Part 3

1. PART 3
1
2
NEURAL COMMUNICAITON
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
3 ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
4 THE BRAIN
SECTIONS
THE BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
Ѱ
3
Psychology, Twelfth Edition (Myers, D. G.)
© T.G. Lane 2018

2. THE BIOLOGY OF MIND
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Explain how a message is transmitted within a neuron
• Explain how a message is transmitted between neurons
• Discuss what can happen when a particular chemical mimics
or opposes a neurotransmitter
• Explain the functions of the peripheral nervous system
• Explain what happens when the brain is continuously flooded
with artificial chemicals/drugs
• Explain the process by which a reflex occurs
• Describe how the adrenal and pituitary glands influence behavior
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3. INTRODUCTIONPART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND
What is phrenology? What was phrenology successful at considering?1:
• In the early 1800s, German physician
Franz Gall invented phrenology, which
was a theory that claimed bumps on
the skull could reveal human mental
abilities and human character traits.
• Although Gall’s theory was not correct,
research today has concluded that
specific brain systems (regions) serve
specific functions.
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4. INTRODUCTION
• Biological psychologists have helped to expand the understanding
of sleep and dreams, depression and schizophrenia, hunger and
sex, as well as stress and disease.
• biological psychology: a branch of psych-
ology concerned with the links between
biology and behavior; some biological
psychologists call themselves behavioral
neuroscientists, neuropsychologists, etc.
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5. INTRODUCTION
How is it possible for researchers to use smaller mammals’ brains
in order to study human brain functions?
2:
Mouse Brain Human Brain
• The information systems of humans and other animals operate
similarly
• Researchers study other mammals’ brains to understand the
organization of the human brain
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6. THE BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
SECTION
NEURAL COMMUNICAITON
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7. HOW DO PSYCHOLOGISTS ASK AND ANSWER QUESTIONS?2
RESEARCH METHODS
Discovering Psychology:
The Behaving
Brain
Video
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8. • The human body’s neural information system is build upon by
neurons.
• neuron: a nerve cell; the basic building block of
the nervous system
NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
NEURONS
What are neurons, and how do they transmit information?3:
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

9. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
• Neurons serve three main functions; these function types are
called sensory neurons, motor neurons, and interneurons.
• sensory neurons: neurons that carry infor-
mation from the sensory receptors (i.e.,
sight, touch...) to the brain and spinal cord
• motor neurons: neurons that carry outgoing
information from the brain and spinal cord
to the muscles and glands
• interneurons: neurons within the brain and
spinal cord that communicate internally
and intervene between the sensory inputs
and motor outputs.
NEURONS
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10. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
• Each neuron consists of a cell body along with dendrite fibers
and an axon. A portion of the neuron is insulated by the myelin
sheath.
NEURONS
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

11. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
• Neurons transmit messages when stimulated by signals from
human senses or when triggered by chemical signals from
neighboring neurons; at such time, a neuron fires an impulse,
called the action potential if signals exceed a certain threshold.
• action potential: a neural impulse; a brief
electrical charge that travels down an axon
• threshold: the level of stimulation required
to trigger a neural impulse
NEURONS
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12. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
How do nerve cells communicate with other nerve cells?4:
• British psychologist Sir Charles Sherrington noticed that neural
impulses took a long time to travel a neural pathway; he inferred
that between neurons is a meeting point coined the synapse.
• synapse: the junction between
the axon tip of the sending neuron
and the dendrite or cell body of the
receiving neuron (also called the
synaptic gap)
HOW NEURONS COMMUNICATE
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13. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
• When an action potential reaches the knoblike terminals at an
axon’s end, it triggers the release of chemical messengers,
called neurotransmitters that are eventually absorbed through
reuptake.
HOW NEURONS COMMUNICATE
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14. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US
How do neurotransmitters influence behavior, and how do drugs and
other chemicals affect neurotransmission?
5:
• Researchers have discovered dozens of different neurotrans-
mitters and how they affect human’s moods, memories, and
mental abilities.
• Endorphins are one type of neurotransmitter that help alleviate
pain.
• endorphins: “morphine within”– natural, opiatelike
neurotransmitters linked to pain control and to
pleasure
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15. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
Some Neurotransmitters and Their Functions
HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US
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16. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
How Drugs and Other Chemicals Alter Neurotransmission
• When the brain is flooded with opiate drugs such as heroin and
morphine, the brain may stop producing its own natural opiates.
• When the drug is withdrawn, the brain may then be deprived of
any form of opiate, causing intense discomfort.
HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

17. NEURAL COMMUNICATION1
• An agonist molecule (e.g. found in a particular drug) may be
similar enough to a neurotransmitter to mimic its effects.
• An antagonist molecule can block a neurotransmitter’s func-
tioning (e.g. botox (botulin) causes muscles to paralyze by
blocking Ach release).
HOW NEUROTRANSMITTERS INFLUENCE US
How Drugs and Other Chemicals Alter Neurotransmission
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18. THE BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
SECTION
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
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19. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
What are the functions of the nervous system’s main divisions?6:
• The information transmitting process used for decision making
takes place within the nervous system. The nervous system is
made up of the central nervous system (CNS) and the per-
ipheral nervous system (PNS).
• nervous system: the body’s speedy electrochemical
communication network, consisting of all the nerve
cells of the peripheral and central nervous systems
• central nervous system: the brain and spinal cord
• peripheral nervous system: the sensory and motor
neurons that connect the central nervous system
(CNS) to the rest of the body
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

20. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
• Neurons are the nervous system’s building blocks. PNS infor-
mation travels through nerves.
• nerves: bundled axons that form neural “cables”
connecting the central nervous system with
muscles, glands, and sense organs
Nerve
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21. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
• The peripheral nervous system has two components– the
somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
• somatic nervous system: the division of the peri-
pheral nervous system that controls the body’s
skeletal muscles
• autonomic nervous system: the part of the peri-
pheral nervous system that controls the glands
and the muscles of the internal organs (such as
the heart). It operates like an automatic pilot.
THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
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22. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
• The autonomic nervous system serves two important, basic
functions which are made up by the sympathetic nervous
system and parasympathetic nervous system.
THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
• sympathetic nervous system: the division of
the autonomic nervous system that arouses
the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful
situations
• parasympathetic nervous system: the division
of the autonomic nervous system that calms
the body, conserving its energy
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

23. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
• The brain’s neurons cluster into work groups
call neural networks. Neurons network
with nearby neurons with which they can
have short, fast connections. This is also
referred to as neuroplasticity.
Video Clip
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24. THE NERVOUS SYSTEM2
• Reflexes illustrate how sensory, motor, and interneurons
work together (e.g. knee-jerk response and pain response)
THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
Spinal Cord
• The spinal cord is an information highway connecting the
peripheral nervous system to the brian.
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25. THE BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
SECTION
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
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PART3

26. THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM3
• Interconnected with the human nervous system is a second
communication system, the endocrine system which
produces hormones.
• hormones: chemical messengers that are manufac-
tured by the endocrine glands, travel through the
bloodstream and affect other tissues
How does the endocrine system–the body’s slower information
system–transmit its messages?
7:
• endocrine system: the body’s “slow” chemical
communication system; a set of glands that secrete
hormones into the bloodstream
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27. 3
• Some hormones are chemically identical to neurotransmitters.
Both the endocrine system and nervous system produce mol-
ecules that act on receptors elsewhere in the body.
• The nervous system is speedy in sending messages while the
endocrine messages are much slower.
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
• Although slower, endocrine messages tend to outlast the
effects of neural messages.
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

28. 3
• Adrenal glands and the pituitary gland function as part of the
endocrine system.
• adrenal glands: a pair of endocrine glands
that sit just above the kidneys and secrete
hormones (epinephrine and norepinephrine)
that help arouse the body in times of stress
(also call adrenaline)
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
• pituitary gland: the endocrine system’s most influential
gland. Under the influence of the hypothalamus, this
gland regulates growth and controls other endocrine
glands (master gland controlling
other glands).
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

29. THE BIOLOGY OF THE MIND
SECTION
THE BRAIN
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30. THE BRAIN3
IMPORTANCE OF THE BRAIN
Video Clip
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

31. 3
• Early research discovered that damage to certain parts of
brain lead to loss in specific bodily functions.
• These advances have helped
researchers to detect exactly
where information goes in the
brain when senses are
stimulated
How do neuroscientists study the brain’s connections to behavior
and mind?
8:
• Today’s neuroscientists can electrically, chemically,
or magnetically stimulate various parts
of the brain and note the effect
THE BRAIN
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

32. 3
What structures make up the brainstem, and what are the functions
of the brainstem, thalamus, and cerebellum?
9:
brainstem: controls automa-
tic survival functions
medulla: controls the heart-
beat and breathing
thalamus: sends sensory infor-
mation to the cortex (except
smell)
cerebellum: processes sensory
input and coordination output
and balance
The older brain functions all occur
without any conscious effort
THE BRAIN
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

33. 3
What are the limbic system’s structures and functions?9:
amygdala: linked to emotions
(e.g., aggression and fear)
hippocampus: processes consc-
ious memories
hypothalamus: directs several
maintenance activities (eating,
drinking, body temp.), helps
govern the endocrine system via
the pituitary gland, and is linked
to emotion and reward
limbic system: neural system that
is associated with emotions and
drives
THE BRAIN
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

34. 3
What structures make up the newer brain? What are the functions
of the various cerebral cortex regions?
10:
cerebrum: the hemispheres (right
and left) that contribute 85% of the
brains weight
cerebral cortex: neural covering of
the cerebral hemispheres; body’s
ultimate control and information-
processing center
cerebral cortex
cerebrum
THE BRAIN
The newer brain:
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35. 3
frontal lobes: involved in speaking
and muscle movements and in
making plans and judgments
parietal lobes: receives sensory
input for touch and body position
occipital lobes: includes areas that
receive information from the visual
field
temporal lobes: includes the
auditory areas, each receiving
information primarily from the
opposite ear
Many functions require the interplay of
several lobes.
THE BRAIN
FUNCTIONS OF THE CORTEX
Cerebral Cortex (Subdivisions)
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36. THE BRAIN3
FUNCTIONS OF THE CORTEX
• The brain has no sensory receptors, which
made it possible to map the motor cortex
• motor cortex: controls voluntary
movement; sends information out
to the body (output)
• Researchers have been able to
track animals’ thinking patterns
in order to program mechanical
hands to move in sync with their
intentions (i.e. located in a non-
motor cortex brain area)
Motor Cortex
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37. THE BRAIN3
FUNCTIONS OF THE CORTEX
sensory cortex: registers and proc-
esses body touch and movement
sensations; receives information
from the body (input)
• stimulating points on this
area of the brain may
return some type of feeling
on an area of the body
(e.g., shoulder, face, etc.)
© T.G. Lane 2018
PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND

38. THE BRAIN3
FUNCTIONS OF THE CORTEX
Associated Areas
• Electrically probing an associated
area will not trigger any observable
responses; they cannot be neatly
mapped (found in all four lobes)
• associated areas: involved in
higher mental functioning such
as learning, remembering,
thinking, and speaking
• these areas interpret, inte-
grate and act on sensory infor-
mation and link it with stored
memoriesMemory, language, and attention result from
the synchronized activity among distinct brain
regions (Knight, 2007).
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PART3:THEBIOLOGYOFTHEMIND