7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
1/20
Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
The Neural Bases of Behaviour
Termed as our 3 pound universe To understand how the brain controls our experiences we must first know how its individual
cells function and how they communicate with one another
Neurons
Basic building blocks of the nervous systemo Linked together in circuits,
At birth, the brain contains 100 billion neurons Each neuron has 3 main parts:
o A cell body (aka soma) Contains biochemical structures needed to keep the neuron alive Nucleus carries the genetic information that determines how the cell develops
and functions
o Dendrites Emerging from the cell body are branchlike fibres called dendrites Specialized receiving units like antennas collect messages from neighbouring
neurons and send them on to the cell body
There the incoming information is combined and processed The many branches of dendrites can receive input from 1000 or more
neighbouring neurons
The surface of the cell body also has receptor areas that can be directlystimulated by other neurons
o Axon Extending from one side of the cell body is a single axon which conducts
electrical impulses away from the cell body to other neurons, muscles, glands
Branches out at its end to form a number of axon terminals Each axon may connect with dendritic branches from numerous neurons
allowing for a single neuron to pass messages to 50000 other neurons
b/c the structure of the dendrities and axons, it allows for interconnections inthe brain
neurons vary in sizes and shapes sculpted by nature to receive process and send messages Neurons are supported in their functions by glial cells
o Surround neurons and hold them in placeo Make nutrient chemicals that neurons needo From the myelin sheath around some axons and absorbs toxins and waste materials that
might damage neurons
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
2/20
o During prenatal development, new neurons are being formed through cell division, glialcells send out long fibres that guide newly divided neurons to their targeted place in the
brain
o Outnumber neurons 10-1o Protects brain from toxins
Foreign substances can pass from the circulation into the different organs of thebody but cannot pass from the blood into the brain because of a specialized
barrier called the blood brain barrier prevents many substances including toxins
from entering the brain
walls of the blood vessels within the brain contain smaller gaps than elsewherein the body and they are also covered by a specialized type of glial cell
together the smaller gaps and glial cells keep many foreign substancesfrom gainin g access to the brain
o modulates the communication among neuronsElectrical Activity of Neurons
Neurons do 2 important thingso Generate electricity that creates nerve impulseso Release chemicals that allow them to communicate with other neurons and with
muscles and glands
How nerve impulses occuro Nerve activation
At rest, the neuron has an electrical resting potential due to the distribution ofpositively and negatively charged chemicals(ions) inside and outside the neuron
When stimulated, a flow of ions in and out through the cell membrane reversesthe electrical charge of the resting potential, producing an action potential or
nerve impulse
The original distribution of ions is restored and the neuron is again at resto In detail...o Like other cells, neurons are surrounded by body fluids and separated from this liquid
environment by a protective membrane
o This cell membrane is like a selective sieve, allowing certain substances to pass throughion channels into the cell while refusing or limiting passage to other substances
o Ion channel is literally a passageway or channel in the membrane that can open to allowions to pass through
o The chemical environment inside the neuron differs from its external environment insignificant ways, and the process whereby a nerve impulse is created involves the
exchange of electrically changed atoms called ions
o In salty fluid outside the neuron are positively charged sodium ions and negativelycharged chloride ions
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
3/20
o Inside the neuron are large negatively charged protein molecules and positively chargedpotassium ions
o The high concentration of sodium ions in the fluid outside the cell together with thenegatively charged protein ions inside results in an uneven distribution of positive and
negative ions that makes the interior of the cell negative compared to the outside
o This internal difference of around 70 millivolts is called the neurons resting potentialo At rest it is called the state of polarization
The Action Potential
Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley found that if they stimulated the neurons axon with a mildelectrical stimulus, the interior voltage differential shifted suddenly from -70millivots to +40
millivolts
These scientists forced a action potentialo Sudden reversal in the neurons membrane voltage during which the membrane voltage
momentarily moves from -70 to +40 millvoltso The shift from negative to positive voltage is called depolarization
The scientists found that the key mechanism is the action of sodium and potassium ion channelsin the cell membrane
In a resting state, the neurons sodium and potassium channels are closed and theconcentration of sodium ions is 10x higher outside the neuron than inside it
But when a neuron is stimulated sufficiently, nearby sodium channels open up Attracted by the negative protein ions inside, positively charged sodium ions flood into the axon
creating depolarization
In a reflex action to restore the resting potential, the cell closes its sodium channels andpositively charged potassium ions flow out through their channels restoring the negative restingpotential
