PHYP211- Prelim easier to study in a nonhuman species.

“If
WEEK 1- THE BIOLOGICAL APPROACH TO you want to understand a complex
PSYCHOLOGY machine, you might begin by examining a
3 GENERAL POINTS THAT WE SHOULD simpler machine.”
REMEMBER 2. We are interested in animals for their own
• PERCEPTION OCCURS IN YOUR BRAIN sake. Humans are naturally curious and
• MENTAL ACTIVITY AND CERTAIN TYPES we want to know about life.
OF BRAIN ACTIVITY ARE SO FAR WE CAN - Example, We would like to understand
TELL INSEPARABLE how bats adapt in the dark.
• WE SHOULD BE CAUTIOUS ABOUT WHAT 3. What we learn about animals shed light on
IS AN EXPLANATION AND WHAT IS NOT human evolution. What makes us different
FIELD OF BIOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY from chimpanzees and other primates.
• It is the study of the physiological, 4. Legal or ethical restrictions prevent certain
evolutionary, and developmental kinds of research on human.
mechanisms of the behavior and - Example, investigators insert
experience. electrodes into the brain cells of rats
• It emphasizes that the goal is to relate and other animals to determine the
biology to issues of psychology. relationship between brain activity.
• Approximately synonymous with the DEGREES OF POSITION
terms: Minimalist vs. Abolitionist
− Biopsychology Minimalist - Tolerate certain types of animal
− Psychobiology research but with to prohibit others depending on
− Behavioral neuroscience the probable values of the research, the amount
− Physiological Psychology of distress to the animal, and the type of animal.
• Neuroscience - structure and function of Abolitionist - maintain that all animals have the
the nervous system. same rights as humans

4 CATEGORIES OF BIOLOGICAL
3R’s in Legal Standards
EXPLANATIONS OF BEHAVIOR
• Reduction - reduction of animal
• Physiological Explanation - relates a
numbers (using fewer animals)
behavior to the activity of the brain and
• Replacement - using computer
other organs
models or other substitutes for animal,
• Ontogenetic Explanation - term
when possible
ontogenetic comes from Greek roots
• Refinement - modifying the
meaning the origin (or genesis) of being.
procedures to reduce pain and
- Describes how a structure or behavior
discomfort
develops, including the influences of
genes, nutrition, experiences, and
NEURONS
their interactions.
The Cells of the Nervous System
• Evolutionary Explanation - it
Nervous system is composed of two types of
reconstructs the evolutionary history of a
cells:
structure or behavior
• Neurons - receive information and
• Functional Explanation describes why a
transmit it to other cells
structure or behavior evolved as it did.
• Glia (neuroglia) - the term glia, derived
Career Opportunities | Field of
from a Greek word meaning “glue,”
Specialization
reflects early investigators’ idea that glia
• Research Field: requires PhD and
were like glue that held the neurons
employed by universities, hospitals,
together.
pharmaceutical firms, and research
The human brain contains approximately 100
institutes.
billion individual neurons
• Practitioner Field of Psychology: their
work is not directly related to
neuroscience. However, they need to
understand it to communicate with a
client’s physician.
• Medical Fields: Requires MD + 4 years of
additional study and practice in a
specialization.
• Allied Medical Field: Requires a Master’s
Degree or more.
Structures of an Animal Cell
THE USE OF ANIMALS IN RESEARCH
• Membrane (or plasma membrane), a
• Animal research is an important source of
structure that separates the inside of the
information for biological psychology but
cell from the outside environment.
remains a highly controversial topic.
• Nucleus, the structure that contains the
• Animals are used in many kinds of
chromosomes.
research studies, some dealing with
• Mitochondrion (plural: mitochondria) is
behavior and others with the functions of
the structure that performs metabolic
the nervous system.
activities, providing the energy that the
4 MAIN REASONS
cell uses for all activities
1. The underlying mechanism of behavior are
• Ribosomes are the sites within a cell that
similar across species and sometimes
synthesize new protein molecules.
 Proteins provide building materials for the Terms associated with Neurons
cell and facilitate chemical reactions • Afferent axon - brings information into a
• Endoplasmic reticulum, a network of structure; Every sensory neuron is an
thin tubes that transport newly afferent to the rest of the nervous system
synthesized proteins to other location ○ afferent starts with a as in admit
Structure of a Neuron • Efferent axon - carries information away
The most distinctive structural feature of neurons from a structure; every motor neuron is
is their shape, which varies enormously. an efferent from the nervous system
Larger neurons contain four major components: ○ efferent starts with e as in exit
● Dendrites
● Soma (Cell body)
● Axon
● Presynaptic terminal

