blocks of the Nervous System. Neural Communication. Action potential: a neural impulse

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Unit Two: Biological Bases of Behavior

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  1. Unit Two:Biological Bases of Behavior AP Psychology Ms. Egan

  2. The Biology Behind the Psychology • “Everything Psychological is ultimately Biological.” • What does this say to you?

  3. Neurons: building blocks of the Nervous System

  4. Neural Communication • Action potential: a neural impulse • Threshold: minimum intensity needed to fire impulse • Neuron firings are all-or-none responses • Synapse: gap between neurons (also called a synaptic gap or cleft) • Neurotransmitters: chemical messengers that bind to receptor sites on receiving neuron • Reuptake: sending neuron reabsorbs excess neurotransmitters

  5. Demonstrations Action Potential Synaptic Transmission

  6. Types of Neurons • Sensory Neurons (afferent) ~ 2 million • Sends messages from sense organs  brain • Motor Neurons (efferent) ~ 2-3 million • Sends messages from brain  muscles, organs, glands • Interneurons ~ Billions & Billions • Relay messages between sensory & motor neurons • Glial cells – “The forgotten cell” • Glue cells which help connections, insulate, and clean up

  7. Influence of Neurotransmitters • Each neurotransmitter has a specific effect on behavior & emotions • Acetylcholine: muscle action, learning, memory • Dopamine: movement, learning, attention, emotion • Serotonin: mood, hunger, sleep, arousal • Norepinephrine: alertness, arousal • GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid):inhibitory neurotransmitter • Glutamate: excitatory neurotransmitter, memory • Find a condition or disease associated with the blockage or increase in one of these neurotransmitters.

  8. Drugs & Neurotransmitters • Endorphins: natural “opiates” released in response to pain or vigorous exercise • Why not flood the brain with artificial opiates?? • Brain will stop producing natural ones • Withdrawal symptoms • Drugs affect communication at the synapse • Agonist Molecule: excites, mimics neurotransmitter • Antagonist Molecule: inhibits, blocks neurotransmitter

  9. Neuron FAQ’s • 100 Billion neurons in the human body • It would take you 3,171 years to count all the neurons (1 per second) • 4-100 Microns wide (1 micron=1/1000th of a millimeter) • Your neurons are for life! You will have less and less as you get older

  10. Neuron to neuron communication The Nervous System • Nerves: neural cables containing many axon

  11. Endocrine System • Slower than nervous system • Uses hormones (another chemical messenger) to communicate • Flow from tissues through bloodstream to other tissues • Adrenal glands: above kidneys; secrete hormones to arouse body during stress • Pituitary glands: controlled by hypothalamus, regulates growth and controls endocrine glands

  12. The Brain How does our brain produce behavior and mental processes?

  13. What’s a brain good for anyway? • Case Study: Phineas Gage

  14. Case Study: Phineas Gage • Which part of the brain did Gage injure? • Why did Gage feel no pain after the injury? • What were the “treatments” given to Gage after the injury? • What was the major change in Gage after the accident? • What is localization of the brain?

  15. Studying the Brain • Electroencephalogram (EEG) • Measures brains electrical waves by attaching electrodes to the scalp • Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan) • Injection of radioactive glucose (brain sugar) to detect where fuel goes under different situations • Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) • Magnet aligns spinning atoms of brain to show tissue and brain anatomy • Functioning MRI (fMRI) • Shows brain function & bloodflow

  16. Brain Structures • Brain Map (BBC) OR 3-D Brain (PBS) • Using the Brain Links, complete your brain concept map. Give an example of how each structure influences your behavior or emotions: YOU SHOULD KNOW THE FOLLOWING!!! Brainstem Pons Medulla Oblongata Midbrain Cerebrum Frontal Lobe Cerebral Cortex Parietal Lobes Thalamus Occipital Lobes Temporal Lobes Cerebellum Limbic System Amygdala Hypothalamus Pituitary Gland Hippocampus Corpus Callosum

  17. Split Brain • Each brain hemisphere serves a different purpose • Vogel & Bogen (1961) • Stop seizures by splitting corpus collosum • Sperry, Myers, Gazzaniga were successful with animals • HE-ART Split Brain Demo

  18. Right vs. Left Brain

  19. We only use 10% of our brain • Your brain does not grow new cells • Some people are right-brained, others left-brained • Brain damage cannot be repaired

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