Eventually the excess sodium ions flow out of the neuron and the escaped potassium ions arerecovered
Figure 3.2 page 72 Once an action potential occurs at any point on the membrane, its effects spread to adjacent
sodium channels and the action potential flows down the length of the axon to the axon
terminals
Immediately after an impulse passes a point along the axon, however, there is a recovery periodas K+ ions flow out of the interior
During this absolute refractory period, the membrane is not excitable and cannot generateanother action potential
This places an upper limit on the rate at which nerve impulses can occur In humans it is about 300 impulses / second
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
4/20
Its all or nothing
All or nothing lawo Action potentials occur at a uniform and maximum intensity or they do not occur at allo The negative potential inside the axon has to be changed from -70 to -50 (the action
potential threshold) by the arrival of sodium ions into the axon before the actionpotential will be triggered
o Changes in the negative resting potential that do not reach the -50 millivolts actionpotential threshold are called graded potentials
o Under certain circumstances, graded potentials caused by several neurons can add up totrigger an action potential in the postsynaptic neuron
For a neuron to function properly, sodium and potassium ions must enter and leave themembrane at the right rate
Myelin Sheath
Many axons that transmit information throughout the brain and spinal cord are covered by atube like myelin sheath
Fattish, whitish insulation layer derived from glial cells during development The myelin sheath is interrupted at regular intervals by the nodes of Ranvier where myelin is
either extremely thin or absent
Nodes make myelin sheath look like sausages placed end to end In unmyelinated axons, the action potential travels down the axon length like a burning fuse In myelinated axons electrical conduction can skip from node to node, and these great leaps
from one gap to another account for high conduction speeds of more than 300 km /hour
Most commonly found in the nervous systems of higher animals-in many nerve fibres, themyelin sheath is not completely formed after birth
Damage to myelin coating is apparent in people suffering from MSwhen immune systemattacks myelin sheath which disrupts timing of nerve impulses which ultimately end in paralysis
How neurons communicate: Synaptic Transmission
Nervous system is like a communications network and its action requires the transmission ofnerve impulses from one neuron to another
Famous scientists Santiago Ramon y Cajal and Charles Sherrington claimed that neurons wereindividual cells that did not make actual physical contact with each other but communicated at
an synapse, a functional connection between a neuron and its target
This was controversial until Otto Loewi showed that neurons released chemicals and thesechemicals carried the message from one neuron to the next cell in the circuit
o Called neurotransmission Synaptic cleft
o Tiny gap between the axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of the next neuron
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
5/20
Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that carry messages across the synapse to either excite other neurons orinhibit their firing
Process of chemical communication involves 5 stepso Synthesis
Chemical molecules are formed inside the neurono Storage
Then the molecules are stored in chambers called synaptic vesicles within theaxon terminals
o Release When an action potential comes down the axon, these vesicles move to the
surface of the axon terminal and the molecules are released into the fluid-filled
space between the axon of the sending (presynaptic) neuron and the membrane
of the receiving (postsynaptic) neuron
o Binding The molecules cross synaptic space and bindattach themselves to receptor
siteslarge protein molecules embedded in the receiving neurons cell
membrane
The receptor siteslook like lily pads have a specially shaped surface that fits aspecific transmitter molecule
o DeactivationExcitation, Inhibition, Deactivation
The binding of a transmitter molecule to the receptor site procures a chemical reaction that canhave 1 or 2 effects on the postsynaptic neuron
o It can have the reaction depolarize (excite) the postsynaptic cell membrane bystimulating the inflow of sodium or other positively charged ions
Neurotransmitters that create depolarization are called excitatory transmitters This stimulation alone or in combination with activity at other excitatory
synapses on the dendrites or the cell body may exceed the action potential
threshold and cause the post synaptic neuron to fire an action potential
o The chemical reaction created by the docking of a neurotransmitter at its receptor sitewill hyperpolarize the postsynaptic membrane by stimulating ion channels that allow
positively charged potassium ions to flow out of the neuron or negatively charge irons
such as chloride to flow in the neuron
This makes the membrane potential even more negative ( eg. Changing it from -70 to -72 millivolts)
Hyperpolarization makes it more difficult for excitatory transmitters at otherreceptor sites to depolarize the neuron to its action potential threshold of -55
millivolts
Transmitters that create hyperpolarization are inhibitory in their function
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
6/20
A neurontransmitter can have an excitatory effect or inhibitory influence onneurons
Every neuron is constantly bombarded with excitatory and inhibitory neurontransmitters fromother neurons and the interplay of these influences determines whether the cell fires an action
potential
