PSYO 1021 Lecture 1: Lecture 1 and 2 notes unit 2
27 Jun 2018
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lecture 1
Chapter 3: biology of behavior – the brain
The nervous system
All voluntary actions and automatic processes of the body result from the activity of nerve cells.
Organization
2 main parts, compartements
Central nervous system
Brain and spinal cord (blue)
Peripheral nervous system
All the other nerve cells in the body
Includes the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system
Organization of the Nervous
System
© 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
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lecture 1
Somatic nervous system – voluntary
Made up of nerves that innervate skeletal muscles
Nerves involved in voluntary movement
Also nerves involved in reception of sensory info from external environment (vision and
hearing)
Autonomic nervous system ( ANS) – involuntary (means self governing)
Involuntary systems of the body: internal organs (stomach, small intestine and bladder) and
glands (ex sweat gland)
No conscious control: heart rate, blood pressure…
Has two main branches :
Sympathetic nervous system
Fight or flight response – activates the body in emergency situations
Arouses you to do something with adrenaline
= dilated pupil, increased heart rate, inhibits digestion, might recreate bladder (need to
pee when stressed)
Parasympathetic nervous system
Rest and digest response
Relaxation, returning the body to a rest stage
The systems aroused get to relax
Does digestion, decreases heart rate, …
Common neurotransmitters -over 1000 in the body
Autonomic Nervous System
© 2012 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
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find more resources at oneclass.com
lecture 1
Acetylcholine
Involved in the neural control of muscles
Plays a role in mental processes like learning, memory, attention, sleeping and dreaming.
Degenerative memory disorder Alzheimer is a result of less acetylcholine
Dopamine – feel good neurotransmitter
Released in behaviors that feel good or are rewarding
Ex: If you are hungry and eat – dopamine is released
Doing well on an exam
Many drugs involve increased dopamine activity
Ex: cocaine prevents the reuptake = more in the synapse = more released in the brain
Addiction: you want to feel good like that again,
Withdrawals: your brain now requires more of it to feel good = depression…
Also involved in voluntary motor control
Parkinson’s disease: dopamine producing neurons die = inability to control their muscle
(involuntary shaking) – treatment are drugs that have the same effect as dopamine
Schizophrenia: increased activity in one of the types of dopamine receptors = developing
thoughts that are incoherent (might think because they broke a mirror 911 happened) = they are
delusional, they think more meaning in what they did in the world
Epinephrine - adrenaline
Has energizing and arousal activities
Increases ANS activity
Both epinephrine and norepinephrine are produced in the brain and in the adrenaline glands that
rest on kidneys
Norepinephrine
Affects the CNS
Increases mental arousal and alertness (when you’re concentrated it’s activated)
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Document Summary
Chapter 3: biology of behavior the brain. All voluntary actions and automatic processes of the body result from the activity of nerve cells. All the other nerve cells in the body. Includes the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. 2012 mcgraw-hill ryerson ltd. lecture 1 nervous system voluntary. Made up of nerves that innervate skeletal muscles. Also nerves involved in reception of sensory info from external environment (vision and hearing) Involuntary systems of the body: internal organs (stomach, small intestine and bladder) and glands (ex sweat gland) Fight or flight response activates the body in emergency situations. = dilated pupil, increased heart rate, inhibits digestion, might recreate bladder (need to pee when stressed) nervous system. Relaxation, returning the body to a rest stage. Plays a role in mental processes like learning, memory, attention, sleeping and dreaming. Degenerative memory disorder alzheimer is a result of less acetylcholine. Released in behaviors that feel good or are rewarding.
