The Brain
The idea that a behavior is associated with a specific brain region.
Localization of function
The brain’s ability to alter its own structure following changes within the body or in the external environment
Neuroplasticity
The basic "contacting point" between neurons.
Synapse or synaptic gap
Hormones are chemicals secreted by ____________ and carried through the _____________ to other parts of the body, where they act on specific target tissues to produce a specific physiological effect.
endocrine glands, bloodstream
What is genotype?
The genetic makeup of an individual. The alleles possessed at a given locus
What does an MRI show us?
soft tissue/structure, bones, blood vessels.
It makes neural networks bigger and stronger.
Repetition
A molecule that binds to a receptor and initiates a response like that of a neurotransmitter. (It mimics a natural substance)
Agonist
A chemical substance produced and released into the environment by an animal affecting the behavior or physiology of others of its own species.
Pheromones
What does the expression “nature vs. nurture” mean?
Whether who we are is determined by genes (nature) or by environmental factors (nurture)
Besides memory, what else is the hippocampus particularly important for?
Spatial orientation/navigation
What happens to neural networks that are not used?
They end up being pruned (cut off) to enhance the performance of the active ones. (neural pruning)
This neurotransmitter is linked reinforcement and rewards.
Dopamine
What is oxytocin? When is it important?
A hormone, often called the "love hormone". Present during childbirth, lactation, relationships (trust building)
Study that aimed to determine whether there is evidence for a gene-environment interaction for a mutation of the serotonin transporter gene 5-HTT
Caspi et al.
What are the limitations of using fMRI?
Patients with metal parts in their bodies cannot be scanned due to the magnets; the space inside is very small; very loud; patients need to stay still for 30-40 minutes; expensive ; some brain activity might be due to “noise” or spontaneous activity; the use of color in the image might be misleading.
How can we observe the effects of neuroplasticity in the brain?
By measuring changes in the density and volume of relevant brain structures.
True or false? A neurotransmitter is a chemical messenger, but the neurotransmission is an electro-chemical process.
True
Name 2 hormones, and 1 piece of research for each.
testosterone- Zak et al (2009) (aggression in animals), Albert et al. (castration of rats)
cortisol- Baumgartner et al. (2008) (trust in relationships) or Ditzen et al. (2009), Radke (fMRI and trust)
etc.
What is the difference between Monozygotic (MZ) and Dizygotic (DZ) Twins? Why do we study them?
MZ:
DZ:
What have we learned from the case of the patient HM?
There are different types of memory, assigned to different places in the brain. HM had his procedural memory preserved, but his declarative memory was lost.
When investigating neuroplasticity, why is it useful to take repeated scans of the brain?
Because neuroplasticity is change that occurs in the brain, and change takes time and cannot be observed with a single measurement.
Once the brain forms a synapse, it can be either strengthened or weakened. What does it depend on?
How often the synapse is used
The existence of a human pheromone is still debatable. How did Wedekind et al. suggest its existence?
They found that MHC (a group of genes that allow the immune system to recognize pathogens) may influence human mate choice based on odor preferences (which suggests that humans’ ability to smell this is similar to animals that release pheromones).
What does the expression “survival of the fittest” mean?
Organisms which survive and reproduce will pass their characteristics (genes) onto the next generation (and those who don’t, won’t). Genes which encode behaviors that increase the likelihood of survival and/or reproduction are more likely to be present in the gene pool of the next generation.