Even when receiving excitatory stimulus from several neurons at the same time, the action of aninhibitory transmitter from one presynaptic neuron may prevent the postsynaptic neuron from
reaching the action potential threshold
Inhibition allows tunes of neural activity and prevents an uncoordinated discharge of thenervous system eg. Seizure when large numbers of neurons fire off action potential in a runaway
fashion
Once a neurontransmitter molecule binds to its receptor, it continues to activate or inhibit theneuron until it is shut off/ deactivated
This occurs in 2 major wayso Deactivated by other chemicals located in the synaptic space that break them down into
their chemical components
o The deactivation mechanism is reuptake The transmitter molecules are reabsorbed into the presynaptic axon terminal When the receptor molecule is vacant, the post synaptic neuron returns to its
former resting state awaiting the next chemical stimulation
Specialized Transmitter Systems
The brain has systems that are uniquely sensitive to certain messages Because various systems in the brain recognize only certain chemical messages, they are
protected from cross- talk from other systems Each substance has a specific excitatory/inhibitory effect on certain neurons Two widespread neurotransmitters are simple amino acids, glutamate, glutamic acid, and
gamma-aminobutyric acidGABA
Glutamate and GABA are found throughout the central nervous system and therefore have arole in mediating all behaviours
Glutamate is excitatoryo Important role in learning and memoryo Improving memory cannot be as simple as enhancing glutamate activity since it has a
power excitatory effect
o Over activation of glutamate will induce seizure within the braincerebral cortexo GABA is an inhibitory neurotransmitter
Important for motor control and the control of anxiety Alcohol makes the brain more sensitive to GABA
Acetylcholine(ACh)o Involved in memory and muscle activityo Underproduction is thought to be important factor in Alzheimers disease
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
7/20
o Excitatory transmitter at the synapses where neurons activate muscle cellso Drugs that block can prevent muscle activation eg. Botulismserious type of food
poisoning
Botulinum bacteria blocks the release of ACh from the axon terminal resulting ina potentially fatal paralysis of the muscles including the respiratory system
o The opposite is bite of black widow spider The venom produces a lot of ACh, resulting in violent muscle contractions
Dopamineo Mediates motivation, reward, feelings of pleasure, voluntary motor control and control
of thought processes
o Helps us understand diseases Parkinsons one group of dopamine producing neurons degenerate and die
As dopamine is lost in the affected brain areas, there is a accompanyingloss of voluntary motor control
o Anti psychotic drugs-attach to dopamine receptors and block dopamine from having itseffects
Effective in treating symptoms of schizophrenia For depression
o Depression involves abnormal sensitivity to serotonin, a neurotransmitter thatinfluences mood, eating, sleep, and sexual behaviour
o Antidepressant drugs increase serotonin activityo Prozac blocks the reuptake of serotonin from the synaptic space allowing serotonin
molecules to remain active and exert their mood-altering effects on depressed patients
o Other antidepressant drugs work by inhibiting the activity of enzymes in the synapticspace that deactivates serotonin by breaking it down into simpler chemicals-this
prolongs serotonin activity at the synapse
Endorphinso Reduce pain and increase feelings of well-beingo Bind to the same receptors as the ones activated by opiate drugs such as morphine
which produce similar psychological effects
o The ability of people to continue to function despite pain Neuromodulators
o These substances circulate through the brain and either increase/decrease thesensitivity of millions of neurons in their specific transmitters
oImportant in eating, sleep, stress
The Nervous system
Master control center 3 major types of neurons carry out the systems input, output, and integration functions
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
8/20
o Sensory neurons Carry input messages from the sense organs to the spinal cord and brain
o Motor neurons Transmit output impulses from the brain and spinal cord to the bodys muscles
and organs
o Interneurons link the input and output functions outnumber sensory and motor neurons, perform connective/associative
functions within the nervous system eg. Recognizing a tune by linking the
sensory input from the song with the memory of that song stored in the brain
allow for complex higher mental functions, emotions, and behaviouralcapabilities
o broken down into several interrelated subsystems-2 major divisions Central nervous system
consisting of all the neurons in the brain and spinal cord Peripheral nervous system
Composed of all the neurons that connect the central nervous systemwith the muscles, glands, and sensory receptors
Peripheral Nervous System
Contains neural structures that lie outside the brain and spinal cord Helps carry out the input and output functions that are necessary for us to sense what is going
on inside and outside our bodies and to respond with our muscles and glands
2 major divisionso Somatic nervous systemo Autonomic nervous system
Somatic Nervous system
Consists of the sensory neurons that are specialized to transmit messages from the eyes, ears,other sensory/motor receptors, to send messages from the brain and spinal cord to the muscles
that control our voluntary movements
The axons of sensory neurons group together like many strands of rope to form sensory nerves,and motor neurons axons combine to form motor nerves
Inside the brain and spinal cord, nerves are called tracts Allows to read page...
