Homework due: Famous liar
• Read the paragraph carefully. Give one point for
each of the following:
– A clear description of a lie or deceit
– A description of the “players” – the liar AND their
audience
– A description of the outcome
– The final point (or half point) should be given ONLY if the
work shows care and effort. Was it written neatly, does
it show evidence of research, is it thoughtful? Be fair but
lean on the side of 0 rather than 1
• At top of sheet, write: Graded by (your name)
• Write one thing you learned from this homework
Biological Psychology
The biological structures and
chemicals which create our conscious
experience
PLEASE DON’T DRAW OR WRITE ON
THE IMAGES
Write in your notes
Using the images, generate possible
answers to the following questions
Discuss as a group, then each describe in writing
what you think is going on in the top image, labelled
A.
• How is this system physically organized?
• What is this system’s function?
• How does it work?
IF YOU DON’T KNOW: GUESS, IMAGINE, MAKE
SOMETHING UP!
Keywords for image A
• Now reword your answers to image A by adding as
many of these words into your descriptions as you can
• Brain
• Neuron (brain cells)
• Signal
• Send
• Receive
• External stimulus
• Response
• Central nervous system
• Peripheral nervous system
• The nervous system is composed of neurons
(brain cells) distributed throughout the body.
The brain is the main processing center that
makes decisions and commands the body. It
sends signals out and receives information
collected by the body.
• The CNS is made of the brain and spinal cord,
the PNS is composed of nerves going out from
the spine all over the body and back.
Nervous System
Central
Nervous
System
(CNS)
Peripheral
Nervous
System
(PNS)
Neurons are the elementary components of our
nervous system, which is our body’s speedy
electrochemical information network.
7
The Nervous System
• The brain and spinal cord form the central
nervous system (CNS).
8
• The peripheral nervous system (PNS)
links the central nervous system with the
body’s sense receptors, muscles, and
glands.
9
• Ratio of brain to
body weight
provides a clue to a
species’ intelligence.
• Dinosaurs =
1 / 100,000th
10
Whales = 1/
th
10,000
11
Elephants =
th
1/ 600
12
Humans = 1/
th
45
13
Mice = 1/
40th
14
Nervous System
Central NS (CNS)
Peripheral NS (PNS)
Brain:
Spinal Cord:
Control
center for
entire NS
Connects
brain and PNS,
and enables
reflexes
Somatic NS:
Autonomic NS:
Senses  CNS
Involuntary,
controls organs
and glands
CNS  Muscles
Sympathetic NS:
Parasympathetic NS:
“Fight-or-flight”
system
“Rest-and-digest”
system
Controls body when
aroused
Controls the body
during normal rest
state
Using the images, generate possible
answers to the following questions
Discuss as a group, then each describe in writing
what you think is going on in the second image,
labelled B.
• Describe the parts of this cell.
• Where are these cells located? What do they
comprise (build)?
• What is this cell’s function?
• How does it work?
IF YOU DON’T KNOW: GUESS, IMAGINE, MAKE
SOMETHING UP!
Keywords for image B
Draw and label a neuron. Now reword your answers to
image B by adding as many of these words into your
descriptions as you can.
• Dendrites
• Cell body (soma)
• Axon
• Terminal buttons
• Neurotransmitters
• Synapse (gap)
• Electrical signal
• Chemical signal
Using the images, generate possible
answers to the following questions
Discuss as a group, then each describe in writing
what you think is going on in the third image,
labelled C.
• Where is this on a neuron?
• What’s happening?
• What is a possible result, what happens next?
IF YOU DON’T KNOW: GUESS, IMAGINE, MAKE
SOMETHING UP!
Keywords for image C
Draw and label a synapse. Now reword your answers to
image C by adding as many of these words into your
descriptions as you can.
• Terminal buttons
• Neurotransmitters
• Action potential (signal down axon)
• Release
• Receptors
• Excitatory signal
• Inhibitory signal
• Synapse
Using the images, generate possible
answers to the following questions
Discuss as a group, then each describe in writing
what you think is going on in the third image,
labelled D.
