Please enable JavaScript.

Coggle requires JavaScript to display documents.

Biopsychology - Coggle Diagram

- - - - Evolutionary psychology
        
        Focuses on how universal patterns of behavior and cognitive processes have evolved over time (long time, millions of years).
        
        Methodology: Research by comparing human behaviors with other species;
        Using evolutionary to create hypothesis why certain psychological trait exist.
      - Behavioral generics
        
        Focuses on how individual differences arise, in the present, through the interaction of genes and the environment.
        Role of genes and heredity in shaping personality, intelligence, mental health, and other behavioral traits.
        
        Methodology:
        
        Twin studies compare the rates that a given behavioral trait is shared among identical and fraternal twins.
        
        Adoption studies compare those rates among biologically related relatives and adopted relatives.
  - - - Chromosomes are long strings of genetic material known as deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA).
        
        Sequences of DNA in chromosomes make up Genes.
        
        Genes control traits such as eye color, hair color, etc.
        A single gene may have multiple possible variations, called Allele.
        
        A dominant allele is a variation of a gene that produces a certain phenotype, even when other alleles are present.
        
        A recessive allele does not produce a trait at all when only one copy is present.
        
        Homozygous: When someone has two copies of the same allele.
        
        Heterozygous: When someone has a combination of alleles for a given gene. #
        
        Most traits are polygenic: controlled by more than one gene.
        
        A mutation is a sudden, permanent change in a gene.
      - When sperm + egg = zygote. 23 chromosomes of egg and 23 chromosomes of sperm are divided and combined to form 23 chromosomes of zygote.
        => Offspring has half of genetic info from each parent.
        
        Genetic makeup of parents is called Genotype.
        
        Physical characteristics (genetic makeup + environment influence) of offspring is called Phenotype.
- - - - Firing action potential
        
        Action potential
        
        The electrical signal that typically moves from the cell body down the axon to the axon terminals.
        
        All-or-none phenomenon: either happens or not, no turning off an action potential once it starts.
        
        At -70mV, resting potential, neuron at rest, no transmission. K+ concentrates in the intracellular fluid. Na+ concentrates in the extracellular fluid.
        
        The outer surface of the membrane is positively charged and vice versa - Membrane potential.
        
        Neuron is stimulated, dendrites' sodium channels open, allow Na+ go in.
        
        Neuron voltage up to -55mV - threshold of excitation, action potential fired, axon's Na+ channels open sequentially, allow more Na+ go in, trigger action potential move all the way to axon's terminal buttons.
        
        At 30mV - peak action potential, depolarization, the outer surface of the membrane is negatively charged and vice versa. Sodium channels are closed. Potassium channels are opened allow K+ go out. Voltage go down.
        
        Voltage reaches -90mV, refractory, hyperpolarization. Sodium-potassium pumps, allows 3 Na+ ions out and 2 K+ in at a time, are activated until neuron goes back to resting potential.
      - Neurotransmission
        
        Action potential arrives at the terminal buttons.
        
        Synaptic vesicles release neurotransmitters into the synapse.
        
        Neurotransmitters travel through the synapse and bind to the receptors. At this point, the signal is delivered.
        
        Afterward, neurotransmitters can be drifted away, broken down into inactive fragments or reuptake.
        
        The synapse is cleared and ready for the next action potential.
    - - Types of Neurotransmitters and potential effect on behavior
        
        Acetylcholine - Muscle action, memory - Increased arousal, enhanced cognition.
        
        Beta-endorphin - Pain, pleasure - Decreased anxiety, decreased tension.
        
        Dopamine - Mood, sleep, learning - Increased pleasure, suppressed appetite.
        
        Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) - Brain function, sleep - Decreased anxiety, decreased tension.
        
        Glutamate - Memory, learning - Increased learning, enhanced memory.
        
        Norepinephrine - Heart, intestines, alertness - Increased arousal, suppressed appetite.
        
        Serotonin - Mood, sleep - Modulated mood, suppressed appetite.
      - Types of Psychotropic medications
        
        Agonists.
        
        Antagonist.
        
        Reuptake inhibitors.
- - - - A relay station transfer messages to and from the brain and the rest of the body.
      - Responsible for simple reflex actions.
        Ex: Jumping out of chair if sitting on drawing pin.
      - From the top of the spine to just below the ribs.
      - Has its own system of automatic processes, called reflexes.
    - - Forebrain
        
        Cerebral cortex
        
        Each hemisphere can be divided into 4 lobes.
        