Autonomic Nervous system
Bodys internal environmentcontrols the glands and ht smooth involuntary muscles that formthe heart, the blood vessels , and the lining of the stomach and intestines
Related to involuntary functions such as
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
9/20
o Respirationo Circulationo Digestiono Motivationo Emotional behaviouro Stress responses
Two divisionso Sympathetic nervous system
Arousal function-tends to act as a total unit Eg. When youre in a stressful situation, the sympathetic nervous system
simultaneously speeds your heart so it can pump more blood to your muscles,
dilates your pupils so more light can enter the eye and improve your vision,
slows down your digestive system so that blood can be transferred to the
muscles, increases your rate of respiration so your body gets more oxygen and
mobilizes your body to confront the stressoraka flight or fight response
o Parasympathetic nervous system Slows down body processes and maintains/returns you to a state of rest Slows down heart rate
o Often affects the same organ/gland in opposing wayso These two divisions work together to maintain equilibrium in our internal organs and
maintain homeostasis
o Sexual function requires coordinated sequence of sympathetic and parasympatheticactivities
Central nervous system
The brain and spinal cordSpinal Cord
Most nerves enter and leave through the spinal cord Adult 40-45 cm long 2.5 cm diameter Spinal cord neurons protected by vertebraethe bones of the spine Central portion resembles H/butterfly
o Consists of grey coloured neuron cell bodies and their interconnectionso Surrounding the grey matter are white coloured myelinated axons that connect various
levels of the spinal cord with each other and with the higher centres of the brain
The back side of the spinal cord along its length are sensory nerves Motor nerves exit the spinal cords front side Spinal reflexes
o Simple stimulus response sequenceso Triggered at the level of the spinal cord without any involvement of the brain
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
10/20
o Eg. Touch hot thing, sensory receptors in the skin trigger nerve impulses in sensorynerves that flash into spinal cord and synapse inside with interneurons
o Interneurons excite motor neurons that send impulses to your hand so that it pulls awayfrom the hot objectthis spinal cord and no brain is faster and helps prevent tissue
damage
The Brain
1.4 kilograms of protein, fat, fluid Most active energy consumer of all body organs-use 20% oxygen during resting state Brain never rests; rate of energy metabolism relatively constant day/night
o Dreaming makes you use more energy!Unlocking the secrets of the brain
Neuropsychological tests
Psychologists have developed these tests too measure verbal and non verbal behaviours that are known to be affected by particular
types of brain damage
used in clinical evaluations of people who may have suffered brain damage figure 3.9
Destruction and stimulation techniques
experimental studies are another useful method to study the brain researchers produce brain damage under controlled conditions in which specific nervous tissue
is destroyed with electricity, cold/heat, chemicals
They also can surgically remove some portion of the brain and study the consequences Also stimulate neuronsusually produce opposite effects
o a specific region in the brain can be stimulated by a mild electric current/chemicals thatexcite neurons
o electrodes can be permanently implanted so that the region of interest is stimulatedrepeatedly
o chemical stimulation studies a tiny tube is inserted into the brain so the chemical can goto the desired place
Wilder Penfield, pioneered brain surgery when he stimulated specific points of cortex with amild electrical current to map out the functions of the cerebral cortex on an awake patient
Electrical Recording
b/c electrodes record brain activity as well as stimulate it, we can listen to the electricalconversations occurring in the brain
measured by inserting small electrodes into particular areas/neurons of the brain
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
11/20
scientists can tune in to crowd noise by placing larger electrodes on the scalp to measure theactivity of large groups of neurons with the electrencehalogram(EEG)
specific EEG patterns correspond to certain states of consciousness eg wakefulness and sleep detects abnormal electrical patterns that signal presence of brain disorders researchers use this to find change in the EEG record that accompany specific psychological
events like the presentation of a sensory stimulus-event related potentials (ERP)
Brain Imaging
CT scans( Computerized axial tomography)o Developed 1970so Use x ray technology to study brain structureso Highly focused beam of x-rays takes pictures of narrow slices of the brain
Computer analyzes the x rayed slices and creates pictures of the brains interiorfrom many different angles
Helps pinpoint where injuries or deterioration have occurred and this helps usknow the relationship between brain damage and psychological functioning PET scans(positron emission tomography)
o Measure brain activity including metabolism, blood flow, neurotransmitter activityo Based on glucose is the major nutrient of neuronso When neurons are active, they consume more glucoseo When preparing for scan, a harmless form of radioactive glucose is put in bloodstream