● The tiniest neurons may lack axons and

well-defined dendrites.
Dendrites
Glia
• The term dendrite comes from a Greek
• Derived from a Greek word meaning
root
“glue,” reflects early investigators’ idea
• word meaning “tree.” A dendrite branches
that glia were like glue that held the
like a tree.
neurons together.
• The dendrite’s surface is lined with
• they do not transmit information like
specialized synaptic receptors, at which
neurons.
the dendrite receives information from
• Glia outnumber neurons in the cerebral
other neurons.
cortex, but neurons outnumber glia in
• Many dendrites contain dendritic spines,
several other brain areas, especially the
short outgrowths that increase the surface
cerebellum
area available for synapses
Types of Glia
Cell body or Soma
Astrocytes
Greek for “body”; plural: somata, contains the
- star-shaped, wrap around the synapses of
nucleus, ribosomes, and mitochondria. Most of a
functionally related axons.
neuron’s metabolic work occurs here.
- absorbs chemicals released by axons and
In many neurons, the cell body is like the
later returns those chemicals back to the
dendrites— covered with synapses on its surface.
axon to help synchronize the activity of
Axon
neurons.
• It is a thin fiber of constant diameter.
- remove waste products as well,
(The term axon comes from a Greek word
particularly those created after neurons
meaning “axis.”) The axon conveys an
die.
impulse toward other neurons, an organ,
- dilate the blood vessels to bring more
or a muscle.
nutrients into brain areas that have
• It can be more than a meter in length, as
heightened activity
in the case of axons from your spinal cord
- They act as a recycling system for
to your feet.
glutamate released by neurons (absorbing
Presynaptic Terminal
excess glutamate then converting it to
• Also known as an end bulb or bouton
glutamine and passing it back into the
(French for “button”).
neurons).
• At that point the axon releases chemicals
- active partners of neurons in many ways.
that cross through the junction between
that neuron and another cell.
Types of Neurons
• Motor Neuron - receives excitation
through its dendrites and conducts
impulses along its axon to a muscle
(Figure 1.4).
• Sensory Neuron (receptor neuron) – is
specialized at one end to be highly
sensitive to a particular type of
stimulation, such as light, sound, or touch Microglia
(Figure 1.5.). - Very small cells that remove waste
material as well as viruses, fungi, and
other microorganisms.
- act as part of the immune system,
removing viruses and fungi from the
brain.
- They proliferate after brain damage,
removing dead or damaged neurons
- They also contribute to learning by
removing the weakest synapses
Oligodendrocytes & Schwann Cells • Prolonged thiamine deficiency, common in
• Oligodendrocytes in the brain and spinal chronic alcoholism, leads to death of
cord neurons and a condition called Korsakoff’s
• Schwann cells in the periphery of the syndrome, marked by severe memory
body impairments.
○ build the myelin sheaths that surround
and insulate certain vertebrate axons.
○ They also supply an axon with nutrients
necessary for proper functioning

Radial glia
• Guide the migration of neurons and their
axons and dendrites during embryonic
development.
• During embryogenesis, Radial glia provide
physical and chemical guidance for the
migration of young neurons

The Blood–Brain Barrier

• Why We Need a Blood–Brain Barrier
○ It is a mechanism that surrounds the
brain and block most chemicals from
entering.
○ The Immune systems destroys damaged
or infected cells throughout the body,
which the body replaces easily.
○ Vertebrate brain does not replace
damaged neurons, which is why it is vital
for the blood brain barrier to block
incoming viruses or any harmful
materials.
• How the Blood–Brain Barrier Works
○ Active transport, a protein-mediated
process that expends energy to pump
chemicals from the blood into the brain.
○ Chemicals that are actively transported
into the brain include glucose (the brain’s
main fuel), amino acids (the building
blocks of proteins), purines, choline, a few
vitamins, and iron
○The blood–brain barrier is essential to
health.
○ In people with Alzheimer’s disease or
similar conditions, the endothelial cells
lining the brain’s blood vessels shrink, and
harmful chemicals enter the brain.
○ barrier poses a difficulty for treating
brain cancers, because nearly all the
drugs used for chemotherapy fail to cross
the blood–brain barrier.
Nourishment of Vertebrate Neurons
• Vertebrate neurons depend almost
entirely on glucose, a sugar
• Glucose is the only nutrient that crosses
the blood–brain barrier in large quantities.
• A more likely problem is an inability to use
glucose. To use glucose, the body needs
vitamin B1 , thiamine.