https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5cab
4hgmoE
Unit 2 Biology of Behavior
Objective 1: Explain why psychologists are
concerned with human behavior.
Everything psychological is
simultaneously biological
Biological psychologists (neuroscientists) researchers who study the links between
biology & behavior
Quick Review - Obj. 1: Explain why psychologists are
concerned with biology.
1. In the most basic sense, every idea, mood memory
and behavior you have ever experienced is a
biological
_________
phenomenon.
2.Researchers who study the links between biology &
Biological psychologist
behavior are called _______________.
Quick Review - Obj. 2: Describe the parts of the neuron.
3. Our body’s neural system is built from billions of nerve cells, or
neurons
______________.
4. The extensions of a neuron that receive messages from other neurons are
dendrites
the ____________
5. The extension of a neuron that transmits information to other neurons is
axon
the ___________.
potential
6. The neural impulse or action
_________ __________,
is a brief electrical
axon
charge that travels down the _____________.
Synapse.
7. The junction or space between two neurons is called ____________.
Terminal buttons
12.
8. dendrites
10. axon
Myelin sheath
11.
9.
Cell body
Quick Review
Obj. 3: Explain how nerve cells communicate.
13. To fire a neuron must reach a certain minimum intensity called a
threshold
________.
will not
14. Increasing a stimulus above this level __________
(will / will not)
increase the neural impulse’s intensity.
none
all
or - _____
15. This phenomenon is known as an ________
response.
not
16. The strength of a stimulus (hug vs. light touch) does
_____
(does/does not)
affect the speed of the neural impulse.
17. At the synapse, the neural impulse triggers the release of chemical
neurotransmitters
messengers called________________.
excitatory
inhibitory
18.Neurotransmitters influence neurons either by ______
or _______
their readiness to fire.
19. Excess neurotransmitters are reabsorbed by a process called reuptake
_______.
Neural Communication
How fast are our
neurons?
.
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5cab4hgmoE
Objective 2: Describe the parts of a neuron
DENDRITE
receives messages and
sends message toward cell
body
Neurons
AXON:
carries message
through the neuron &
out to other neurons
Dendrites lesson. Axon’s speak.
Neurons
If myelin sheath
deteriorates
message short
circuits = MS
MYELIN SHEATH
covers the axon & helps
speed the neural message
Threshold: an impulse (message) is triggered only when
excitatory signals are more than inhibitory signals
meeting a minimum intensity called a threshold.
Neurons
A nerve impulse fires when the neuron is
1.)stimulated by signals from sensory receptors or
when 2.)triggered by chemicals from other neurons.
ALL-ORNONE
response.
Neuron either
fires or not
(gun)
ACTION POTENTIAL
the messages that neurons carry are
nerve impulses; electrical signals
 Before a neuron fires it is
RESTING
 A neuron cannot fire until it’s
THRESHOLD is met.
 Excitatory signals exceed
inhibitory signals
 Each neuron has a speed assigned
to it (2mph to 200 mph).
 An individual neuron cannot fire
faster or slower…it as an ALL
OR NONE response.
How then can we tell
the difference
between a big hug &
a gentle touch?
**A stimulus (hug) can trigger
MORE neurons to fire or to fire
MORE OFTEN but not more
intense or faster.**
When a message reaches
the end of an axon, your
body changes electrical
charge to a chemical
message
Neurons
Terminal Buttons:
the message ends
(terminates)
Neurons
Objective 3: Explain how neurons communicate
 Neurotransmitters
 When the action potential (the message)
reaches the terminal button (end of
axon), your system converts the
electrical charge into a chemical
message called a NT.
Synapse
 Space between the axon tip of a sending
neuron and the dendrite of a receiving neuron
NT
How Neurons Communicate
How Neurons Communicate
How Neurons Communicate
How Neurons Communicate
How Neurons Communicate
Reuptake:
the sending neuron
reabsorbs the NT left
over in the synapse
Objective 4:
Describe how NT influence mood & behavior & explain
how drugs affect NT.
 Acetylcholine (AcH)
 Dopamine
 Serotonin
 Norepinephrine
 GABA
 Glutamate
 Endorphins
Look
these up
& put in
your
notes…
what is
the
function
of the
chemical?
Tape in NB:
1) Neuron
Diagram
2) Synapse
Diagram
3) Mouse Party
Lab Sheet
(after 7 NT
definitions)
Put each mouse into the chamber
Read & listen to what happens in the brain when a particular
drug is ingested
Record which NT is involved; explain what is happening;
draw a diagram
http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/addiction/drugs/m
ouse.html
 Heroin
 agonist; binds to opiate receptors;
dopamine floods synapse
 Ecstasy
 agonist for serotonin; stimulates
release (ex) & blocks reuptake
 Alcohol
 antagonist for glutamate (ex) –
 Marijuana
 agonist; stimulates anadomides
(stimulate hunger; sleepiness); stops
inhibitory NT that should be
stopping the release of dopamine
 Cocaine
 agonist for dopamine
 LSD
prevents glutamate from binding
 agonist for serotonin
to & exciting cell; increases GABA  Meth
(in)
 agonist for dopamine
Objective 5: Identify the two major divisions of the nervous system & describe
their basic functions.
