Unit 3 – Biological Psychology
8-10% of the AP Exam
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Note Card Overview
3rd Quarter PROJECT –
CANCELLED
Unit 3 Mini – Friday 1/30
Unit 3 Quia & Note Cards –
Due Monday February 2nd
• Genotype- An organisms genetic makeup
• Phenotype-An organisms observable physical characteristics
• DNA- (deoxyribonucleic acid) A long, complex molecule that encodes
genetic characteristics.
• Chromosome – Tightly coiled threadlike structure along which the genes
are organized, like beads on a necklace. Chromosomes consist primarily of
DNA
• Gene – Segment of chromosome that encodes the directions for the
inherited physical and mental characteristics of an organism. Genes are the
functional units of a chromosome
By the Numbers:
20,000 -25,000 Genes
46 Chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs
Punnett Square
Jabba– Is Super slow - rr
Yaddle – Is Super Fast - Rr
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM!
•  Central Nervous System
•  Encased in bone
•  Comprised of the brain
and spinal cord
CNS
PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
PNS
•  The nervous system outside of the brain
and spinal
•  Comprised of ganglions (bundle of neurons
outside of CNS)
•  Divided into two broad categories:
•  Somatic NS (Somatic NS)
•  Autonomic NS (ANS)
SOMATIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
•  Part is a voluntary control system.
•  Two major nerve types
•  AFFERENT or Sensory neurons
•  Signals coming In
•  EFFERENT or Motor neurons
•  Signals going out
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
•  Involuntary control system
•  Neurons (connected to)
•  Smooth muscle
•  Cardiac muscle
•  Organs and glands
•  Two major divisions:
•  Sympathetic (SNS)
•  Parasympathetic (PSNS)
SYMPATHETIC NERVOUS SYSTEM
•  Mobilizes the body during extreme conditions
•  Considered “fight or flight” system
•  Occurs in –
emergency, excitement, exercise, and embarrassment
•  Body Response:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Faster heartbeat
Riase blood pressure
Slow digestion
Raise blood sugar
Cool Body with sweat
Pupils Dialate
Release of Adrenaline
•  Prepares you for ACTION!!!!
PARASYMPATHETIC NERVOUS
SYSTEM
•  The PSNS performs maintenance activities and
conserves body energy
•  If the sympathetic stimulates, the parasympathetic
slows the system back down (think of PARAchute)
•  Provides homeostasis (balance)
•  Body Response:
•
•
•
•
Slower heartbeat
Lowers blood pressure
Increases digestion
Pupils constrict
Nervous System
Peripheral Nervous System
Autonomic Nervous
System
Sympathetic
Parasympathetic
Central Nervous System
Somatic
Nervous System
Sensory
(afferent)
Motor
(efferent)
On your blank white piece of Paper, You need to make a
NERVOUS System tree much like the one you see above.
For each of the systems, you need to include its main purpose
(function), and a picture to help you remember what it is. Be
creative and Colorful.
Make it as LARGE as you can . This will be helpful for NOTES!
NEURAL AND HORMONAL
SYSTEMS
Will Explain Why We FEEL……
Nervous
Strong
Pain
Sick
IT ALL STARTS WITH THE
NEURON
Fundamental building blocks
of the nervous system
Neuron Structure
Neurons do NOT touch each other- the
space in between is called the
synapse.
NEUROTRANSMITTERS
• Chemical messengers released
by terminal buttons through the
synapse.
• We should know at least 7 types
and what they do.
ACETYLCHOLINE
• Its function is motor movement and some
kinds of attention, learning and memory.
Lack of ACH has been linked to
Alzheimer’s disease.
DOPAMINE
• Its function is motor movement,
sensations of pleasure
(-)Lack of dopamine is
associated with
Parkinson’s disease.
(+)Overabundance
is associated with
schizophrenia.
SEROTONIN
• Function deals with sleep, pain,
aggression, appetite and MOOD.
Lack of serotonin
has been linked to
depression.
ENDORPHINS
• Function deals with pain
control.
