1 Psychology 304: Brain and Behaviour Lecture 16

2 Exam Preparation Tips The exam will include questions unique to the textbook content (~10-15%), questions unique to the lecture content (~20-25%), and questions that reflect overlap between the two sources of information. You are encouraged to study both sources of information thoroughly.

Identify the primary points of each section with key words or phrases and use these to test yourself. With respect to the textbook content: Familiarize yourself with all terms that are bolded or italicized. Create questions with the title and subtitles of each section. Use the content of each section to answer the questions that you have generated. 3 Study figures and tables.

With respect to the lecture content: Use the learning objectives to guide your studying. 4

The goal of the exam is to assess your mastery of the course content and “jargon” of behavioural neuroscience. In order to demonstrate your mastery of the course content on the short answer questions, you should provide thorough and detailed responses. The instructions for the short answer section will read: “Please respond to each of the questions below. Note that point form answers are acceptable. Your responses should be thorough and detailed. If necessary, you may write on the back side of the page.” 5

6 You should familiarize yourself with the functions of brain structures and the cranial nerves. Note that you will not be asked to label the locations of the cranial and spinal nerves. The exam questions will assess your ability to recall, synthesize, and apply course content. Examples:

7 Recall: The cranial nerve that controls the movement of the tongue muscles is the: (a) vagus nerve. (b) abducens nerve. (c) trigeminal nerve. (d) hypoglossal nerve. (e) trochlear nerve.

8 Synthesize: Research has demonstrated that epilepsy is associated with excessive neuronal excitation. Accordingly, epilepsy may be treated by inhibiting the excitation or “firing” of neurons. Which of the following would be most effective in reducing neuronal firing among individuals with epilepsy? (a) A calcium (Ca 2+ ) agonist. (b) A calcium (Ca 2+ ) antagonist. (c) A glutamate agonist. (d) A GABA antagonist.

9 Apply: You are a biological psychologist who has discovered a new brain structure. The structure contains a small cluster of nuclei and is situated beneath the hypothalamus. You are interested in determining the function(s) of this structure. Identify two techniques that you would use to determine the function(s) of this structure. Limit your response to techniques for determining function discussed in class or in the textbook. In your response, describe the procedure associated with each technique.

10 In order to correctly respond to questions that require synthesis and application, recall of information is necessary. The correlation between recall questions and synthesis/application questions typically exceeds.70.

11 Announcement I will hold additional office hours in preparation for the midterm exam: Monday, October 17: 3:30 - 4:30 Wednesday, October 19: 3:30 - 5:00 Thursday, October 20: 11: :30 Monday, October 24: 12:00-1:00

12 From last class …. Agonists and antagonists may influence synaptic transmission in a number of ways:

13 Mechanisms of Agonist and Antagonist Drug Effects

14 The Endocrine System 1. What is the endocrine system?

15 By the end of today’s class, you should be able to: 1. distinguish between neural transmission and hormonal transmission. 2. identify the major glands of the endocrine system. 3. describe the functional features of the posterior pituitary gland and the anterior pituitary gland.

16 What is the endocrine system? Composed of a series of glands that allow for relatively diffuse chemical communication throughout the body. Involves the release of chemical transmitters referred to as hormones into the bloodstream. Like neurotransmitters, hormones bind to receptors of target cells.

17 Major Endocrine Glands

18 The pituitary gland is referred to as the master gland because most of its hormones are tropic hormones (i.e., hormones that influence the release of hormones from other glands).

19 The Pituitary Gland Anterior pituitary Posterior pituitary

20 The pituitary is controlled by the hypothalamus. Posterior pituitary: Hormones synthesized in hypothalamic cells are transported down axons to terminals in the posterior pituitary. These hormones are released into the bloodstream upon the arrival of an action potential. Two hormones are released from the posterior pituitary: Oxytocin and vasopressin

21 The Pituitary Gland

22 Anterior pituitary: Releasing hormones from the hypothalamus stimulate the release of tropic hormones from the anterior pituitary. These hormones are released into the bloodstream, where they are able to regulate the activity of other endocrine organs.

23 Control of the Pituitary Gland by the Hypothalamus

24 Among the hormones that are released from the anterior pituitary: adrenocorticotropic hormone, thyroid- stimulating hormone, follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinizing hormone, prolactin, growth hormone.

25 The Endocrine System 1. What is the endocrine system?