Objective 5: Identify the two major divisions of the nervous system
& describe their basic functions.
The Nervous System
nerves:
carry from sensetakes in
&
receptors TOinformation
the
sends info to
brain (CNS)
other body parts
sensory
link nervous system w/ body’s senses,
muscles, & glands
decision maker
interneurons
process info between
sense input & motor
output
motor
carry from brain
(CNS) to body
The Nervous System
The Nervous System
The Nervous System
Sympathetic NS: makes you alert, needs a lot of energy to prepare you
for action = heart rate blood pressure blood sugar digestion
pupils dilate/bigger lungs dilate/bigger
A Simple Reflex
Objective 6: Explain the endocrine system’s functions, &
how it interacts w/ the nervous system.
 nervous system = NT
 endocrine system = hormones
 chemicals that act all over body
 slow
 “endocrine hangover”
 adrenal gland
 surge of energy
 adrenaline (fight-or-flight response)
 pituitary gland
 control center of endocrine sys.
 growth & sex hormones
 in brain / peas sized
 controlled by hypothalmus (brains structure)
*endocrine & nervous system are on a constant feedback loop*
Definition
Slides
Biological Psychology
= a branch of psychology concerned with the links between
biology and behavior.
 Some biological psychologists call themselves
 behavioral neuroscientists,
 neuropsychologists,
 behavior geneticists,
 physiological psychologists, or
 biopsychologists.
Neuron
= a nerve cell; the basic building block of the
nervous system.
Sensory Neurons
= neurons that carry incoming information from the
sensory receptors to the brain and spinal cord.
Motor Neurons
= neurons that carry outgoing information from the
brain and spinal cord to the muscles and glands.
Interneurons
= neurons within the brain and spinal cord that
communicate internally and intervene between
the sensory inputs and motor outputs.
Dendrite
= the bushy, branching extensions of a neuron that
receive messages and conduct impulses toward
the cell body.
Axon
= the extension of a neuron, ending in branching
terminal fibers, through which messages pass to
other neurons or to muscles or glands.
Myelin Sheath
= a layer of fatty tissue segmentally encasing the
fibers of many neurons; enables vastly greater
transmission speed of neural impulses as the
impulse hops from one node to the next.
Action Potential
= a neural impulse; a brief electrical charge that
travels down an axon.
Threshold
= a level of stimulation required to trigger a neural
impulse.
Synapse
= the junction between the axon tip of the sending
neuron and the dendrite or cell body of the
receiving neuron. The tiny gap at this junction is
called the synaptic gap or synaptic cleft.
Neurotransmitters
= chemical messengers that cross the synaptic
gaps between neurons. When released by the
sending neuron, neurotransmitters travel across
the synapse and bind to receptor sites on the
receiving neuron, thereby influencing whether
that neuron will generate a neural impulse.
Reuptake
= a neurotransmitter’s reabsorption by the sending
neuron.
Endorphins
= “morphine within” – natural, opiatelike
neurotransmitters linked to pain control and
pleasure.
Nervous System
= the body’s speedy, electrochemical
communication network, consisting of all the
nerve cells of the peripheral and central nervous
systems.
Central Nervous System
= the brain and spinal cord.
Peripheral Nervous System
= the sensory and motor neurons that connect the
central nervous system (CNS) to the rest of the
body.
Nerves
= bundled axons that form neural “cables”
connecting the central nervous system with
muscles, glands, and sense organs.
Somatic Nervous System
= the division of the peripheral nervous system that
controls the body’s skeletal muscles.
 Also called the skeletal nervous system.
Autonomic Nervous System
= the part of the peripheral nervous system that
controls the glands and the muscles of the
internal organs (such as the heart). Its
sympathetic division arouses; its parasympathetic
division calms.
Sympathetic Nervous System
= the division of the autonomic nervous system that
arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in
stressful situations.
Parasympathetic Nervous
System
= the division of the autonomic nervous system that
calms the body, conserving its energy.
Reflex
= a simple, autonomic response to a sensory
stimulus such as the knee-jerk response.
Endocrine System
= the body’s “slow” chemical communication
system; a set of glands that secrete hormones
into the bloodstream.
Hormones
= chemical messengers that are manufactured by
the endocrine glands, travel through the
bloodstream, and affect other tissues.
Adrenal Glands
= a pair of endocrine glands that sit just above the
kidneys and secrete hormones (epinephrine and
norepinephrine) that help arouse the body in
times of stress.
Pituitary Gland
= the endocrine system’s most influential gland.
Under the influence of the hypothalamus, the
pituitary regulates growth and controls other
endocrine glands.