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Why Study Biological Psychology - Lecture Slides | PSYC 771, Study notes of Psychology

Material Type: Notes; Professor: Struthers; Class: Biol Bases of Behavior; Subject: Psychology; University: Wheaton College; Term: Spring 2008;

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PSYCHOLOGY 771
BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
SPRING 2008
Dr. William M. Struthers
Mon 1-3:30pm
BGC 252
OVERVIEW
zSYLLABUS
zCLASS EXPECTATIONS
zBREAKS
Why Study Biological Psychology?
zBiological Psychology—The study of the influences
of biological systems, especially the nervous system,
on behavior.
zBehavior—Anything that an organism does that
involves action and response to stimulation.
Can include the actions and responses of the entire
organism or just parts of the organism.
zClinical Relevance As mental health professionals
learn more about the biological bases of behavior
and mental disorders they are better able to be fully
competent and effective therapists.
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PSYCHOLOGY 771

BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE

SPRING 2008

Dr. William M. Struthers

Mon 1-3:30pm

BGC 252

OVERVIEW

z SYLLABUS

z CLASS EXPECTATIONS

z BREAKS

Why Study Biological Psychology?

z Biological Psychology—The study of the influences

of biological systems, especially the nervous system,

on behavior.

z Behavior—Anything that an organism does that

involves action and response to stimulation.

  • Can include the actions and responses of the entire organism or just parts of the organism.

z Clinical Relevance – As mental health professionals

learn more about the biological bases of behavior

and mental disorders they are better able to be fully

competent and effective therapists.

Historical Origins of Biological

Psychology: Monism Versus Dualism

z Monism—The idea that there is only one

underlying reality – either the body or the mind.

  • Materialism—The underlying reality is physical

(the body).

  • Immaterialism—The underlying reality exists in

the mind.

Historical Origins:

Monism Versus Dualism

z Dualism—The idea that both body and mind

exist.

  • Interactionism—The interaction of the material

body and immaterial mind takes place in the

brain.

z René Descartes

  • Parallelism—Both mind and body exist, but the

two do not interact.

Historical Origins:

Monism Versus Dualism

z Epiphenomenalism—The idea that the

activities of the brain produce mind as an

accidental by-product and that the activities of the mind are irrelevant to the workings of the brain.

A cross-sectional view of part

of the spinal cord

z Reflex (cont.)

  • Doctrine of specific nerve energies—The theory

that the message detected by the nervous system

is determined by which nerve carries the

message.

z Proposed by Johannes Müller – each sensory nerve carries specific information about the quality and location of sensory events.

Historical Origins: The Reflex

Historical Origins:

Localization of Function

z The idea that specific functions are located in

particular places in the nervous system.

z Phrenology—Founded by Gall; assumes that mental functions are localized in certain brain

areas and that mental functioning is related to the size and integrity of the brain.

  • The moral and intellectual character of a person

can be determined by studying the bumps and

indentations on their skull (cranioscopy).

Historical Origins:

Localization of Function—Evolution

z Charles Darwin’s (1859) The Origin of Species posits the idea that evolution occurs by means of natural selection.

z Changed the current view that animals had no mind (or soul), opening the door for the idea that research on animals could generate knowledge relevant for humans.

z Led to the founding of comparative psychology by George John Romanes.

Historical Origins:

The Case of Phineas Gage

z Phineas Gage (1848)

  • Explosion sent a tamping rod through his left cheek and out the top of his head.
  • Though he survived, people said he was “no longer Gage.”
  • Damasio (1994) confirmed the location of the damage was in the prefrontal cortex, which controls the ability to make rational decisions and processes emotional information.

Historical Origins: The Neuron

z Neuron—The structural unit in the brain

responsible for the functioning of the brain.

  • Nerve net theory—The idea that the nervous system consists of a network of connected nerves.
  • Neuronal theory—The idea that the nervous system is made up of individual nerve cells.
  • Which theory is accepted today? Why?

Historical Origins: The Synapse

z Synapse—The point of functional contact

between a neuron and its target.

  • Sherrington demonstrated that the transmission of impulses across the synapse is not as fast as electrical transmission along the neuron.
  • Loewi demonstrated that neurons contain chemicals (called neurotransmitters) that are released into the synapse and act to stimulate the target neuron.