• What does this diagram represent?
• What is the external stimulus?
• What are the brain and body’s responses?
IF YOU DON’T KNOW: GUESS, IMAGINE, MAKE
SOMETHING UP!
Keywords for image D
. Now reword your answers to image C by adding as
many of these words into your descriptions as you
can.
• External stimulus
• Sensory organs
• Neural pathways
• Memory
• Cognition (thinking, processing)
• Response (please specify)
Time: Note check
• HOM Quality grade
Neuron Questions
• What is a neuron and what is its function?
• Describe the main parts of a neuron and their
roles.
• What is an action potential?
• What does this mean: “an action potential is
an all or nothing event”?
• Explain why neural communication is both
electrical and chemical.
• What chemicals are involved in neural
communication?
Today we’ll learn
• The structure and function of neurons (brain
cells)
• How they work at the molecular level (their
chemistry)
• The forces that drive them (their physics)
Homework
• Complete the neuron worksheet
• Due tomorrow (Friday)
• Start now: Answer questions 1 & 2
Neuron:
The cell of the nervous system.
Dendrites, Cell body (or soma), Axon, Myelin sheath, Nodes of Ranvier, Terminal
buttons, Synapses
Neurons and Glia
• There are many different types of neurons
– different shapes do different jobs
– Neurons transmit signals
• Glial cells are support cells
– Help neurons function – clean, organize,
support
– Astrocytes – star-shaped. clean, structure, eat
dead neurons.
– Oligodendrocytes - Oligodendrocytes are cells
that wrap tightly around axons to form the
myelin sheath. Signal transmits 30X faster
If the brain was a school…
• Neurons would be teachers (workers who perform
main function of school)
• Glial cells would be ____________ (workers who
support teachers and keep school running smoothly)
Use your grey matter!
• Some neurons have naked axons. They appear
grey.
• Other neurons are covered in myelin sheath
(made of oligodendrocytes). They appear
white.
• Myelinated neurons transmit signals faster!
• So using your grey matter is a silly. Better to
use your white matter!
Neural signaling pathway
1. Dendrites receive neurotransmitters (chemical
signals) from other neurons
a) Signals are + or – (excitatory or inhibitory)
b) Signals affect the voltage of the neuron’s membrane
2. The cell body sums up the + and – signals
a) If there’s enough excitation, the cell “fires”
b) Called an action potential
c) The membrane potential must be -55 mv for it to fire
3. When the neuron “fires” it sends an
electrical signal down its axon
a) This is generated by Na+ ions entering the
cell along the axon, increasing the membrane
potential
4. At the axon terminal, neurotransmitters
are released across the synapse
a) They attach to receptors on the next neuron’s
dendrites
b) They may be + or -
What happens when a
neurotransmitter attaches to a
receptor?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1sdk7hy
Gz8
• Answer: when neurotransmitters bind to receptors, the
receptor opens and allows ions into the cell
• If positive ions (ex NA+) cell membrane voltage increases
• If negative ions (ex Cl-) cell membrane voltage decreases
How does a cell decide to have an
action potential?
• Cell body sums all the excitatory and
inhibitory neurotransmitters on its dendrites
• Cell membrane at rest has potential energy of
-70 mv
• If stimulated to -55 mv, it fires (action
potential)
Action potential in detail
• http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/conten
t/chp44/4402002.html
• College only – resting potential
http://bcs.whfreeman.com/thelifewire/content/
chp44/4402001.html
Hw: You’re making the next test!
• Email me 2 multiple choice questions that YOU
create
• Question and 4 answer choices. Hard please!
• DO NOT FORMAT (NO BULLETS/NUMBERING)
• Email me: cprentoulis@davincischools.org
• Good topics:
– NTM, action potential, neuron anatomy,
agonists/antagonists, myelin sheath, glial cells,
membrane voltage (mv)