Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten

Chapter 3

The Biological Bases of

Behavior
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Communication in the Nervous System
Chapter 3

•  Hardware:
–  Glia – structural support and insulation
–  Neurons – communication
–  Soma – cell body
–  Dendrites – receive
–  Axon – transmit away
–  Terminal buttons – secrete neurotransmitters
–  Synapse – junction where information is transmitted
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Animation of Neural Transmission

•  NIH Animation - Neural Transmission

 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.1 Chapter 3

Figure 3.1 Structure of the neuron. Neurons are the communication links of the
nervous system. This diagram highlights the key parts of a neuron, including
specialized receptor areas (dendrites), the cell body (soma), the axon fiber along which
impulses are transmitted, and the terminal buttons, which release chemical messengers
that carry signals to other neurons. Neurons vary considerably in size and shape and
are usually densely interconnected.
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Myelinization

•  Glial cells wrap themselves around

axons and this increases the speed
of neural conduction
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Myelinization & neurons
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
The Neural Impulse: The Action Potential
Chapter 3

•  The Action Potential

•  All – or – none law
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.2. Chapter 3

Figure 3.2. The neural impulse. The electrochemical properties of the neuron allow it to transmit
signals. The electric charge of a neuron can be measured with a pair of electrodes connected to an
oscilloscope, as Hodgkin and Huxley showed with a squid axon. Because of its exceptionally thick
axons, the squid has frequently been used by scientists studying the neural impulse. (a) At rest, the
neuron’s voltage hovers around –70 millivolts. (b) When stimulated, there is a brief jump in a
neuron’s voltage, resulting in a spike on the oscilloscope recording of the neuron’s electrical activity.
This change in voltage, called an action potential, travels along the axon like a spark traveling along
a trail of gunpowder.
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
The Synapse: Where Neurons Meet
Chapter 3

•  Synaptic cleft
•  Presynaptic neuron
– Synaptic vesicles
– Neurotransmitters
•  Postsynaptic neuron
– Receptor sites
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.3 Chapter 3

Figure 3.3 The synapse. When a neural impulse reaches an axon’s terminal buttons, it
triggers the release of chemical messengers called neurotransmitters. The
neurotransmitter molecules diffuse across the synaptic cleft and bind to receptor sites
on the postsynaptic neuron. A specific neurotransmitter can bind only to receptor sites
that its molecular structure will fit into, much like a key must fit a lock.
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.4 Chapter 3

Figure 3.4 Overview of synaptic transmission. The main elements in synaptic transmission are
summarized here, superimposed on a blowup of the synapse seen in Figure 3.3. The five key
processes involved in communication at synapses are (1) synthesis and storage, (2) release, (3)
binding, (4) inactivation or removal, and (5) reuptake of neurotransmitters. As you’ll see in this
chapter and the remainder of the book, the effects of many phenomena—such as pain, drug use,
and some diseases—can be explained in terms of how they alter one or more of these processes
(usually at synapses releasing a specific neurotransmitter).
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Neurotransmitters: Chemical Couriers
Chapter 3

•  Neurotransmitters
•  Work in a “lock and key” fashion
•  Agonist – mimics neurotransmitter action
•  Antagonist –blocks action of a neurotransmitter
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Organization of the Nervous System
Chapter 3

•  Central nervous system (CNS) – brain and

spinal cord
•  Peripheral nervous system – nerves that lie
outside the central nervous system
•  Somatic nervous system – voluntary muscles
and sensory receptors
•  Autonomic nervous system (ANS) – controls
automatic, involuntary functions
–  Sympathetic – Go (fight-or-flight)
–  Parasympathetic – Stop
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.5 Chapter 3

Figure 3.5 Organization of the human nervous system. This overview of the human nervous system
shows the relationships of its various parts and systems. The brain is traditionally divided into three regions:
the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain. The reticular formation runs through both the midbrain and
the hindbrain on its way up and down the brainstem. These and other parts of the brain are discussed in
detail later in the chapter. The peripheral nervous system is made up of the somatic nervous system, which
controls voluntary muscles and sensory receptors, and the autonomic nervous system, which controls the
involuntary activities of smooth muscles, blood vessels, and glands.
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Brain Regions and Functions
Chapter 3

•  Hindbrain
–  medulla, pons, and cerebellum
•  Midbrain
–  dopaminergic projections, reticular formation
•  Forebrain
–  thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system,
cerebrum, cerebral cortex
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
The Cerebrum: Two Hemispheres, Four Lobes
Chapter 3

•  Cerebral Hemispheres – two specialized halves

connected by the corpus collosum
•  Four Lobes:
–  Occipital – vision
–  Parietal – somatosensory
–  Temporal – auditory
–  Frontal – movement, executive control systems
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
View of the Brain Chapter 3

Figure 3.14 The cerebral cortex in humans. The cerebral cortex consists of right and left halves,
called cerebral hemispheres. This diagram provides a view of the right hemisphere. Each cerebral
hemisphere is divided into four lobes (which are highlighted in the bottom inset): the occipital lobe,
the parietal lobe, the temporal lobe, and the frontal lobe. Each lobe has areas that handle particular
functions, such as visual processing. The functions of the prefrontal cortex are something of a
mystery, but they appear to include working memory and relational reasoning.
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
Brain Overview
Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3
The Limbic System

Saul Kassin, Psychology. Copyright © 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Reprinted by permission.
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.12 Chapter 3

Figure 3.12 Electrical stimulation of the brain (ESB) in the rat. Olds and Milner
(1954) were using an apparatus like that depicted here when they discovered self-
stimulation centers, or “pleasure centers,” in the brain of a rat. In this setup, the wire
delivering electrical stimulation is suspended from above so the rat can move freely
about the box. When the rat presses the lever, it earns brief electrical stimulation that is
sent to a specific spot in the rat’s brain where an electrode has been implanted.
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Figure 3.13 Chapter 3

Figure 3.13 The cerebral hemispheres and the corpus callosum. In this drawing the
cerebral hemispheres have been “pulled apart” to reveal the corpus callosum. This
band of fibers is the communication bridge between the right and left halves of the
human brain.
Photo: Wadsworth collection.
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
2 Hemispheres /Corpus Callosum
Chapter 3

•  Left hemisphere – verbal processing:

language, speech, reading, writing
•  Right hemisphere – nonverbal
processing: spatial, musical, visual
recognition
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3

Hindbrain

•  Medulla
•  Pons
•  Cerebellum
•  BRAIN STRUCTURES AND FUNCTIONS
 Psychology: Themes and Variations, Sixth Edition, Briefer Version, Wayne Weiten
Chapter 3

Figure
3.15
Alzheimer’
s Disease
and Brain
Atrophy