Chapter 1 - Slides Posted.pdf

Chapter 1 What Is Behavioral Neuroscience? Dr. Kimberley Campbell A Brief Introduction   Consider the human brain  Has evolved and grown to about 3 pounds  80 billion neurons making 100 trillion connections  Involved in most bodily processes 1990s deemed the “Decade of the Brain” ...

Chapter 1 What Is Behavioral Neuroscience? Dr. Kimberley Campbell A Brief Introduction   Consider the human brain  Has evolved and grown to about 3 pounds  80 billion neurons making 100 trillion connections  Involved in most bodily processes 1990s deemed the “Decade of the Brain”  Period of intense research and awareness  New understanding of neurological diseases, emotional disorders, and addictions What is Behavioral Neuroscience?  Behavioral neuroscience: studies the relationships between behaviour and the body, specifically the brain  Behavior: both overt (external) and covert (internal) events  Overt: Make a sound, move a particular way  Covert: learning, thinking, and emotion The Mind-Brain Problem  Mind-brain problem   What is the mind and what is its relationship to the brain? Dualism: idea that the mind and brain are separate The Mind-Brain Problem  Monism vs. materialistic monism  Monism: idea that the mind and body consist of the same substance  Materialistic monism: view that body and mind and everything else are physical The Physical Model of Behavior The Physical Model of Behavior   Model: a proposed mechanism for how something works  Theory  Simpler organism, simulation, or system studied Empiricism: gathering information through observation Heimholtz and the Electrical Brain  Late 1700s: Luigi Galvani used electricity to stimulate nerves  1870: Fritsch and Hitzig produced movement by electrically stimulating the brain  Hermann von Heimholtz demonstrated nerves do not behave like conducting wires The Localization Issue  Localization: specific areas of the brain carry out specific functions  Phrenology: 35 different “faculties” of emotion, intellect found in precise areas of the brain  Equipotentiality: the brain can function as an undifferentiated whole Nature and Nurture  Nature versus nurture: an ongoing debate about how important heredity is relative to environmental influences in shaping behavior  Fairly controversial topic in psychology, especially in regards to public opinion The Genetic Code  Gene: biological unit that directs cellular processes and transmits inherited Parent # 23 characteristics ↳) 46  chromosomes ~ - 29 Parent #2 23r > Sex Chromosome - Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA): double-stranded double helix chain of chemical molecules The Genetic Code  Zygote: fertilized egg which undergoes rapid cell division and development on its way to becoming a functioning organism  Each parent contributes 23 chromosomes  Contains 46 chromosomes in total i  Embryo: new organism as it develops over first 8 weeks has cell started  division Fetus: organism at developmental stage between 8 weeks and birth The Genetic Code  Alleles: different versions of a gene  Dominant allele: produces effect regardless of which allele it is paired with  Recessive allele: has influence only when paired with the same allele  Heterozygous: two alleles are different  Homozygous: two identical alleles The Genetic Code The Genetic Code  Phenotype: an observable characteristic  Genotype: Combinations of alleles  X-linked: a characteristic produced by an unpaired gene on the Xchromosome  Polygenic: Characteristics determined by several genes The Human Genome Project  Genome: all the genes in our chromosomes  Human Genome Project: project with goal to map the location of all the genes on the human chromosomes  Gene expression: translation of encoded information into production of proteins Heredity: Destiny or Predisposition  Natural selection: those whose genes endow them with more adaptive traits are more likely to survive and reproduce  Heritability: percentage of the variation in a characteristic attributed to genetic factors  Vulnerability: genes contribute to predisposition for a disorder ↳ does not mean you will end up with it . In Perspective  Brain science is still a “frontier”  Many factors for success in the field:  Genius of predecessors  Developments in technology  Adoption of empiricism  Coming to terms with concept of the mind