Localization & Plasticity
Define localization theory.
Specific parts of the brain are responsible for specific behaviours or cognitive processes.
What are the nerve cells involved in neurotransmission?
Neurons
1990 Initiative which mapped and sequenced the human genome
Human Genome Project
Hormone responsible for generating the "fight or flight" response
Adrenaline
Diagnosed with viral encephalitis. He had large lesions on his medial temporal lobe, the part of the brain responsible for the formation of long-term memory. Both the amygdala and the hippocampus were completely destroyed.
Eugene Pauly (EP)
Name the study that involved putting rats into enriched or deprived environment to investigate neuroplasticity in rats.
Rosenzweig, Bennett & Diamond 1972
Study responsible for injecting rats with scopolamine (ACh inhibitor) and observing their performance in navigating through a maze.
Rogers & Kesner (2003)
The probability that the same trait will be present in both members of a pair of twins.
What system is responsible for the secretion of hormones?
Endocrine system
At the age of 27 he had become so incapacitated by his seizures that he could not lead a normal life and medication did not help him. With the approval of the patient and his family, the neurosurgeon performed an experimental surgery where he removed tissue from the medial temporal lobe (including the hippocampus) on both sides of his brain.
Milner and Scoville (HM)
What is the system responsible for regulating emotions and memory?
Limbic System
Electric impulse that runs along the body of a neuron
Axon potential
Define epigenetics
Interactions between genetic inheritance and environmental stimuli
What are the known and confirmed human pheromones?
There are no confirmed human pheromones.
Aim was to determine the potential role of biological factors on flashbulb memories. Participants were put into an FMRI and presented with words relative to summer or the attacks of 9/11. Participants’ brain activity was measured as they recalled events from summer and 9/11.
Sharot et al 2007
What part of the neuron is most affected by learning?
Dendrites
What does acetylcholine do?
Plays a role in the consolidation of memory in the hippocampus
Capsi et al 2003 concluded that depression may be caused by lower levels of what neurotransmitter?
Serotonin
Name of the study that involved showing participants either a mundane or traumatic story and asked to recall the details. In one of the conditions, traumatic story participants were injected with a beta-blocker.
McGaugh & Cahill (1995)
The aim of the study was to see whether the brains of London taxi drivers would be somehow different as a result of their exceptional knowledge of the city and the many hours that they spend behind the wheel navigating the streets of London.
Maguire 2000
Name each lobe of the cerebral cortex and their key functions
Frontal- Executive functions/decision making; Occipital- Visual processing; Parietal- Stimuli perception; Temporal- Auditory processing and memory
Summarize the process of neurotransmission
Axon potential releases stored neurotransmitters into synaptic gap > neurotransmitters fit into receptor sites > broken down my enzymes and reabsorbed
What is evolutionary psychology?
Theory that as genes mutate, those that are advantageous are passed down through a process of natural selection.
What pheromones are responsible for creating rapid behavioural effects
Signaling Pheromones
The study used a double-blind procedure and participants were randomly allocated to one of two conditions. They were injected with either Scopolamine or a placebo 70 - 90 minutes before taking part in the experimental task. The participants were then put into an fMRI where they were scanned while playing the "Arena task." This is a rather complex virtual reality game in which the researchers are observing how well the participants are able to create spatial memories.
Antonova et al 2011