Biopsychology+behavioral+neuroscien3sts,+neuropsychologists,+behavior+gene3cists,+

physiological+psychologists,+biopsychologists++

The+Nervous+System+

It+starts+with+an+individual+nerve+cell+called+a+NEURON.+

Neuroanatomy+Synapse(Synapse(

Neurotransmi0ers((chemicals(held(in(terminal(bu0ons(

that(travel(through(synap9c(gap)(

What works even after it is fired? A neuron

How+does+a+Neuron+fire?+•  Res9ng(Poten9al:+slightly+

nega3ve+charge.+•  Reach+the+threshold+when+

enough+neurotransmiFers+reach+dendrites.+

•  Go+into+Ac9on(Poten9al.+•  All>or>none(response.+•  Transfer+of+ions+across+axon�s+

membrane+causes+electrical+charge.+

•  What(did(the(Hollywood(film(director(

say(to(the(young(neuron(that(wanted(

to(be(an(actor?(

•  “Hey,(kid,(you’ve(got(poten9al.”+

TYPES(OF(NEUROTRANSMITTERS(Neurotransmitters are chemical messengers that cross the synaptic gaps between neurons. They unlock the next neuron so electrically charged atoms can flow in. Then the sending neuron reabsorbs them through reuptake.

Acetylcholine+(ACH)+•  Enables+muscle+ac3on,+movement+and+memory.+

•  Too+much+and+you+will….+

•  Too+liFle+and+you+will…++

•  Lack+of+ACH+has+been+linked+to+Alzheimer�s+disease.+

Dopamine+•  Deals+with+movement,+learning,+aFen3on,+and+emo3on.+

•  Lack+of+dopamine+has+been+linked+to+Parkinson�s+disease.+

•  Too+much+has+been+linked+to+schizophrenia.+

Serotonin+•  Involved+in+mood,+hunger,+sleep,+arousal.+

•  Lack+of+serotonin+has+been+linked+to+clinical+depression.+

•  Prozac+raises+serotonin+levels.++

Endorphins+

•  Natural,+opiatelike+neurotransmiFers+linked+to+pain+control+and+pleasure+

•  Many+of+our+most+addic3ve+drugs+affect/use+endorphins.+

•  Runner’s+high+

Drugs+can+be…..+•  Agonists(L+make+neuron+fire+(amplify+normal+sensa3ons+of+arousal+or+pleasure)+

•  AntagonistsL+stop+neural+firing+(blocks+release+or+receptor+sites)+

•  Reuptake(Inhibitors>(block+reuptake+

BloodLBrain+Barrier+

•  Enables+the+body+to+fence+out+unwanted+chemicals+circula3ng+in+the+blood.+

•  EX:+Dopamine+itself+cannot+cross+the+bloodLbrain+barrier.++

•  LLDOPA+can+cross+the+barrier.++•  Once+in+the+brain,+it+is+converted+to+the+neurotransmiFer+dopamine.+

The+Nervous+System+

Central+Nervous+System+

•  The+Brain+++++and+spinal+cord+

•  CNS+

Types+of+Neurons+•  Efferent((Motor)(Neurons(L+

carry+outgoing+informa3on+from+the+CNS+to+muscles+and+glands.+

•  Afferent((Sensory)(Neurons(L+carry+incoming+informa3on+from+the+sense+receptors+to+the+CNS.+++

•  Interneurons+L+connect+the+two+neurons+

•  Average+number+of+neurons+in+the+brain+=+40+billion+

•  Average+number+of+synapses+in+the+brain+=+400+trillion++

•  First+Bionic+Leg++

Peripheral+Nervous+System+

•  Everything+but+the+brain+and+spinal+cord.+

•  Is+divided+into+two+categories….+soma9c+and+autonomic.+

FRQLstyle+Ques3ons+

•  Describe+the+CNS’s+two+major+divisions,+and+iden3fy+the+three+types+of+neurons+that+transmit+informa3on+through+the+system.+++

Soma3c+Nervous+System+

•  Controls+voluntary+muscle+movement.+

•  Uses+motor+(efferent)+neurons.+

Autonomic+Nervous+System+

•  Controls+the+automa3c+func3ons+of+the+body.+

•  Divided+into+two+categories…the+sympathe9c+++++++and+the+parasympathe9c(

Sympathe3c+Nervous+System+

•  Fight+or+Flight+Response.+

•  Automa3cally+accelerates+heart+rate,+breathing,+dilates+pupils,+slows+down+diges3on.+

