PSYC 1150 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Fear Conditioning, Behavioural Genetics, Falsifiability

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Week Eight (November 6-10, 2017)
Introduction to Psychology
Lecture 07: Nature
Biological Psychology
- Biological Psychologists and Neuroscientists: Study the relationship between the brain,
nervous system, and behaviour.
- The brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) involved in a complex
system of specialized communication with each other
Neurons: The Brain’s Communicators
- Neurons are brain cells, specialized in communication with each other (approximately
100 billion, with 160 billion connections) with a unique shape compared to other cells.
- Cell body (soma) - Centre of neuron, makes proteins, replenishes molecules vital to cell
function. Separated from outside by neuronal membrane.
- Dendrites – Branch-like extensions receiving portion of neuron.
- Synapse – Space between neurons NTs travel through, presynaptic and postsynaptic
membranes separated by a synaptic cleft.
- Axon - Tails of the neuron that spread out from the cell body and transmit information.
- Axon terminal – Nob at the end of axon which contains synaptic vesicles with
neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that allow neuron to neuron communication)
Neurons With a Myelin Sheath
Neurotransmission
- Communication inside neurons is electrical, but
communication between neurons is chemical is NTs
- When NTs are released, they bind with receptor sites
of the next neuron
- Lock and key
- This process is halted by reuptake, when NTs go back
into the axon terminal
- Some NTs excite while others inhibit the nervous
system.
Glial Cells → Supporting Roles
- Glial “glue”- support cells of the nervous system and plentiful in the brain (1:1 ration with
neurons)
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Week Eight (November 6-10, 2017)
- Form myelin sheath covering of axons
- Form blood-brain barrier to protect the brain
- Respond to injury
- Remove debris
- Two main types:
-Astrocytes: star shaped, most abundant and increase reliability of neuronal
transmission
- Found in blood-brain barrier
-Ogliodendrocytes: promotes new connections and produce the myelin sheath
around axons
Electrical Responses
- Neurons respond to neurotransmitters by generating electrical activity
- Resting Potential - electrical charge difference (-70mV) across the neural
membrane when the neuron has no active inputs from other cells.
- The inside of the cell is -70mV more negative than the outside at rest.
Electrical Response of Neurons: Graded Responses
-Graded Potentials - postsynaptic potentials, excitatory or inhibitory,
depending on which charged particles flow into/out of the cell
- Positive inputs may lead to an action potential
-Action Potentials - electric impulse that travels down the axon, followed
by absolute refractory period
- Differ from graded potentials: Action potentials are all-or-none
- Fire 100 to 1,000 times per second with a very brief absolute
refractory period in between
- The longer the axon, the more limited their maximal firing rate is
-Regenerative - propagates all the way to the terminal
- Positive charge flows rapidly in and then out
Chemical
Neurotransmission
- Communication within neurons is electrical, but between neurons it is chemical via
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Week Eight (November 6-10, 2017)
neurotransmitters (NTs)
Steps in neurotransmission:
1. Release of NT from axon terminal into cleft
2. Binding of NT to receptor site on postsynaptic cell
3. Halting the activity of the NT via chemical breakdown or reuptake into the
presynaptic axon terminal
- See your text for a list of neurotransmitters and their functional roles.
Types of Neurotransmitters
- Most common NTs in the central nervous system and associated with learning and
memory.
-Glutamate: excitatory and increases the chance neurons will communicate
- Toxic in high doses, may contribute to schizophrenia and other mental disorders
- GABA: inhibitory, dampening neural activity
-Acetylcholine: influences arousal, selective attention, sleep and memory
- Neurons that connect to muscles release acetylcholine to trigger movement
-Monoamines
- Norepinephrine: Brain arousal, mood, hunger, sleep
- Amphetamine and methamphetamine
- Dopamine: Motor function and reward
- Parkinson’s disease and schizophrenia
- Serotonin: Mood, temperature regulation, aggression and sleep cycles
- Treatment for depression
-Neuropeptides
- Short strings of amino acids
- Endorphins are a type of neuropeptide
- Human made opioids act on the endorphin system; i.e. morphine
- Some neuropeptides regulate hunger, others learning and memory
-Anandamides
- Binds to same receptors at THC influences eating, motivation, memory, and
sleep
Brain-Behaviour Network: Divisions of the Nervous System (NS)
- Sensory information comes into - and decisions come out of - the central nervous
system (CNS)
- The nerves outside the CNS are called the peripheral nervous system (PNS)
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Document Summary

Biological psychologists and neuroscientists: study the relationship between the brain, nervous system, and behaviour. The brain contains approximately 100 billion neurons (nerve cells) involved in a complex system of specialized communication with each other. Neurons are brain cells, specialized in communication with each other (approximately. 100 billion, with 160 billion connections) with a unique shape compared to other cells. Cell body (soma) - centre of neuron, makes proteins, replenishes molecules vital to cell function. Dendrites branch-like extensions receiving portion of neuron. Synapse space between neurons nts travel through, presynaptic and postsynaptic membranes separated by a synaptic cleft. Axon - tails of the neuron that spread out from the cell body and transmit information. Axon terminal nob at the end of axon which contains synaptic vesicles with neurotransmitters (chemical messengers that allow neuron to neuron communication) Communication inside neurons is electrical, but communication between neurons is chemical is nts.

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