BIOPSYCHOLOGY part 1

Biopsychology Biology & Behavior

Neuropsychology
Biology & Behavior
Biopsychologists/ Physiological
Psychologists / Neuropsychologist
"Nature" / "Nurture" controversy
• Nature = biology or inheritance • psychologists who study the ways
biological structures and body
• Nurture = environment (all not genetic)
functions affect behavior

Nervous System Neurons

Brain and its pathways nerve cells

Neurons =
Nerve
Cells
basic building
blocks of
nervous system

Neurons-
Neurons-Nerve Cells
Nerve Cells
Dendrites Axon

• long, slim, tubelike

• fibers at one end of extension from the
neuron that receive end of a neuron that
messages from other carries messages
neurons
• longest part of neuron

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Neurons- Neurons-Nerve Cells
Nerve Cells
Axon terminals All-or-none [All-or-nothing] principle
[Terminal
buttons/end • neurons either fire or they do not
branches] fire in response to stimulation
• small branches/sites • they respond fully or not at all - no
at the end of an partial response
axon that relay • analogous to a gun and its trigger
messages to other
cells

Neurons-Nerve Cells Neurons-

Nerve Cells
Action potential
Synapse (synaptic
cleft)
• An electrical nerve impulse that • the physical gap
travels through a neuron when between the
adequate stimulation is present to terminal branches
"trigger" it of one neuron and
the dendrites of
another

Neurons- vessicles Neurons-Nerve Cells

Nerve Cells Pathways
Afferent (sensory) Neurons
Neurotransmitters
• a chemical that carries messages between • neurons that carry information
neurons in the synapse from the sensory organs toward the
lock
brain
• excitatory or inhibitory (message to "fire" &
or "not fire" ) key • "A" as in " At" the brain
• a kind of summation process determines
whether firing will occur or be prevented

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Neurons-Nerve Cells Neurons-Nerve Cells

Pathways Pathways
Interneurons Efferent (motor) Neurons

• neurons within the brain or spinal cord • neurons that carry information from
the brain to muscles and glands
• "I" as in "Inside" the brain
• "E" as in " Exit" the brain

Nervous System Central Nervous System

(CNS)
• brain and spinal cord
Nervous Nervous
System System

Peripheral Central
Central Nervous
Nervous Peripheral
Central Nervous
Nervous System System
System Nervous System
System

Brain
Brain

Spinal
Spinal
Cord
Cord

Peripheral Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System

• all of nervous system except the brain Somatic Nervous System

and spinal cord
Nervous
Nervous
System
System • voluntary
Central Nervous Peripheral
Central Nervous Peripheral Nervous System
System
System Nervous System

Somatic NS

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Peripheral Nervous System Peripheral Nervous System

Autonomic (Automatic) Nervous
Sympathetic Nervous System
System (ANS)
Nervous Nervous
System System • emergency activation
Peripheral
• involuntary Peripheral
Central Nervous Central Nervous
System Nervous System Nervous System
System

Somatic
Somatic NS
NS Autonomic
Autonomic NS
NS Somatic NS Autonomic NS

Sympathetic
NS

Peripheral Nervous System Sympathetic/Parasympathetic

Parasympathetic Nervous System

Nervous
System
• calms body after emergency
Central Nervous Peripheral
System Nervous System

Somatic NS Autonomic NS

Sympathetic Parasympathetic
NS NS

Peripheral Nervous System The Brain

Central core ("old" brain)

• Sympathetic Nervous System

brings you up
• Parasympathetic Nervous System
brings you down like a "parachute"

• All species with backbones (vertebrates) similar

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The Brain The Brain

• medulla oblongata - body functions such as • Cerebellum - controls bodily balance

breathing and heartbeat • Reticular formation/Reticular
• Pons ("bridge")- transmits motor information Activating System (RAS)—serves to
to coordinate muscles and movement between immediately activate brain parts to
right and left sides of body cause general arousal

The Brain Endocrine System

:

• thalamus - relay station for sensory information

(integrates) [except olfaction/smell]
• hypothalamus - maintains bodily homeostasis
(balance) and regulates behaviors
• basic to survival (e.g., eating, drinking, sexual behavior,
fighting) chemical network

Endocrine System The Brain

• a chemical communication network

that sends messages throughout the
nervous system and secretes Limbic system
hormones that affect body growth
and functioning
• Pituitary gland -"master gland " -
controls functioning of rest of • controls motivation and emotion as well as
endocrine system & secretes eating and reproduction
hormones that control growth • "Pleasure centers" (Olds)

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The Brain The Brain

Cerebrum/Neocortex
• Latin for "brain" — "new brain" —
consists of two hemispheres
connected by the corpus callosum
cerebral cortex
• distinguishes humans from all other
animals
• wrinkled surface area of the cerebrum
• convoluted surface - allows more
suface area and intricate
interconnections of neurons

The Brain The Brain

P
F • Motor - voluntary
3 major areas

movement

4 Lobes:
T O
Sensory - tissue
corresponding to
sense of touch
• Frontal - motor, speech, reasoning centers Association - higher
• Temporal - auditory area here mental processes -
• Occipital - visual cortex here thought, language,
• Parietal - center for bodily sensations memory, speech

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