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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
ganglia
- Diffuse action
- Transmitter at target
organ—NE
z Parasympathetic
recovery
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
