PSYCHOLOGY 260 1: BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE Jane Adams, Ph.D.

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PSY 260 Behavioral Neuroscience 1000 1115 AM
Tues/Thurs Professor Jane Adams, Ph.D. Teaching
Assistant Patricia Janulewicz
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Office Hours Tues and Thurs right after class
then 1145 1245 in my office. Office Location
Room 270 - 4th floor of the McCormack building.
Email contact jane.adams_at_umb.edu
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• 5 Viewpoints that Aid Understanding in
  Behavioral Neuroscience
• Use of behavioral descriptions
• Use of biological descriptions
• Use of evolutionary explanations
• Use of understanding of developmental changes in
  nervous system and behavior
• Use of knowledge applied to improving the health
  and well-being of humans and other animals

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• Research Approaches
• somatic intervention - alter neuroanatomy or
  neurophysiology and measure the change in
  behavior
• behavioral intervention - alter behavior and
  then measure changes in neuroanatomy or
  neurophysiology
• correlation - relate existing physical
  characteristics to behavioral characteristics

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• Historical Approaches to Treatment of Disorders
• I. Ancient Civilizations - B.C.
• Spells, incantations, or poisons to rid the body
  of demons
• blood-letting through cuts or leeches
• drilling into the skull to release demons,
  pressure, or infection

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• Historical Approaches to Treatment of Disorders
• II. Early A.D.
• Loss of speech - rub the tongue and gargle
  special preparations
• headaches/epilepsy - place 1 or more electric
  rays (Torpedo fish) on the head to shock patient
• paralysis of one side of face - destroy nerve on
  other side to give the face symmetry

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• Historical Approaches to Treatment of Disorders
• III. 14th-16th Century
• continued use of leeches and other ways of
  draining blood or wounds
• new concoctions - boil puppies in oil of lilies
  then mix with earthworms and turpentine
• new tools for operating on the brain (brace and
  drill)

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• IV. 17th Century
• strange and unusual medicines - burned dogs
  turd, earthworms, hog brains, crab eyes, mummy
  powders and many plants
• new surgical tools - still just for purpose of
  removing bone or releasing pressure or infection
• wounds dressed with hides of freshly killed
  animals - dogs, mice, lambs

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• People in history/Questions
• Do body and soul interact?
• 1. Descartes - French scientist - 1600s
• Suggested that body and soul are 2 separate
  things - one physical, one spiritual. Dualism.
• Said they communicate in brain area
• Still believed that all knowledge came from god
  - Nativism
• Put focus on the brain as the most important
  organ for behavior

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• People in history Where does knowledge come
  from? Not God?
• 2. John Locke - late 1600s - 1700s
• suggested that all knowledge comes from
  experience - Empiricism.
• Mind is a blank slate at birth - tabula rasa
• directed attention to brain and how it works

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• V. 18th Century
• first removal of brain tumors
• some tried dissolving tumors with acids -not
  successful
• continued leeching and draining of blood-
  leeches became scarce and very expensive
• continued use of electric fish - 1st use of
  manmade electricity - believed best treatment for
  nervous disorders

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• People in history - 1700s-1900s
• Now believed brain was the controller. How does
  the brain work and what does it do?
• 3. Gall
• suggested that certain areas of brain involved
  in certain behavioral traits Phrenology - not
  very scientific bumps on skull due to brain size
  of the part underneath related to personality
  traits

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• People in history - 1700s-1900s
• What is the relationship between brain structure
  and function? (? raised by Gall)
• 4. Broca
• 1st scientific evidence relating brain structure
  to function
• The Case of Tan - man who lost ability to speak
  Broca found tumor in left frontal area of brain.
• Brocas area - important for speech

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• 5. Fechner, Helmholtz, Wundt - 1700s-1800s
• scientists studying sensation and perception
• studied physical stimulation and the
  psychological experience of it - psychophysics
• 6. William James - late 1800s
• consciousness as a property of the nervous
  system that should be studied through biology of
  nervous system

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• VI. 19th Century
• electrotherapy widely used - epilepsy,
  paralysis, stroke victims, insanity, blindness,
  deafness, underdeveloped children, etc
• idea arose of brain as electrical generator and
  nerves as wires
• beginning use of educational approaches to help
  people with stroke/ speech disorders
• ideas about brain areas controlling speech

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People in history - 20th century 7. Ebbinghaus,
Thorndike, Pavlov - research on learning and
memory 8. Franz and Lashley - location of memory
via brain lesion studies 9. Hebb - learning and
memory occur in complex networks of brain cells
whereby connections are strengthened through use
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• VII. 20th Century
• growing interest in measuring the effects of
  various therapies
• growing use of surgery
• growing use of drugs
• advances in techniques to study the brain and
  behavior
• advances in understanding brain anatomy,
  physiology, and function

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