Parasympathe3c+Nervous+System+

•  Automa3cally+slows+the+body+down+a`er+a+stressful+event.+

•  Heart+rate+and+breathing+slow+down,+pupils+constrict+and+diges3on+speeds+up.+

Reflexes+•  Normally,+sensory+(afferent)+neurons+take+info+up+through+spine+to+the+brain.+

•  Some+reac3ons+occur+when+sensory+neurons+reach+just+the+spinal+cord.+

•  Survival+adapta3on.+

•  System+of+glands+that+secrete+hormones.+

•  Controlled+by+the+hypothalamus.+

•  Pituitary+gland+(growth,+blood+pressure)+*Most+influen3al+aka+Master+Gland+

•  Thyroid+(metabolism,+growth,+matura3on)+

•  Pancreas+(insulin)++•  Ovaries+and+Testes+(sexual+

characteris3cs)+•  Adrenal+Gland+releases+

adrenaline+(heart+rate,+blood+pressure,+blood+sugar,+energy)+

Endocrine+System+

•  Robert+Wadlow+•  �The+Alton+Giant�+•  Tallest+man+ever:+8�11�++•  Pituitary(Gigan9sm(

•  Birth:+8.5+lb++•  1+year:+45+lb++•  5+years:+105+lb+(5’4”)+•  16+years:+374+lb+(7’10”)+

•  Andre+the+Giant+•  7�4�,+500lbs+•  Wrestled+in+WWF++•  Giant+in+The$Princess$Bride+•  Disabled+later+in+life+due+to+

joint+pains+and+cardiovascular+complica3ons+

Lesions+(Tissue+Destruc3on)+

Cukng+into+the+brain+to+look+for+change.+

Brain+tumors+also+lesion+brain+3ssue.+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+•  Accidents:+Phineas+Gage.+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+•  Electroencephalogram+(EEG)+

•  Computerized+Axial+Tomography+(CT)+

•  Magne3c+Resonance+Imaging+(MRI)+

•  Positron+Emission+Tomography+(PET)+

•  Func3onal+MRI+

•  What(happens(if(you(break(the(

brain(scanner?(

•  You+will+have+a+CATastrophe.+

Electroencephalogram+(EEG)+Ways+to+study+the+Brain+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+Positron+Emission+Tomography+(PET)+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+Magne3c+Resonance+Imaging+(MRI)+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+Func3onal+Magne3c+Resonance+Imaging+(FMRI)+

Ways+to+study+the+Brain+Computerized+Axial+Tomography+(CT)+

What(happens(if(you(break(the(brain(scanner?(

You+will+have+a+CATastrophe.+

+

Brain+Structures+•  Some+scien3sts+divide+the+brain+up+into+three+parts.+– Hindbrain+– Midbrain+– Forebrain+

The+Brainstem+

Medulla+Oblongata+

•  Heart+rate+•  Breathing+•  Blood+Pressure+

Medulla+

Pons+•  Connects+hindbrain,+midbrain+and+forebrain+together.+

•  Involved+in+facial+expressions.+

Pons+

Cerebellum+

•  Located+in+the+back+of+our+head+L+means+liFle+brain.+

•  Coordinates+muscle+movements.+•  Like+tracking+a+target.+

Re9cular(Forma9on+•  re9cular(forma9on:+arousal+and+ability+to+focus+aFen3on.++

•  Part+of+the+Midbrain:+Coordinates+simple+movements+with+sensory+informa3on.+

Thalamus+•  Receives+sensory+informa3on+and+sends+them+to+appropriate+areas+of+forebrain.+

•  Everything+but+smell.+•  Like+a+switchboard.+

Limbic+System+•  EMOTIONAL+CONTROL+CENTER+of+the+brain.+

•  Made+up+of+Hypothalamus,+Amygdala+and+Hippocampus.+

•  What+did+the+hippocampus+say+during+its+re3rement+speech?++

•  “Thanks+for+the+memories.”+

The+Brainstem+

Hypothalamus+•  Pea+sized+in+brain,+but+plays+a+not+so+pea+sized+role.+

•  Body+temperature+•  Hunger+•  Thirst+•  Sexual+Arousal+(libido)+

•  Endocrine+System+

Hippocampus+and+Amygdala+•  Hippocampus+is+involved+in+memory+processing.+

•  Amygdala+is+vital+for+our+basic+emo3ons.+

Cerebral+Cortex+•  Top+layer+of+our+brain.+•  Contains+wrinkles+called+fissures.+•  The+fissures+increase+surface+area+of+our+brain.+•  Laid+out+it+would+be+about+the+size+of+a+large+pizza.+

