Physiological

• Physiological psychology


  The study of the physiological basis of how we think, connecting the physical operation of the brain with what we actually say and do

  
• Physiological Psychology is concerned with brain cells, brain structures and components, brain chemistry, and how all this leads to speech and action
• The human nervous system makes possible all that we can do, all we can know, and all that we can experience

  
• The modern history of physiological psychology

  • Psychologists have combined the experimental methods of psychology with those of physiology and have applied them to the issues that concern all psychologists
  • They have studied perceptual processes, control of movement, sleep and waking, reproductive behaviors, ingestive behaviors, emotional behaviors, learning, and language
  • In recent years they have begun to study the physiology of human pathological conditions, such as addiction and mental disorders
• Early knowledge gained through

  1. Observing how behavior changes when different parts of the brain are damaged

  2. Animal experiments by removing or cutting various parts of the brain and observing differences in behavior

  3. Utilizing necessary brain surgery by prodding parts of the brain and asking the conscious patient what they experience

  4. Study of brain chemistry by exploring how various drugs affect brain functioning

  
• Modern scanning systems


  • fMRI and PET have given further insights as activation of parts of the brain can be seen without the more intrusive former methods
• Behavior


  The process of responding to some form of energy in the environment by an activity generally useful to life
• Stimulus


  A form of energy, anything that affects the organism
• The brain and spinal cord

  • Have essentially the function of a switchboard
  • A complex network of millions of central neurons connects functionally
  • We receive thousands of different stimuli daily, and are capable of an enormous variety of responses
• Central nervous System (CNS)


  Made up of the Brain, the Spinal Cord and the Neurons

  
• Nerve impulse


  Electrical information transmitted in the CNS
• Mechanisms of Behavior


  • Receiving Mechanisms (Senses)
  • Connecting Mechanisms (Neurons, Brain, Spinal Cord)
  • Reacting Mechanisms (Muscles, Glands)

  
• Neurons


  • The Basic Unit of the Nervous System
  • Estimated 10-12 billion or higher

  
• Parts of the Neuron

  • Cell body
  • Axon
  • Dendrites
  • Terminal buttons
• Four Types of Messengers

  • Neurotransmitters
  • Neuromodulators
  • Hormones
  • Pheromones
• Neurotransmitters


  • Endogenous chemicals that enable neurotransmission
  • A type of chemical messenger which transmits signals across a chemical synapse, from one neuron to another "target" neuron, muscle cell, or gland cell
• Synapse/synaptic Junction


  The gap through which a neurotransmitter passes, from one neuron to another
• Types of Neurotransmitters


  • Excitatory neurotransmitters (e.g. epinephrine, norepinephrine)
  • Inhibitory neurotransmitters (e.g. serotonin, GABA)
  • Neurotransmitters that can create both excitatory and inhibitory effects (e.g. acetylcholine, dopamine)
  • Modulatory neurotransmitters/Neuromodulators
• Acetylcholine (ACh)


  An excitatory neurotransmitter that stimulates muscle contraction, except at the parasympathetic endings of the vagus nerve where it is inhibitory
• Norepinephrine (NE)


  An excitatory neurotransmitter that increases the level of alertness and wakefulness, and has been implicated in mood disorders
• Epinephrine (Epi)


  An excitatory neurotransmitter that prepares the body for the fight-or-flight response
• Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)


  The body's main inhibitory chemical messenger, contributing to vision, motor control, and regulation of anxiety
• Glutamate


  The most plentiful neurotransmitter found in the nervous system, playing a role in cognitive functions such as memory and learning, but excessive amounts can cause excitotoxicity
• Oxytocin


  A hormone and neurotransmitter that plays a role in social recognition, bonding, and sexual reproduction
• Endorphins


  Neurotransmitters that inhibit the transmission of pain signals and promote feelings of euphoria
• Histamine


  Acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain and spinal cord, playing a role in allergic reactions
• Dopamine


  Plays an important role in the coordination of body movements, reward, motivation, and addictions
• Serotonin


  Plays an important role in regulating and modulating mood, sleep, anxiety, sexuality, and appetite
• Neurotransmitters play a critical role in neural communication, influencing everything from involuntary movements to learning to mood
• Neurotransmitters can be affected by disease, drugs, or even the actions of other chemical messengers
• The brain


  • Controls who we are: how we think, feel, and act
  • Gives meaning to our world and our place in it
  • Controls all major body functions
  • Housed in the skull, which protects it from injury
  • Grows from a pound at birth to approximately three pounds by adulthood
  • A crucial component of the central nervous system (CNS)
• Meninges


  Three layers of tissue between the skull and brain that protect the brain
• Spinal Cord


  • Contains neural circuits that control some of our most rapid reactions to environmental changes
  • The only nervous link between the brain and the rest of the body
• Divisions of the Brain


  • Brain Stem (Medulla oblongata, Midbrain, Pons)
  • Cerebellum
  • Cerebrum (Frontal Lobe, Parietal Lobe, Occipital Lobe, Temporal Lobe)
  • Thalamus
  • Hypothalamus
  • Hippocampus
  • Amygdala
  • Basal Ganglia
  • Corpus Callosum
• Amygdala


  An almond-shape set of neurons that plays a key role in the processing of emotions and forms part of the limbic system
• Corpus Callosum


  A thick band of nerve fibers that divides the cerebral cortex lobes into left and right hemispheres, allowing for communication between both hemispheres
• The study of physiology has made possible a better understanding of human behavior and function, as well as the function and behavior of other species