Lack of Endorphines we
experience pain
Excess of endorphines
body may not give
adequate warning about
pain
NOREPINEPHRINE
• Controls heart rate, arousal, as well
as learning and memory retrieval
-A lack results in
depression
-An excess
results in anxiety
GLUTAMATE
• Primary excitatory neurotransmitter
in the CNS
• Involved in learning and memory
• Excess amounts cause
brain damage after stroke
• Avoid MSG
Monosodiumglutamate
GABA
• The most prevalent inhibitory
neruotransmitters in neurons of the CNS
Lack Linked to
Anxiety
Excess on sleep and
eating disorders
TYPES OF NEURONS
Sensory Neurons
Motor Neurons
Inter Neurons
SENSORY NEURONS
(AFFERENT NEURONS)
• Take information from the
senses to the brain.
MOTOR NEURONS
(EFFERENT NEURONS)
• Take information from brain to
the rest of the body.
INTER NEURONS
• Take messages
from Sensory
Neurons to
other parts of
the brain or to
Motor Neurons.
HOW A NEURON FIRES
It is an electrochemical process
• Electrical inside the neuron
• Chemical outside the neuron (in
the synapse in the form of a
neurotransmitter).
• The firing is called Action
Potential.
THE ALL-OR NONE RESPONSE
• The idea that
either the
neuron fires or
it does not- no
part way firing.
• Like a gun
STEPS OF ACTION POTENTIAL
•  Dendrites receive neurotransmitter from another
neuron across the synapse.
•  Reached its threshold- then fires based on the
all-or-none response.
•  Opens up a portal in axon, and lets in positive ions
(Sodium) which mix with negative ions (Potassium)
that is already inside the axon (thus Neurons at
rest have a slightly negative charge).
•  The mixing of + and – ions causes an electrical
charge that opens up the next portal (letting in
more K) while closing the original portal.
•  Process continues down axon to the axon
terminal.
•  Terminal buttons turns electrical charge into
chemical (neurotransmitter) and shoots message
to next neuron across the synapse.
Action Potential
How Neurons Communicate
Agonists and Antagonists
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
A system of glands that secrete
hormones.
Similar to nervous system,
except hormones work a lot
slower than neurotransmitters.
Hormones
Neurotransmitters
The Major Endocrine Glands
Pituitary Gland
“Master Gland”
Anterior
1. Ovaries,
2. Testes 3.
Metabolism
4. Reactions
to stress
Posterior
1. Uterus
Contractions,
2.Conservatio
n of water in
body
Gland
Pituitary
Pineal
Testes
Hormone (function)
Prolactin (milk production)
Oxytocin (Uterine contractions)
ACTH (Cortical steroids)
GH (growth Hormone)
Melotonin (sleep)
Testosterone (sexual maturation)
Ovaries
Estrogen (sexual maturation)
Progesterone (regulates cycle)
Thyroid
Thyroxine (metabolism)
Pancreas
Insulin (blood sugar levels)
Adrenal
Epinephrine (adrenaline)
THE BRAIN
WAYS WE STUDY THE BRAIN
• Accidents
• Lesions
• Ablation
• CAT Scan
• PET Scan
• MRI
• Functional MRI
LESION
•  The destruction of tissue
•  Can be Purposeful
Destruction
•  Can be caused by any disease
process including trauma
(physical, chemical,
electrical), infection
ABLATION
•  Intentional Removal or destruction of some part of the
brain.
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM
•  EEG
•  Detects brain
waves through
their electrical
output.
•  Used mainly in
sleep research.
COMPUTERIZED AXIAL
TOMOGRAPHY
•  CAT Scan
•  3D X-Ray of the brain.
•  Soft Tissues
•  Good for tumor
locating, but tells us
nothing about function.
MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING
•  MRI
•  More detailed
picture of brain
using magnetic
field to knock
electrons off axis.
•  Takes many still
pictures and turns
images into a movie
like production.
POSITRON EMISSION
TOMOGRAPHY
•  PET Scan
•  Measures how much of a chemical the
brain is using (usually glucose consumption).
FUNCTIONAL MRI
•  Combination of PET and MRI
GET RID OF
CARD #60
BRAIN STRUCTURES
1.  Hindbrain
2.  Midbrain
3.  Forebrain
HINDBRAIN
•  Structures on top of our spinal cord.