The+Brain+•  Made+up+of+neurons+and+glial+cells.+

•  Glial+cells+support+neural+cells.+

Maybe+your+mom+is+your+glial+cell.++She+takes+care+of+you!!!+++What do you call a group of brains who form a singing group at school? (((((((((((((((((A(Glia(Club(+

Areas+of+the+Cerebral+Cortex+•  Divided+into+eight+lobes,+four+in+each+hemisphere+(frontal,+parietal,+occipital+and+temporal).+

•  Any+area+not+dealing+with+our+senses+or+muscle+movements+are+called+associa9on(areas.+

What happens when you bother the parietal lobe? It gets very touchy. What does a brain wear in a rainstorm? A waterproof “cortex” jacket. What did parietal say to frontal? I lobe you.

Frontal+Lobe+•  Deals+with+planning,+maintaining+emo3onal+control+and+abstract+thought.+

•  Contains+Broca�s+Area.+•  Broca�s+Aphasia.+•  Contains+Motor+Cortex.+

Teens+vs.+Adults+•  Teens+use+their+brains+differently+than+adults+•  Teens+(leV)+used+less+of+the+prefrontal+(upper)+region+than+adults+(right)+when+reading+emo3on.+

Parietal+Lobes+•  Located+at+the+top+of+our+head.+•  Contains+the+somatoLsensory+cortex.+•  Rest+are+associa3on+areas.+

Occipital+Lobes+ •  back+of+our+head.+•  Handles+visual+input+from+eyes.+

•  Right+half+of+each+re3na+goes+to+le`+occipital+lobe+and+vice+versa.+

Temporal+Lobes+•  Process+sound+sensed+by+ears.+•  Not+lateralized.+•  Contains+Wernicke�s+area.+•  Wernicke�s+Aphasia.+

Broca’s+Area+&+Wernicke’s+Area+•  In+1861,+Paul+Broca,+a+French+neurosurgeon,+examined+the+

brain+of+“Tan.”++•  Could+understand+spoken+language:+he+could+not+speak+a+

complete+sentence+nor+express+his+thoughts+in+wri3ng.++•  The+only+ar3culate+sound+he+could+make+was+the+syllable+

“tan”,+which+had+come+to+be+used+as+his+name.+•  Found+a+huge+lesion+in+the+le`+inferior+frontal+cortex.++•  Eight+other+pa3ents+•  “We+speak+with+the+le`+hemisphere”+(Language+Center)+•  10+years+later,+Carl+Wernicke,+a+German+neurologist,+

discovered+Wernicke’s+Area,+this+one+involved+in+understanding+language,+nearby.+++

Brain+Plas3city+

•  The+ability+for+our+brains+to+form+new+connec3ons+a`er+the+neurons+are+damaged.+

•  The+younger+you+are,+the+more+plas3c+your+brain+is.+

•  Why(are(most(adult(neurons(poor(

at(math?(

•  They+find+it+difficult+to+mul3ply+and+divide.++

Hemispheres+•  Divided+into+a+le`+and+right+hemisphere.+

•  Contralateral+controlledL+le`+controls+right+side+of+body+and+vice+versa.+

•  Brain+Lateraliza3on.+•  Le`ies+are+beFer+at+spa3al+and+crea3ve+tasks.+

•  Righ3es+are+beFer+at+logic.+

SplitLBrain+Pa3ents+

•  Corpus(Collosum(

aFaches+the+two+hemispheres+of+cerebral+cortex.+

•  When+removed+you+have+a+splitLbrain+pa3ent.+

•  Roger+Sperry+•  Michael+Gazzaniga++

Gene3cs+•  Every+human+cell+contains+46+chromosomes+(23+pairs).+

•  Made+up+of+deoxyribonucleic+acidL+DNA.+

•  Made+up+of+Genes.+•  Made+up+of+nucleo3des.+

Twins+•  Best+way+to+study+gene3cs+because+they+come+from+the+same+zygote.+

•  Bouchard+Study+•  .69+Correla3onal+coefficient+for+IQ+tests+of+iden3cal+twins+raised+apart.+

•  .88+raised+together.+