Chapter 1 What Is Behavioral Neuroscience? Dr. Kimberley Campbell A Brief Introduction Consider the human brain Has evolved and grown to about 3 pounds 80 billion neurons making 100 trillion connections Involved in most bodily processes 1990s deemed the “Decade of the Brain” Period of intense research and awareness New understanding of neurological diseases, emotional disorders, and addictions What is Behavioral Neuroscience? Behavioral neuroscience: studies the relationships between behaviour and the body, specifically the brain Behavior: both overt (external) and covert (internal) events Overt: Make a sound, move a particular way Covert: learning, thinking, and emotion The Mind-Brain Problem Mind-brain problem What is the mind and what is its relationship to the brain? Dualism: idea that the mind and brain are separate The Mind-Brain Problem Monism vs. materialistic monism Monism: idea that the mind and body consist of the same substance Materialistic monism: view that body and mind and everything else are physical The Physical Model of Behavior The Physical Model of Behavior Model: a proposed mechanism for how something works Theory Simpler organism, simulation, or system studied Empiricism: gathering information through observation Heimholtz and the Electrical Brain Late 1700s: Luigi Galvani used electricity to stimulate nerves 1870: Fritsch and Hitzig produced movement by electrically stimulating the brain Hermann von Heimholtz demonstrated nerves do not behave like conducting wires The Localization Issue Localization: specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions Phrenology: 35 different “faculties” of emotion, intellect found in precise areas of the brain Equipotentiality: the brain can function as an undifferentiated whole Nature and Nurture Nature versus nurture: an ongoing debate about how important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior Fairly controversial topic in psychology, especially in regards to public opinion The Genetic Code Gene: biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited characteristics Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): double-stranded double helix chain of chemical molecules The Genetic Code Zygote: fertilized egg which undergoes rapid cell division and development on its way to becoming a functioning organism Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes Contains 46 chromosomes in total Embryo: new organism as it develops over first 8 weeks Fetus: organism at developmental stage between 8 weeks and birth The Genetic Code Alleles: different versions of a gene Dominant allele: produces effect regardless of which allele it is paired with Recessive allele: has influence only when paired with the same allele Heterozygous: two alleles are different Homozygous: two identical alleles The Genetic Code The Genetic Code Phenotype: an observable characteristic Genotype: Combinations of alleles X-linked: a characteristic produced by an unpaired gene on the Xchromosome Polygenic: Characteristics determined by several genes The Human Genome Project Genome: all the genes in our chromosomes Human Genome Project: project with goal to map the location of all the genes on the human chromosomes Gene expression: translation of encoded information into production of proteins Heredity: Destiny or Predisposition Natural selection: those whose genes endow them with more adaptive traits are more likely to survive and reproduce Heritability: percentage of the variation in a characteristic attributed to genetic factors Vulnerability: genes contribute to predisposition for a disorder In Perspective Brain science is still a “frontier” Many factors for success in the field: Genius of predecessors Developments in technology Adoption of empiricism Coming to terms with concept of the mind
