General Psychology (PY110)

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General Psychology (PY110)
Chapter 2 Neuroscience
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Neuroscience and Behavior

• All sensory organs Receptors
• Muscles and Glands Effectors
• Neurons Communication channel

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The Structure of a Neuron
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How Neurons Communicate
Communication within a neuron is electrical
Communication between neurons is chemical
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Types of Neurons

• Interneurons exist only in the central nervous
  system
• Sensory neurons carry information to the central
  nervous system from sensory receptors in the
  eyes, muscles, and glands
• Motor neurons carry movement commands from the
  central nervous system to the rest of the body

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Neurotransmitters, Drugs, and Poisons

• Key terms

Agonists
Antagonists
Drugs and poisons that increase the activity of
one or more neurotransmitters
Drugs and poisons that decrease the activity of
one or more neurotransmitters
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Neurotransmitters

• 1. Acetylcholine (ACh) is involved in both
  learning and memory and muscle movement
• 2. Dopmaine impacts our arousal and mood states,
  thought processes, and physical movement
• 3. Serotonin and norepinephrine are
  neurotransmitters involved in levels of arousal
  and mood, and play a major role in mood disorders
  such as depression
• 4. GABA is the main inhibitory neurotransmitter
  in the nervous system glutamate is the main
  excitatory neurotransmitter
• 5. Endorphins are a group of neurotransmitters
  that are involved in pain perception and relief

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Dopamine

• Low levels are associated with Parkinsons
  disease, and excessively high levels are
  associated with schizophrenia
• L-Dopa is an agonist that increases production of
  dopamine
• Anti-psychotic drugs are antagonists that block
  the receptor sites for dopamine so that this
  neurotransmitter cannot send its messages
• Amphetamine acts as an agonist by stimulating the
  release of dopamine from axon terminals
• Cocaine is an agonist that blocks the re-uptake
  of dopamine

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Nervous System Subdivisions
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The Central Nervous System

• Consists of the spinal cord and the brain
• The spinal cord has two functions
• Conduit for incoming sensory data and outgoing
  movement commands
• Provides for spinal reflexes, which are simple
  automatic actions not involving the brain
• The brain is the control center for the entire
  nervous system

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The Peripheral Nervous System

• Consists of two parts
• The somatic (or skeletal) nervous system carries
  sensory input from receptors to the CNS and
  relays commands from the CNS to the skeletal
  muscles to control their movement
• The autonomic nervous system regulates our
  internal environment and consists of two parts
• The sympathetic nervous system is in control when
  we are very aroused and prepares us for defensive
  action (such as running away or fighting)
• The parasympathetic nervous system is in control
  when the aroused state ends to return our body to
  its normal resting state

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Components of Emotion
An emotion is a complex psychological state that
involves three components
Physical
Behavioral
Cognitive
A physiological state of arousal triggered by the
autonomic nervous system
An outward expression including facial
expressions, movements and gestures
An appraisal of the situation to determine which
emotion we are experiencing and how intensely
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Emotion Theory Comparison

• James-Lange Theory
• Cannon-Bard Theory
• Schachter-Singer Theory

Stimulus Sight of bear
Emotional Response (Fear)
Physiological Arousal
Emotional Response (Fear)
Stimulus Sight of bear
Physiological Arousal
Stimulus Sight of bear
Physiological Arousal
Emotional Response (Fear)
Cognitive Appraisal
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The Limbic System
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The Four Lobes and the Sensory-Motor Processing
Areas
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The Case of Phineas Gage

• Phineas Gage was railroad worker who survived
  when a metal tamping iron flew through his left
  cheek and head, exiting through his frontal lobes
• He became irresponsible, impulsive, disorderly,
  indecisive, and cursed, leading neuroscientists
  to think the frontal lobes are important in such
  behaviors

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Language
Fluent speech production
Comprehension of speech reading
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What we know

• Left hemisphere
• Language
• Math and logic skills
• More analytical, analyzing wholes intopieces
• Right hemisphere
• Spatial perception
• Solving spatialproblems
• Drawing
• Face recognition
• A band of neurons called the Corpus Callosum
  joins the two hemispheres
• Allows communication and coordinates functions

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Five Stages of Sleep
Brain wave taken by Electroencephalogram (EEG)
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Sleep Cycles

• Cycles last about 90 minutes.
• 4-6 cycles each night

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Nature of Sleep Dreams
Stage Wave Form Remarks
Non REM 1 Alpha Theta Falling asleep
Non REM 2 Theta Light sleep
Non REM 3 Delta Deep Sleep - Night terrors, Sleep walking, Sleep talking, Etc.
Non REM 4 Delta Deep Sleep - Night terrors, Sleep walking, Sleep talking, Etc.
Non REM 3 Delta Deep Sleep - Night terrors, Sleep walking, Sleep talking, Etc.
Non REM 2 Theta Light sleep
REM REM Paradoxical Sleep - Dreaming occurs
Sleep (Hrs) Awake (Hrs) REM
Adults 8 16
Babies 16 8

• 2 Types of Sleep REM and Non-REM
• Non-REM Quantity REM Quality
• REM Sleep reduced by alcohol and sleeping pills
• Sleep Deprivation (or Dream Deprivation)
• Moderate Sleep rebound
• Severe depression, impaired memory, decreased
  immune response
• Circadian cycles Biological clock