PSY 301 1st Edition Lecture 7Outline of Last Lecture I. Biopsychology introductionII. NeuronIII. Types of NeuronsIV. Structure of a NeuronV. Path of TransmissionOutline of Current LectureI. MonoaminesII. NeuromodulatorsIII. Corpus CallosumIV. Behavior GeneticsCurrent LectureMonoamines:- The following four monoamines have a similar basic molecular structure:o Epinephrineo Norepinephrineo Serotonino Dopamine- These regulate arousal, feelings, and motivate behaviorNeuromodulators:- Chemicals that modify the function of neurotransmitters- There are two types:1. Agonist- Function is to increase the effect of neurotransmitters by:o Block the neurotransmitters synaptic reuptakeo Counteracts the clean up enzymeo Mimic the neurotransmitters action- An analogy of an agonist is when you are trying to clean up your room and your friend is there to help you clean up. Your friend is the example of an agonist because he is helping youachieve your goal of cleaning your room. 2. Antagonist- Function is to decrease the effect of theneurotransmitter by:o Blocks the release ofneurotransmitterso Destroys neurotransmitters in theclefo Blocks absorption of neurotransmitters by receptors- Instead of your friend helping you clean up your room, he is distracting you making the process of cleaning your room up much slower. In this case your friend is acting like an antagonist.Endorphins:- An endogenous neurotransmitter- Pain reliever- It is an antagonist to Substance P (the neurotransmitter that carries pain messages to the brain)- Spinal interneurons release endorphins which block receptors for substance P- Endorphins prevent us from feeling pain by preventing the messages being sent to the brain to be deliveredThe Nervous System:- Central Nervous System (CNS): Brain and spinal cordo Contains neural networks which are complex interconnected neurons that modify with growth and experiences- Peripheral Nervous System (PNS): The sensory and motor neurons that connect the central nervous system to the rest of the bodyo Automatic System: Controls self regulated action of internal organs and glands Sympathetic (arousing): Prepares the body for action in threatening situations- Heart begins to race- Metabolic rate stops- Sometimes begin to sweat Parasympathetic (calming): helps the body return to a normal resting stateo Somatic System: Controls voluntary movements of skeletal musclesThe Brain and the Corpus Callosum: - The two hemispheres of the brain are connected by thisband of fibers known as the corpus callosum- The lef hemisphere of the brain controls the right side ofthe body and these functions:o Processing of speech and languageo Readingo Perception of time relationshipso Control of complex movement sequences- The right hemisphere of the brain controls the lef side ofthe body and these functions:o Processing emotiono Perception of non verbal patternso Perception of musico Perception of spatial relationshipso Perception of complex patternso Perception of part to wholerelationships - The Brain can further be divided into fourlobes:o Occipital lobe: visiono Temporal lobes: new memories,language, math, sound, visualshapeo Parietal lobes: spatial processes, somatosensory stripo Frontal Lobes: speech, reasoning, emotion, memory search, motor cortex, consciousness, general intelligence Behavior Genetics:- Study of human differences and the relative effects of heredity and environment- Genotype: Complete set of an organisms genes- Phenotype: Overt characteristics and behaviors of an organism- Heritability Ratio: a statistic that summarizes how much of the variability in a populationcan be attributed to genetic differences among people (asks how much of the phenotypic variance in a population is due to the genome)- Genetic Variance Heritability = Total phenotypic variance1. Ranges from 0 (none of the phenotypic variability is due to the genome) to 1 (all of the phenotypic variability is due to the genome)2. Only provides information about the causes of variation within the population studied3. Applies only to the environment inwhich the population was studied4. Says nothing about the geneticinfluence on an individual’s traits - Twin studies compare monozygotic(identical) twins and dizygotic (fraternal)twinsa. monozygotic twins share 100%of their genes b. dizygotic twins share 50% of their genes i. same percentage as non-twin
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