•  Controls basic biological structures.
Pons
Medulla
Cerebellum
MIDBRAIN
•  Brain Stem – beginning where
the spinal cord swells as it
enters the skull; responsible for
automatic survival functions
If stimulated
•  Inside of the brainstem is the
Reticular Formation
If Destroyed
FOREBRAIN
•  What makes us human.
•  Largest part of the
brain.
•  Made up of the
Thalamus, Limbic System
and Cerebral Cortex.
BRAIN PLASTICITY
•  The idea that the
brain, when damaged,
will attempt to find
new ways to reroute
messages.
•  Children’s brains are
more plastic than
adults.
Motor and Sensory Cortexes
ASSOCIATION (CORTEX)/AREAS
•  Any area not associated with receiving
sensory information or coordinating muscle
movements.
Visual Cortex – area of temporal and
occipital lobes where we perceive vision
SPLIT BRAIN
•  The two hemispheres of the brain are isolated by cutting the
connecting fibers (mainly those of the corpus callosum) between
them
“What did you see?”
“With your left hand, select
the object you saw from
those behind the screen.”
SPLIT BRAIN
ROGER SPERRY
WON THE NOBEL PRIZE -1981
•  Sperry studied split-brain
•  left hemisphere has better logical and language abilities
•  right hemisphere has better spatial (like interpreting maps), artistic, and
musical abilities.
OUR DIVIDED BRAIN
•  The information
highway from the eyes
to the brain
MEDULLA OBLONGATA
• Located just above
the spinal cord.
Involved in control
of
• blood pressure
• heart rate
• breathing.
PONS
•  Located just above the
medulla.
•  Connects hindbrain with
midbrain and forebrain.
•  Involved in facial
expressions, sleep and
dreaming cycle
CEREBELLUM
• Bottom rear of
the brain.
• Means “little
brain”
• Coordinates
fine muscle
movements.
CEREBELLUM
THALAMUS
•  Switchboard of the
brain.
•  Receives sensory
signals from the
spinal cord and sends
them to other parts
of the forebrain.
•  Every sense except
smell.
The Limbic System
Involved in
Memory and
Emotions
HYPOTHALAMUS
•  Maybe most important
structure in the brain.
Controls and regulates
•  Body temperature
•  Sexual Arousal
•  Hunger
•  Thirst
•  Endocrine System
The most powerful
structure in the brain.
HIPPOCAMPUS
• Involved in the
processing and
storage of
memories.
AMYGDALA
• Involved in how
we process
memory.
• More involved
in volatile
emotions like
anger.
THE CEREBRAL CORTEX
•  Decision making,
judgement, ultimate
control
•  Larger in humans
than most mammals
•  Wrinkles are called
fissures.
•  If you lay brain out it
would be as big as a
large Pizza
The Shell
The Cerebral Cortex is made up
of four Lobes.
FRONTAL LOBES
•  Abstract thought and
emotional control.
•  Contains Motor Cortex:
sends signals to our body
controlling muscle
movements.
•  Contains Broca’s Area:
responsible for controlling
muscles that produce
speech.
•  Damage to Broca’s Area is
called Broca’s Aphasia:
unable to make movements
to talk.
PARIETAL LOBES
Where would this
girl feel the most
pain from her
sunburn?
•  Contain Sensory
Cortex: receives
incoming touch
sensations from
rest of the body.
•  Most of the
Parietal Lobes are
made up of
Association Areas.
Motor and Sensory Cortexes
OCCIPITAL LOBES
•  Deals with vision.
•  Contains Visual Cortex:
interprets messages from
our eyes into images we
can understand.
TEMPORAL LOBES
•  Process sound sensed
by our ears.
•  Interpreted in
Auditory Cortex.
•  NOT LATERALIZED.
•  Contains Wernike's
Area: interprets
written and spoken
speech.
•  Wernike's Aphasia:
unable to understand
language: the syntax
and grammar jumbled.
Specialization and Integration in Language
Brain Activity when Hearing, Seeing, and
Speaking Words
THE CORPUS CALLOSUM
Divides the 2
hemispheres.