and travels to brain where it circulates in blood supply
o Energy emitted by the radioactive substance is measured by PET scan and a computeruses readings to get a color picture of the brain
o How active a neuron is depends on the amount of radioactive glucose that accumulatesin themwhere the glucose is concentrated
MRI(Magnetic resonance imaging)o Combines CT and PET scans and used to study brain structure and activityo Creates images based on how atoms in living tissue respond to magnetic pulses
delivered by the device
o More clear than CT scano Researcher places part of the body to be studied in hollow core of long magnetic
cylinder and exposes the atoms in the subjects body to a uniform magnetic field
o The field is altered and when the field is shut off the magnetic energy absorbed by theatoms in the tissue emits a small electrical voltage
o Picked up by detectors and relayed to a computer for analysiso Shows images in color and tells which chemicals are active in the tissueo fMRI can produce pictures of blood flow less than a second apart unlike conventional
MRI which is several minutes apart
The Hierarchical Brain: Structures and Behavioural Functions
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
12/20
The Hindbrain
As spinal cord enters brain, it enlarges to form the structures that compose the stalklike brainstem
Attached to this stem is the other major portion of the hindbrain, the cerebellumThe Brain stem: Life support systems
Medulla is the first structure after leaving the spinal cordo 3.8cm long medulla has an important role in vital body functions such as heart rate and
respiration
o The medulla allows these functions to happen automaticallyo Damage to the medulla results in death or the need to be maintained on life support
systems
o High alcohol intake causes suppression of medulla activity=deatho Two-way fare for sensory and motor nerve tracts coming up from the spinal cord and
descending from the brain
o Most tracts cross over within medulla so the left side receives sensory input and exertsmotor control over the right side of the body
o Right side of the brain serves the left side of the bodyo -cross over is unsolved mystery
Ponsmeaning bridge in latino Lies above medullao Bridge carrying nerve impulses between higher and lower levels of the nervous systemo Clusters of neurons that help regulate sleep and involved in dreamingo contains motor neurons that control the muscles and glands of the face and necko like medulla, pons helps control vital functions, especially respiration
The Cerebellum: Motor Coordination Centre
look like a miniature brain attached to the rear of the brain stem directly above the pons wrinkled cortex is mainly grey cell bodies cerebellum concerns primarily with muscular movement coordination(timing and coordination)
but also plays a role in learning and memory
regulates complex changing movements that require very good timing-cats have goodcerebellum
alcohol easily disrupts the motor functions that the cerebellum controls intoxicated people cannot walk in a straight line or touch their nose with their index finger physical damage to the cerebellum results in
o severe motor disturbances characterized by jerky, uncoordinated movements,o the inability to perform habitual movements like walking
a tumor in this area of the brain will cause impairment in walking in a straight line, wideseparation in legs when walking and after a few days be unable to walk without assistance
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
13/20
The Midbrain
Above the hindbrain is the midbraino Contains clusters of sensory and motor neuronso Sensory and motor fibre tracts that connect higher and lower portions of the nervous
system The sensory portion of the midbrain contains important relay centres for the visual and auditory
systems
Nerve impulses from the eyes and ears are organized and sent to forebrain structures involvedin visual and auditory perception
Contains motor neurons that controls eye movements-movement out of the corner of my eye-midbrain activity causes eyes to swing toward the source of movement
The Reticular Formation: The brains gatekeeper
Within the midbrain is a finger shaped structure that extends from the hindbrain up into thelower portions of the forebrain
Because of its resemblance to a net-reticulum, the reticular formation acts as a kind of sentryalerting higher centres of the brain that messages are coming and then either blocking those
messages or allowing them to go forward
The reticular formation has an ascending part, which sends input to higher regions of the brainto alert it and a descending portion through which higher brain centres can either admit or block
out sensory input
Has a central role in consciousness, sleep, and attentiono Therefore attracted a great deal of interest for psychologists
The ascending reticular formation rouses higher centres in the brain, preparing them to receiveinput from our sense organs
Without reticular stimulation of higher brain regions, sensory messages do not register inconscious awareness, even though the nerve impulses my reach the appropriate higher areas of
the brainas if the brain is not awake to notice them
Some painkillers work by deactivating neurons of the ascending reticular formation, producing astate of unconsciousness in which the sensory impulses that are usually experienced as pain
