Biopsychology
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What is Biopsychology?
Biopsychology –
The specialty in psychology that
studies the interaction of biology,
behavior, and the environment
Neuroscience –
Interdisciplinary field that focuses on
the brain and its role in psychological
processes
How Does the Body
Communicate Internally?
The body’s two communication
systems, the nervous system
and the endocrine system,
both use chemical messengers
to communicate with targets
throughout the body
The Organization of the
Nervous System
Nervous system
Peripheral nervous
system
Autonomic
nervous system
Sympathetic
nervous system
Central nervous
system (CNS)
Somatic
nervous system
Parasympathetic
nervous system
The Neuron: Building Block of
the Nervous System
Types of Neurons
– Sensory neurons (carry messages from
sense receptors towards the CNS)
– Motor neurons (carry messages from
CNS toward muscles and glands)
– Interneurons (carry messages between
nerve cells)
The Structure of a Neuron
The Neural Impulse
• All-or-none principle
• action potential
Neurotransmitters
• Synaptic transmission
• Neurotransmitters –
Chemical messengers
that relay neural
messages across the
synapse
Normal Function:
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
Produces sensations of
pleasure and reward; used
by CNS neurons in
voluntary movement
Problems with Imbalance:
Acetylcholine
Endorphins
Schizophrenia, Parkinson’s
disease
Substances that Affect:
Cocaine, amphetamines,
Ritalin, alcohol
Normal Function:
Dopamine
Serotonin
Regulates sleep and
dreaming, mood, pain,
aggression, appetite and
sexual behavior
Norepinephrine
Problems with Imbalance:
Acetylcholine
Depression, certain anxiety
disorders, obsessivecompulsive disorder
Endorphins
Substances that Affect:
Prozac, hallucinogenics
(e.g. LSD)
Normal Function:
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
Controls heart rate, sleep,
sexual responsiveness,
stress, vigilance and
appetite
Problems with Imbalance:
Acetylcholine
Endorphins
High blood pressure,
depression
Substances that Affect:
Tricyclic antidepressants,
beta blockers
Normal Function:
Dopamine
Serotonin
Norepinephrine
Primary transmitter used by
neurons carrying messages
from CNS; involved in
some kinds of learning and
memory
Problems with Imbalance:
Acetylcholine
Endorphins
Certain muscular disorders,
Alzheimer’s disease
Substances that Affect:
Nicotine, botulism toxin,
curare, atropine
Dopamine
Normal Function:
Serotonin
Pleasurable sensations and
control of pain
Norepinephrine
Problems with Imbalance:
Acetylcholine
Lowered levels resulting
from opiate addiction
Endorphins
Substances that Affect:
Opiates: opium, heroin,
morphine, methadone
The Endocrine System
(neuromodulators)
The Endocrine System
Pituitary gland –
Master gland
Windows on the Brain
-How
do we know what regions or structures
in the brain do?
1) surgery
2) disease or injury (e.g., lesions)
3) brain scans
-variety of tools can now provide information
on: location, intensity, and structural
defects
Phineas Gage
• Gage was a railroad
construction foreman
• An 1848 explosion
forced a steel tamping
rod through his head
• Others said he was
“…no longer Gage…”
• Lost his job, worked as
a sideshow exhibit
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• A recording of neural activity detected by
electrodes.
Positron Emission Tomography
(PET)
• A method for analyzing biochemical activity in
the brain
• Active areas have
increased blood flow
• Sensors detect
radioactivity.
• Different tasks show
distinct activity
patterns.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
(MRI)
•
•
•
•
Method for studying body
and brain tissue.
Magnetic fields align certain
ions and compounds
Computer calculates tissue
density from radio waves.
Provides clear, 3D images.
Localization of Function
Joseph Gall 1758-1828
• Different parts of the
brain perform different
(yet overlapping)
tasks
• Phrenology*
(pseudoscience)
Three Layers of the Brain
• Brain stem and cerebellum
– Drive vital functions, such as heart rate,
breathing, digestion
• Limbic system
– Adds emotions, complex motives,
increased memory abilities
• Cerebrum
– Enables reasoning, planning, creating,
problem solving
The Brain Stem
• Pons
– involved in sleeping,
waking and dreaming.
• Medulla
– breathing and heart rate.
• Reticular activating
system (RAS)
Middle Layer Structures
• Thalamus
relays sensory info to
cortex
• Hypothalamus
Serves as the brain’s
Pituitary Gland
blood-testing laboratory
• Hippocampus
• Amygdala
(Fear, vigilance,
aggression*)
The Cerebrum
Cerebral cortex –
Thin gray-matter covering of the
cerebrum; carries on higher-order
cognitive functions (e.g., thinking and
perceiving)
Cerebral hemispheres –
The two walnut shaped halves of the
cerebrum, connected by the corpus
callosum
Lobes of the Cerebral Cortex
‘Specialization’ of the
Cerebral Hemispheres
Left Hemisphere
Right Hemisphere
• Spontaneous
speaking and
writing
• Responses to
complex commands
• Word recognition
• Memory for words
and numbers
• Sequences of
movements
• Feelings of anxiety
• Positive emotion
• Repetitive but not
spontaneous
speaking
• Responses to simple
commands
• Facial recognition
• Memory for shapes
and music
• Spatial interpretation
• Emotional
responsiveness
• Negative emotion