Chapter 2

z THE NERVOUS SYSTEM AND NEURONAL

STRUCTURE

The Importance of the Nervous

System

z Functions

  • Detect stimuli in the environment
  • Determine the significance of the environmental

stimuli

  • Make a decision based on the stimuli
  • Execute a response

Anatomical Views

z Horizontal section—Shows structures viewed

from above

z Sagittal section—Divides structures into right

and left parts

z Coronal section (frontal section)—Shows

views from the front

Anatomical Directions

z Anatomical directions are used for locating

structures with the body:

  • Anterior—toward the front (e.g., dog’s nose)
  • Posterior—toward the rear (e.g., dog’s tail)
  • Ventral—toward the belly
  • Dorsal—toward the back
  • Rostral—toward the head
  • Caudal—toward the tail
  • Medial—toward the midline
  • Lateral—away from the midline
  • Superior—above a structure
  • Inferior—below a structure

The Peripheral Nervous System:

Somatic Nervous System

z Both afferent and efferent

  • 31 pairs of spinal nerves
  • 12 pairs of cranial nerves

The Peripheral Nervous System:

Autonomic Nervous System

z Primarily efferent

z Controls internal environment (glands and

internal organs)

z Consist of two parts (Sympathetic and

Parasympathetic) that are typically

antagonistic

The Peripheral Nervous System:

Autonomic Division

z Sympathetic

  • Flight or fight
  • Short preganglionic

neurons

  • Sympathetic chain

ganglia

  • Diffuse action
  • Transmitter at target

organ—NE

z Parasympathetic

  • Maintenance or

recovery

  • Long preganglionic

neurons

  • No chain ganglia
  • Discreet action
  • Transmitter at target

organ—ACH

The

Autonomic

Nervous

System

The Central Nervous System:

The Spinal Cord—Structure and Function

z Serves as a conduit to

and from the brain

z Controls spinal reflexes

(e.g., patellar reflex,

withdrawal reflex)

z Spinal cord

  • Sensory nerves
  • Motor nerves
  • White matter
  • Gray matter

z Metencephalon consists of two major structures:

  • Pons—a “bridge” for many fibers passing from one

side of the brain to the other. Sensory fibers, fibers

from the cortex to cerebellum, and fibers that relay

information on sleep, arousal and dreaming pass

through it.

  • Cerebellum—involved in the development and

coordination of movement

z Raphé system—plays a role in sleep and arousal

CNS—The Brain: The Hindbrain

The Hindbrain

CNS—The Brain:

The Midbrain (mesencephalon)

z Tectum (“roof”) relays visual and auditory information and controls simple reflexes, eye

and ear orientation movements

  • superior colliculi (“little hills”)—relays visual

information

  • inferior colliculi—relays auditory information

z Tegmentum (“floor covering”)

  • substantia nigra—integration of voluntary

movements

  • red nucleus—controls basic body movements
  • reticular formation—controls arousal and

consciousness

z brain stem—midbrain + hindbrain (minus the

cerebellum)

CNS—The Brain:

The Midbrain (mesencephalon)

z Thalamus—major relay station for sensory

information

  • Medial geniculate nucleus (MGN)—relays auditory

information

  • Lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN)—relays visual

information

  • Other nuclei connect to areas not involved in

sensation, e.g., the ventrolateral nucleus receives

information from the cerebellum and relays it to the

motor cortex.

CNS—The Brain, Forebrain:

The Diencephalon

z Hypothalamus—detects need states (e.g., hunger and thirst), controls the autonomic nervous system, and controls pituitary

hormone production and release

z The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus also is involved in the control

of biological rhythms.

CNS—The Brain, Forebrain:

The Diencephalon

The Hypothalamus

z Pituitary gland (hypophysis)—regulates other

glandular activity of the body (often called the “master gland”)

z Anterior pituitary gland (adenohypophysis)—

produces several hormones including somatotropin, thyrotropin, adrenocorticotropin, and the gonadotropins

z Posterior pituitary (neurohypophysis)—releases

oxytocin and antidiuretic hormone (ADH) which are produced in the hypothalamus

CNS—The Brain, Forebrain:

The Diencephalon

z The telencephalon (end brain) consists of

three parts:

  • Limbic system
  • Basal ganglia
  • Cerebral cortex

CNS—The Brain, Forebrain:

The Telencephalon

z Limbic System

  • The limbic system governs emotions such as

anger, happiness, and fear and is involved in the

storage and retrieval of memories.

  • The limbic system is a group of structures

surrounding the brain stem.

  • The limbic system structures include the

amygdala, cingulate gyrus, and hippocampus.

CNS—The Brain, Forebrain:

The Telencephalon