The scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes
Everything psychological
Is also biological
The human brain constantly changes and adjusts to new experiences
Plasticity
The brain's ability to change by reorganizing after damage or building new pathways based on experience
Biological psychology
Scientific study of the links between biological and psychological processes
Cognitive neuroscience
Interdisciplinary study of the links between brain activity and cognition
Cognitive neuroscience studies
Perception
Thinking
Memory
Language
Neurons exist in a vast and densely interconnected web
Action potential
A nerve impulse, a brief electrical charge that travels down an axon
Glial cells (glia)
Cells in the nervous system that support, nourish, and protect neurons
Glial cells
Play a vital role in learning, thinking, and memory
Provide nutrients and myelin
Synapse
The junction between the axon tip of a sending neuron and the dendrite or cell body of a receiving neuron
All-or-none response
A neuron's reaction of either firing or not firing
A strong stimulus triggers more neurons to fire
Neurotransmitters
Neuron-produced chemicals that cross the synaptic gap to carry messages to other neurons or muscles
Reuptake
Neurotransmitters in the synapse are reabsorbed into the sending neurons
Excitatory signals
Accelerate the receiving neuron's activity
Inhibitory signals
Slow down the receiving neuron's activity
If (excitatory signal) minus (inhibitory signal) exceeds a minimum intensity or threshold, the neuron fires
Neurotransmitters and their functions
Acetylcholine (ACh): Enables muscle action, learning, and memory
Dopamine: Influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion
Serotonin: Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal
Norepinephrine: Helps control alertness and arousal
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid): A major inhibitory neurotransmitter
Glutamate: A major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory
Endorphins: Neurotransmitters that influence the perception of pain or pleasure
Nervous system
The body's speedy, electrochemical communication network
Parts of the nervous system
Central nervous system (CNS): The brain and spinal cord
Peripheral nervous system (PNS): Sensory and motor neurons connecting the CNS to the rest of the body
Types of neurons
Sensory neurons: Carry incoming messages from the body's tissues and sensory receptors to the spinal cord and brain
Motor neurons: Carry outgoing instructions from the CNS to the body's muscles
Interneurons: Present in the brain and spinal cord, communicate internally and process information between sensory inputs and motor outputs
A simple reflex is a rapid, automatic, unlearned response to a sensory stimulus
Parts of the peripheral nervous system
Somatic nervous system: Controls the body's skeletal muscles
Autonomic nervous system (ANS): Controls the glands and muscles of internal organs
Sympathetic nervous system
Arouses the body, mobilizing its energy in stressful situations
Parasympathetic nervous system
Calms the body, conserving its energy
Endocrine system
Set of glands that secrete hormones into the bloodstream
Hormones
Chemical messengers manufactured by the endocrine glands that travel through the bloodstream and affect other tissues
The effects of endocrine messages last longer than those of neural messages
Pituitary gland
Known as the master gland, releases hormones and sends messages to other endocrine glands to release their hormones
If your pituitary gland doesn't function properly, it affects vital parts like your brain, skin, energy, mood, reproductive organs, vision, growth and more
Brain
Enables one's humanity, contains 86 billion neurons that cluster into work groups to form neural networks that govern reflexes
Spinal cord
Two-way highway connecting the PNS and the brain, injury could cause the loss of sensation and voluntary movement
Electroencephalograph (EEG)
Uses electrodes placed on the scalp to record waves of electrical activity sweeping across the brain's surface
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Depicts where a radioactive form of glucose goes while the brain performs a given task