would not register
Also affects sleep, wakefulness, and attentiondamage to this area of brain can causepermanent coma
Attentiono Active process in which only meaningful sensory inputs get through to our
consciousness and other inputs have to be toned down or blocked out
o Other stimulation is toned down/blocked outo Descending reticular formation is key for this process
Serves as a kind of gate through which inputs are admitted and other inputs areblocked out by signals coming down from higher brain centres
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
14/20
The forebrain
Difference between my brain and other animals is the size and complexity of myforebrain/cerebellum
Consists of two large cerebral hemispheres-left and right side hat wrap around the brain stemthe way you might wrap your hands around the bowl of a spoon
Outer portion has thin covering/cortexThe Thalamus: The brains sensory switchboard
Located above the midbrain Resembles two small footballsone in each hemisphere Important sensory relay stationswitchboard that organizes inputs from sense organs and
routes them to the appropriate areas of the brain
Visual, auditory, body senses-balance and equilibrium all have major relay stations in thethalamus
o Nerve tracts from the sensory receptors are sent to specific areas of the thalamuso There they synapse with neurons that send the messages on their way to the higher
brain regions that create our perceptions
Disrupted thalamic functioning can make victims very confusedschizophrenic peopleBasal Ganglia: Movement
Surrounding and enveloping the thalamus is a group of 5 distinct structures collectively knownas the basal ganglia
Important for voluntary motor control Unlike how the cerebellum controls reflexive, automatic, and rapid movements, the basal
ganglia is important for deliberate and voluntary control of movement, especially initiating
voluntary movements
Parkinsons diseaseo The neurons that supply dopamine to the basal ganglia degenerate and dieo B/c dopamine is lost from the basal ganglia, it functions improperly, and the ability to
perform voluntary movement is lost
o Initially signs are small tremors of the hands and head but becomes shaking and jerkymovements and jerky movements occur only when there is assistance involveda push
o When no dopamine is present =complete paralysisHypothalamus: Biological Drives
Under the thalamus are tiny groups of neuron cell bodies that lie at the base of the brain, abovethe roof of the mouth
Important in controlling basic biological drives like sexual behaviour, temperature regulation,eating, drinking, aggression and expressiving emotion
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
15/20
Important connections with endocrine systembodys collection of hormone producing glandso Through connection with pituitary glandmaster gland that controls other glands in the
system) the hypothalamus directly controls many hormonal secretions that regulate
sexual development and behaviour, metabolism, and reactions to stress
The Limbic System: Memory and goal-directed behaviour
Go up brain =limbic system ; set of structures deep within cerebral hemispheres Shaped like wishbone are important with the hypothalamus Helps coordinate behaviours needed to satisfy motivational and emotional urges that arise in
the hypothalamus
Involved in memory Organize instinctive activities in lower animals such as mating, attacking, feeding, fleeing from
danger
If this system was injured, I would be unable to carry out organized sequences of actions tosatisfy my needs
Two key structureso Hippocampus
Involved in forming and retrieving memories damage can result in severe memory impairment for recent events and an
inability to transfer information from short term memory to long term memory
o Amygdala Organizes emotional response patterns, especially aggression and fear Electrical stimulation can cause fear or aggression Key part of a larger control system for anger and fear that also involves other
brain regions Can produce emotional responses without the higher centres of the brain
knowing that we are emotionally aroused
May show evidence that we have unconscious emotional responses James olds and Peter Milner studied effects of electrical stimulation of the reticular formation in
rats
o Accidentally an electrode was implanted in the hypothalamusclaimed they found thepleasure center of the brain
o Hypothalamus brain area for motivation and reward
Hypothalamus
Electrical stimulation of the hypothalamuso activates neurons within that brain region ando activates axons that are going from neuron cell bodies in the midbrain to a limbic
structure called the nucleus accumbens
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
16/20
o It is the activation of axons going to the nucleus accumbens that is important for rewardand motivation
Roy wise shown the reward value of electrical stimulation can be amplified or diminished bydrugs that enhance or block dopamine actions within the nucleus accumbens
Also linked with the rewarding and motivating effects of abusive drugs by stimulating therelease of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens of the limbic system
Alain Graton found that naturally occurring rewards like food and sex cues/behaviour leads tothe release of dopamine from axon terminals in the nucleus accumbens
