BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR Neurons- You have 100 billion in your brain They carry and process information

ation They are linked together in large chains Each neuron receives messages from others and sends its own message on They control all of your thoughts, feelings and actions

Parts of the Neuron dendrites: Receive messages from other neurons soma: does the same but also sends messages down a thin fiber called the axon Most axons end in axon terminals The Nerve Impulse Electrically charged molecules called ions are found inside each neuron Your neurons are like little batteries with positively and negatively charged ions on the inside and outside of neurons A nerve impulse occurs completely or not at all- picture a set of dominoes as nerves and tipping the first- Once it falls there is no going back ( all or nothing event) Parts of the Nerve Impulse Resting potential- the electrical charge of an inactive neuron- they dont rest for long

Action potential- if the electrical charge reaches above minus 50 millivolts, the neuron will reach its threshold and fire

Millivolt- 1000th of a volt The action potential sweeps down the axon at up to 200 miles per hour Parts continued The axon membrane (neurons are cells) is pierced by tiny tunnels, or holes, called ion channels

Normally these are blocked but pop open when there is an action potential (or nerve impulse)Sodium ions rush into the axon

The channels open near the soma and then gate after gate opens down the length of the axon ( almost like a zipper) SEE DIAGRAM

Propagation of an Action Potential Synapses- where neurons connect Difference between Nerve Impulse and Communication between neurons

Nerve Impulse is electrical- ions trigger axon to open doors along it Communication involves transferring the message from one to another by the synapse or space between neurons Communication Cont.

Is chemical- when an action potential reaches the terminals, neurotransmitters are released into the synaptic gap that alter activity in neurons When chemical molecules cross over a synapse, they attach to receptor sites which carry along the message How they transmit What are some of the chemicals? Acetylcholine- controls muscle movement Epinephrine Norepinephrine Serotonin Dopamine Histamine Homework! Find out what each chemical controls in our bodies Due tomorrow! Neural Regulators Neuropeptides- do not carry messages directly- they regulate the activity of other neurons They affect memory, pain, emotion, pleasure, moods, hunger, and sexual behavior Enkephalins- released by the brain to relieve pain and stress Endorphins- released by the pituitary gland also to reduce pain so it is not so disabling

Connection to Reality

Brain regulators may help explain depression, schizophrenia, drug addiction and other problems EXAMPLE: women who suffer severe premenstrual pain and distress have unusually low endorphin levels. Also EXERCISE increases endorphin release causing happy, pleasant feelings So go outside and run around already!!!! Human behavior (and that of other organisms and mechanisms) can be common, unusual, acceptable, or unacceptable. Humans evaluate the acceptability of behavior using social norms and regulate behavior by means of social control. In sociology, behavior is considered as having no meaning, being not directed at other people and thus is the most basic human action, although it can play a part in diagnosis of disorders such as the autism spectrum disorders. Animal behavior is studied in comparative psychology, ethology,behavioral

ecology and sociobiology. According to moral values, human behavior may also depend upon the common, usual, unusual, acceptable or unacceptable behavior of others. Behavior became an important construct in early 20th century psychology with the advent of the paradigm known subsequently as "behaviorism." Behaviorism was a reaction against "faculty" psychology which purported to see into or understand the mind without the benefit of scientific testing. Behaviorism insisted on working only with what can be seen or manipulated and in the early views of John B. Watson, a founder of the field, nothing was inferred as to the nature of the entity that produced the behavior. Subsequent modifications of Watson's perspective and that of "classical conditioning" (see under Ivan Pavlov) led to the rise of operant conditioning or "radical behaviorism," a theory advocated by B.F. Skinner, which took over the academic establishment up through the 1950s and was synonymous with "behaviorism" for many.

For studies on behavior, ethograms are used.