Ethology
True or False: Environment and experience can alter your genetics.
True! Genetic activation / the epigenome is flexible
True or false: Neurons only use chemical signaling (ie, neurotransmitters)
False! They use electrical signaling (APs) and synaptic transmission
What defines a hormone? Spell out the acronym SSTRAD.
Synthesized, secreted, transported (in blood), received, (have) action, degraded.
What are the 4 main lobes of the brain? Where are they located?
Frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital
What region is the reward center of the brain?
Nucleus accumbens
What are the 3 necessary factors for natural selection to act?
Mutations/variation
Heritability
Differential reproductive success (pressure)
What is the name of the neuronal cell body?
Soma
Enzyme conjugated anitbody (conjugated antibody)
Test antibody (capture antibody 1)
Control antibody (capture antibody 2)
What does HYPO in hypothalamus mean?
Hypo means low (ie, below thalamus)
What is the amygdala associated with?
Behaviors and memories about fear or strong emotion.
What are Tinbergen's four questions?
Proximate Questions (How & When)
- Mechanism/Causation
- Development/Ontogeny
Ultimate Questions (Why & Ancestry)
- Function/Adaptive Value
Define afferent vs efferent signaling.
Afferent = toward brain (ie sensory)
Efferent = away from brain (ie motor)
What are the two neurohypophoseal hormones? Where do they come from?
Oxytocin and vasopressin which are synthesized in the hypothalamus (PVN/SON).
The hyothalamus
Where is dopamine synthesized in the brain?
The ventral tegmental area (VTA) for the limbic system but also the substantia nigra (SN).
Describe and give an example of a fixed action pattern (FAP).
A fixed action pattern (FAP) is an instinctive, innate sequence of behaviors, triggered by a specific external stimulus. Learning can shape this behavior over time. Example from class = squirrels cracking nuts.
What is the difference between grey and white matter? Why is white matter white?
Grey = cell bodies
White = axons/projections
It is white because of the fatty myelin.
Give one example of hormone cross-talk.
-- DHT, T, and adrenal androgens all bind to androgen receptor
-- Cort binds to glucocorticoid receptor AND mineralocorticoid receptor
-- Growth hormone and prolactin (milk example)
-- hCG and thyroid (pregnancy example)
What is the stock of the pituitary called?
Infundibulum
Describe the mesolimbic pathway.
VTA --> NAc
Prostate genes are a good example of what concept? Why is it evolutionarily adaptive?
Antagonistic pleiotropy. A gene that increases fitness when young and decreases fitness when old. These genes are often present because reproduction is more important than post-reproductive survival.
What does high heart rate variability (or RSA) tell you about the autonomic nervous system? Why?
More RSA indicates more parasympathetic activation. PNS slows heart rate via the vagus nerve, but the vagus nerve gets compressed during inhalation, making the heart beat faster.
Name the 4 stimulating hormones that we talked about in lecture. Where do they come from?
LH, FSH, ACTH, TSH
What part of the brain directly interacts with the blood to detect toxins?
Circumventricular organs (located around ventricle) in brain stem (for example, the area postrema).
When do we see miniscule or even negative change in dopamine release in response to a reward?
When the reward is small or not as good as our expectations -- especially in juveniles/teenagers.