o Therefore not only do abusive drugs/preferred foods activate the nucleus acumens butcues that reliably predict this has a similar effect
The Cerebral Cortex: Crown of the Brain
2/3 cm thick sheet of greyunmyelinated cells forming the outermost layer of the brain-crowing achievement of brain evolution
Cortex constitutes 80% of brain tissue Essential for human quality of living b/c the cortex is wrinkled, a great amount of cortical tissue is compressed into a relatively small
space inside the skull
75% cortexs total surface area lies within its fissures/canyonlike foldso Three of these fissures are important
One large fissure runs up the front and along the top of the brain, dividing it intoright and left hemispheres
Another major fissure within each hemisphere divides the cerebrum into frontand rear halves
Third fissure runs from front to rear along the side of the brain These landmarks allowed neurologists to divide each hemisphere into four lobes
Frontal Parietal Occipital Temporal
Speech and skeletal motor functions are in the frontal lobe The area governing body sensations is located in the parietal lobe immediately behind the
central fissure which separates the frontal and parietal lobes
Visual area is in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain Messages from the auditory system are sent to a region in the top of the temporal lobe Large areas not associated with sensory or motor functions -3/4 of cortex is called association
cortex
The Motor Cortex
Controls muscles involved in voluntary body movements
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
17/20
Lies at the rear of the frontal lobe adjacent to the central fissure Each hemisphere governs movement on the opposite side of the body Specific body areas are represented in different parts o the motor cortex and the amount of
cortex devoted to each area depends on the complexity of the movements carried by the body
part
Torso less cortical tissue than fingerSensory cortex
Specific areas of the cortex receive input from our sensory receptors Other than taste and smell, at least one specific area in the cortex corresponds to a sense Somatic sensory cortex
o Receives sensory input that gives rise to our sensations of heat, touch, cold, and oursense of balance and body movement
o Lies in the parietal lobeo Organized in an upside down fashion, feet being represented near the top of the braino The regions sensory sensitivity corresponds to the amount of cortical tissueo Mainly fingers, lips, tongue
Notice that the organization of the sensory cortex is such that the body structures it serves lieside by side with those in the motor cortex, an arrangement that enhances sensory motor
interactions in the same body area
Hearing and sight in auditory area which lies on the surface of the temporal lobe at the side ofeach hemisphere
o Each ear sends messages to the auditory areas of both hemispheres to the loss of onetemporal lobe has little effect on hearing
The representation of the face in the somatosensory cortex may be upside down with the chintowards the top
Speech Comprehension and production
Two areas are responsible for understanding and production of speecho Wernickes area
In temporal lobe involved with language comprehension Carl Wernicke 1874 discovered damage to this cortical region left patients
unable to understand written/spoken speech
o Brocas area Frontal lobe Necessary for normal speec production Use grammar and finding the correct word Paul Broca found that damage to this frontal area left patients with the ability to
understand but not express themselves in words or sentences
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
18/20
Association Cortex
found within all lobes of the cerebral cortex involved in the highest level of mental functions including perception, language and thought silent areas electrically stimulating them does not create sensory/motor responses Damages can result in loss of functions such as speech, understanding, thinking, and problem
solving
Known as evolutions missing link-75% of cerebral cortex and is responsible for our superiorcognitive abilities
Importance shown in people who suffer from agnosiain ability to identify familiar objectso Oliver Sacksfound associative neurons responsible for linking two types of information
Info sent to visual cortex to info stored in other areas concerning the nature ofthe object
The frontal Lobe: The Human Difference]
Consists of a lot more in our brain than in animals Responsible for self awareness, planning, initiative, responsibilitymysterious least understood
part of the brain
Phineas Gage 1848o A spike went and damaged his brain he psychologically came out as a different person
Damage in the frontal lobe acuses a loss in the ability to plan and carry out a sequence ofactions and judge the order in which a series of events has occurred
Also involved in emotional experienceo People with normal brains there is increased activity in the frontal cortex when these
people are experiencing feelings of happiness, sadness etc A region in the frontal lobe called pre-frontal cortex is more attentively studied
o Located behind the forehead performs executive functions Goal setting, judgement, strategic planning and impulse control, allow
behaviour in a adaptive fashion
o Damage/disorder to this area causes people to be oblivious to the future consequencesof their actions and seem to be only aware of the immediate consequences
