Psych Unit 4 Exam (Biological Bases of Behavior)

Lobes of the brain

Freud Took Off his Pants

Frontal, Temporal, Occipital, Parietal

Occipital Lobe

processes visual information

Parietal Lobe

Processes sensory information…

Use a “piranha” fish as your mnemonic. The piranha bites you on the top of the head (where the parietal lobe is located). That’s a sensation the parietal lobe would process.

Frontal Lobe

where complex thinking occurs…

Use “front door” as your mnemonic. Put the front door on your forehead and put Einstein (complex thinker) behind the door.

Temporal Lobe

where auditory processing occurs…

Use “tempo” as your mnemonic and picture a metronome above your ear (where the temporal lobe is located)

Limbic System

HATCH

Hippocampus, Amygdala, Thalamus, Cerebellum, Hypothalamus

Hippocampus

Involved in memory.

Amygdala

Involved in your fear responses

Thalamus

relays information from the body to different areas of the brain for processing…

Picture Hal and Amos as traffic cops.

Cerebellum

Involved in helping you maintain balance.

Hypothalamus

regulates many of the body’s metabolic processes, thirst, hunger and body temperature.

The Brain stem

Pavlov’s Really Frickin’ Mad

Pons, Reticular Formation, Medulla

Pons

the part of the brain that regulates waking and relaxing.

Reticular Formation

involved in motivation and alertness.

Medulla

regulates the autonomic activity of the heart and lungs.

The Neurons

Damn! Skinner Ate Mice?? Not Very Smart

Dendrites, Soma, Axon, Myelin Sheath, Nodes of Ranvier, Synaptic Vesicles, Synapse

Dendrites

Signals from muscles and other neurons enter the neuron through branches called dendrites.

Soma

the cell body of the neuron...

Use “ma” or “someone’s ma” as your mnemonic. Picture your mother inside the cell body.

Axon

extends out from the soma.

Myelin Sheath

protects the axon and speed the signal down the axon.

Synaptic Vesicles

found at the end of the axon (which is sometimes called the terminal button). They contain the neurotransmitters.

Synapse

found at the end of the axon. It is the space between one neuron and another or between one neuron and a muscle.

Resting and Action Potential

When the neuron is in its resting state the majority of the ions inside the neuron are negatively charged and the majority of the ions outside the neuron are positively charged.

Neurotransmitters

DASE

Dopamine, Acetylcholine, Serotonin, Endorphins

Serotonin

Low levels of this in the brain are associated with depression.

Acetylcholine

Involved in helping you contract your muscles.

Dopamine: low levels

Associated with Parkinson’s disease.

Dopamine: high levels

Associated with schizophrenia.

Endorphins

involved in blocking pain sensations and in producing “runner’s high”.

Cortex

Imagine a Texas hat on your head which is covering the outermost part of your brain – the cor"tex".

Pineal Gland

secretes melatonin.

Corpus Callosum

connects the two hemispheres, and it is through the corpus callosum that the two hemispheres communicate.

Thus, the corPLUS CalloSUM and you could also picture “corpus CALL SOMEONE”.

Broca’s area

the area of the brain responsible for producing speech. If it is damaged, you can understand what someone says, but your speech is disjointed.

Wernicke’s area

responsible for the comprehension of speech. If you have an aphasia in this area of the brain you are unable to understand and respond to what people are saying to you.

Antagonist Drugs

Have an inhibitory effect in neurotransmitters

Agonist Drugs

Have an excitatory effect in neurotransmitters