1. Biopsychology
All behavior and mental processes have a biological basis

2. Primary Communication Systems
Nervous System
Receives information and sends messages via neurons (fast, electrical, precise).
Endocrine System
Regulates internal activities via bloodstream (slow, chemical, imprecise)

3. Nervous System

4. Cells of the Nervous System
Neurons send and receive signals.
Glial cells provide support “Glue”.
Direct neuron’s growth
Maintain chemical environment
Provide energy
Help restore damage
Minor communication role (new finding)

5. Nerve and Glial Cells

6. Mrs. Neuron

7. Excitatory Post Synaptic Potential (EPSP)
“Graded” Increase In Electrical Charge

8. Neurotransmitters Excitatory (increase chance of firing)
Inhibitory (decrease chance of firing)
“Graded”
“All or None”

9. Neurotransmitter and Multiple Actions (Ach = Acetycholine)

10. Nervous System

11. The Somatic Nervous System
“Sensory neurons” send sensory information to the central nervous system.
“Motor neurons” send messages from central nervous system to muscles to direct motion.

12. The Spinal Cord
Receives signals from the senses and passes them to the brain.
Can direct simple behaviors called “reflexes”

13. Reflex Pathway

14. The Autonomic Nervous System
Carries messages between the CNS and organs/glands.
Two subsystems:
Sympathetic Nervous System: Readies.
“Spends” energy
Parasympathetic Nervous System: Calms.
“Preserves” energy

15. Central Nervous System
Meet Your Brain!

16. skin, bone, dura mater, arachnoid layer,
pia mater

17. lateral ventricles, third ventricle, fourth ventricle
cerebrospinal fluid
hydrocephalus

18. corpus callosum

19. Main Brain Areas

20. Forebrain: Cerebral Cortex

21. Some Frontal Lobe Functions
problem solving,
memory,
language,
goal directed actions,
judgement,
impulse control,
social and sexual behaviour,
motor function

22. Wisconsin Card Sort
match by color, design, number

23. central sulcus
motor cortex (frontal)
somatosensory cortex (parietal)

25. left brain -> right body, right brain -> left body
topographically mapped
size matters!!!

26. sylvian fissure, primary auditory cortex

28. A Simple Experiment

29. Hemispheric Specialization
Left hemisphere usually more fluent in language.
Right hemisphere is better at spatial learning and face recognition.
Differences often exaggerated.
Corpus callosum allows the two hemispheres to work together.

30. Figure 2.13: Apparatus for Studying Split-Brain Patients

31. Results from Split-Brain Studies
Image right visual field, person can name the object (left brain).
Image left visual field, cannot describe object in words (right brain).
But can pick the object out of a group of other objects!