        Parietal lobe
        
        Located immediately behind the frontal lobe.
        
        Involved in processing information from the body’s senses.
        
        Contains somatosensory cortex.
        
        Different regions of somatosensory cortex process different body senses. Body parts that are related to each other have somatosensory cortex close to each other.
        
        Frontal lobe
        
        Contains
        
        Motor cortex: Motor control.
        
        Prefrontal cortex: Higher-level cognitive functioning (reasoning, emotion).
        
        Located in the forward part of the brain.
        
        Broca’s area: Language production. If damaged, patient can understand direction but cannot respond verbally.
        
        Occipital lobe
        
        Located at the very back of the brain.
        
        Contains the visual cortex, responsible for interpreting visual information.
        
        Temporal lobe
        
        Located on the side of the brain.
        
        Associated with hearing, memory, emotion, and some aspects of language.
        
        Contains
        
        Auditory cortex: Processes auditory information.
        
        Wernicke’s area: Speech comprehension. If damaged, patient can produce sensible language but unable to understand it.
        
        Brain lobes
        
        The surface of the brain.
        
        Associated with higher level processes such as consciousness, thought, emotion, reasoning, language, and memory.
        
        Patterns of folds (gyri – gyrus) and grooves (sulci – sulcus).
        
        Longitudinal fissure: Most prominent sulcus, separates the brain into two halves (hemispheres).
        
        Corpus callosum: Thick bands of neural fibers that connect the two hemispheres.
        
        Lateralization: Specialization of function in each hemisphere. The left hemisphere controls the right half of the body and vice versa.
        
        Subcortical structures lie beneath the cortex
        
        Thalamus: Sensory relay for the brain of all our senses, except for smell.
        
        Pituitary gland #
        
        The limbic system
        
        Involved in processing sense of smell and both emotion and memory.
        
        3 most important structures
        
        Hippocampus: Learning and memory.
        
        Amygdala: Involved in our experience of emotion and in tying emotional meaning to our memories.
        
        Hypothalamus
        
        Regulates several homeostatic processes (body temperature, appetite, and blood pressure).
        
        Interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system. Involved in the regulation of sexual motivation and behavior.
      - Brain Stem
        
        Connects brain and spinal cord.
        
        Controls involuntary processes such as breathing.
      - Midbrain
        
        Comprised of structures located deep within the brain, between the forebrain and the hindbrain.
        
        Contains
        
        Reticular formation: Regulating the sleep/wake cycle, arousal, alertness, and motor activity.
        
        Substantia nigra & ventral tegmental area (VTA): Produce dopamine. Are critical for movement. Involved in mood, reward, and addiction.
      - Hindbrain
        
        Located at the back of the head and looks like an extension of the spinal cord.
        
        Contains
        
        Medulla: Controls the automatic processes of the autonomic nervous system, such as breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate.
        
        Pons: Connect the brain and spinal cord. regulating brain activity during sleep.
        
        Cerebellum:
        
        Receives messages from muscles, tendons, joints, and structures in our ear to control balance, coordination, movement, and motor skills.
        
        Processing some types of memories (procedural memory, learn new tasks).
  - - - Maintains communication, sensory and motor information, between the CNS and the outside world.
      - Consists of
        
        Sensory neurons: Include afferent fibers. Carrying sensory information to the CNS.
        
        Motor neurons: Include efferent fibers. Carrying instructions from the CNS to the muscles.
      - Voluntary.
    - - Plays an important role in homeostasis: A state of equilibrium, in which biological conditions are maintained at optimal levels.
        Controls our internal organs and glands.
      - Only consists of motor pathways.
        Has 2 components.
        
        Sympathetic nervous system.
        
        Involve in preparing the body for stress-related activities: to fight or flight. Increase heart rate, blood pressure, digestion and etc.
        
        Parasympathetic nervous system.
        
        Return body to its normal resting state.
      - Involuntary.
- - - - Messenger hormone: Controls all other glands. Simply carries out instructions from hypothalamus.
      - Growth hormone.
      - Endorphins: Pain relief.
      - Hormones that regulate the fluid levels.
    - - Female gonads: ovaries. Create estrogens and progesterone.
      - Male gonads: testes. Create androgens, such as testosterone.