BIOLOGICAL BASES OF PSYCHOLOGY
BIOLOGICAL BASES OF PSYCHOLOGY
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STRUCTURE
OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM
1. Central - brain and spinal cord 2. Peripheral - sensory and motor nerves which transmit information a. Somatic - control skeletal muscles b. Autonomic - regulates internal organs and glands i. Parasympathetic - conserves energy ii. Sympathetic - expends energy • COMMUNICATION WITHIN NERVOUS SYSTEM 1. Neuron - basic unit of nervous system a. cell body - keeps neuron alive b. dendrites - receive information from other neurons c. axon - send information to other neurons i. myelin - insulates axon to enable information to be transmitted faster 2. Communication between Neurons a. Synapses - gap between neurons b. Message travels through axon to synaptic knob on axon's tip c. Synaptic vesicles open and release neurotransmitter into synaptic gap d. Neurotransmitter fits into receptor sites on receiving dendrite, causing it to be more or less likely to fire • THE BRAIN 1. Hindbrain a. Medulla, pons, reticular activating system, cerebellum b. Responsible for reflexive, automatic behavior 2. Midbrain - information conduit 3. Forebrain a. thalamus - direct sensory messages b. hypothalamus - emotional and survival drives c. pituitary gland - controls many other endocrine glands d. cerebral cortex i. occipital lobes - vision ii. parietal lobes - sensory information iii. temporal lobes - process sounds iv. frontal lobes - motor movements 4. Two brain hemispheres a. Each one controls opposite side of body b. Left hemisphere dominant for most people |
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