o Also dysfunction leads to violent murderers to plead not guilty because they are insaneo During 1940-1950s a lot of emotional behaviour disturbed people had prefrontal
lobotomieshad bad side effects of no goal setting therefore not used anymore and
drugs are used instead
Hemispheric Lateralization: The left and right brains
The left and right cerebral hemispheres are connected by a broad white band of myelinatednerve fibres
Corpus callosum is a neural bridge that acts as a major communication link between the twohemispheres and allows them to function as a single unit
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
19/20
Lateralization refers to the relatively greater localization of a function in one hemisphere or theother
o Patients who suffered various types of brain damages showed that the left side of thebrain is for verbal abilities and speech as well as math and logic
When Brocas or Wernickes speech areas are damaged, aphasiapartial or total loss of theability to communicate
o Eg. Meaning of words, communicating or both When right hemisphere is damaged, person cannot perform perceiving spatial relations well
o Recognizing faces or forget a well travelled route or mistaking wife for hato Mental imagery, musical and artistic abilities, and ability to perceive and understand
spatial relationships are for right side of brain
EEG studies have shown that the right hemisphere is more active when negative emotions likesadness anger are experienced and positive emotions are accompanied by greater left
hemisphere activation
The split brain : Two minds in one body?
Paitents who suffer from a form of epilepsy in which a seizure beings as an uncontrolledelectrical discharge of neurons on one side of the brain spreads to the other hemisphere
Cutting nerve fibers of the corpus callosum, they could prevent the seizure from spreading toother hemispheres
Some of the fibres of the optic nerve from each eye cross over at the optic chiasm and travel tothe opposite brain hemisphere
Fibres transmit messages from the right side of the visual field project to the left hemisphere;fibres from the visual fields left half project of the right hemisphere
When the corpus callosum is cut, visual input to one hemisphere can be restricted by projectingthe stimulus to either the right side of the visual field or left side
o When words were send to right side of visual field so info sent to left hemisphere,subjects describe verbally what they saw and could write what they saw with right hand
but if words were flashed to left side of visual field and sent to right hemisphere then
they cannot describe what they saw
o Look at page 100 for hand experimentswitch hands then could name what it iso Psychologists have suggested that we call the conscious self resides in the left
hemisphere because it is based on our ability to verbalize about the past and present
Important to know that the brain is working together-integrated system so although there issome localization right brain teaching would not show drastic results
Hemispheric lateralization of language
Evolutionary significance that our genetically closest relative has larger left hemisphere those who use both areas of the brain for language have larger corpus callosum left hemisphere also used for sign languagedoes not need to be verbal
7/27/2019 Chapter 3 Biological Foundations of Behaviour
20/20
studies show right hemisphere does not lack language ability because both hemispheres areinvolved in speaking reading and listening
study shows men greater left hemisphere activation while women show activity in bothPlasticity in the Brain
Neural plasticityo Ability of neurons to change in structure and function
2 aspectso Effects of early experience on brain development
Fetal alcohol syndrome-exposure to high levels of alcohol disrupts braindevelopment and produces lifelong mental and behaviour damage
Stimulating early environment had larger neurons and more dendrite branchesand greater concentrations of acetylcholinerat pup study
MRI shows string musicians who do elaborate movements on the strings withtheir left hands had larger right hemisphere somatosensory areaearlier =morecortical change
Chronic alcoholism inhibits production of new neural connections in thehippocampus impairing memory, learning, and other cognitive functions
Cultural factors affect brain developmentchinese pictoral characters process inright hemisphere we might expect less left hemisphere lateralization of
language among speaker of Chinese than English who are alphabet
Brain goes through own personal evolutiono Recovery from brain damage
Natural reorganization-allows neurons to take over functions of those that died Brain damage suffered early in life is less devasting than as an adult
Greater availability of synapses may help to explain why children can recoverfrom brain damage more quickly than adults
Synaptic pruning Cell death is in every neuron and therefore adults have less synapses than
children
Elizabeth Gould first evidence of neurogensis tracked newly devloepd neuronsfrom birthplace in subcortical tissue
They migrated upward along myelinated nerve tracts into the association areasof the cerebral cortex where they sprouted axons and extended them toward
existing neuronsnew neurons responsible for higher order mental functionslike complex learning and memory-primate study
Top Related