Health Psychology 122 - Biological bases (Lecture 3-4)
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- Cerebral cortex function
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Complex mental processes
(eg. problem solving) - Limbic system function
- Regulates EMOTIONS and BEHAVIOR
- Thalamus function
- Sensory information passes through here to the cortex
- Glutamate
- Excitation of neurons throughout the nervous sytem
- GABA
- Inhibition of neurons in the brain
- Glycene
- Inhibition of neurons in the spinal cord and lower brain
- Dopamine
- Emotional arousal, pleasure and reward, voluntary movement attention
- Seratonin
- Sleep and emotional arousal, aggression, pain regulation, mood regulation
- Acetylcholine
- Learning and memory
- Endorphins and Enkaphalins
- Pain relief and elevation of mood
- Epinephrine and norepinephrine
- Emotional arousal, anxiety and fear
- Other functions for the Cerebral cortex
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Provides flexible control of patterns of movement
discriminate between complex sensory patterns
Symbolic thinking - The left hemisphere is more holistic/analytic while the right hemisphere is more holistic/analytic.
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Left hemisphere = analytic
Right hemisphere = holistic - Which structure in the baby is the closest to adult size?
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The brain
90% of the adult weight by 2-6 years
- Synaptic pruning
- Reducing the overall number of neurons causing a change in neural structure
- The brain develops in which direction?
- Anterior --> Posterior (Front to back)
- What are the 3 effectors of the sensitive periods of development?
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-Stimulation
-Experience
-Understimulation - Stimulation (periods of deveopment)
- Vital for growth spurts
- Experience (Periods of development)
- Wires a childs brain growth
- Understimulation (periods of development)
- Impairs development
- MRI
- Medical Resonance Imaging - Uses magnetic fields and radio waves to generate pulses of energy to exhibit specific frequencies. Receivers detect these frequencies and result in a scan of the brain.
- Symptoms of severe white matter injury
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-Very little convolutions
-skull is not filled
Could be due to over consumption of alcohol - Main endocrine glands
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-Pituitary
-Thyroid
-Adrenals
-Pancreas
-Ovaries
-Testes - Which structures are part of the limbic system?
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Hippocampus
Amygdala
Hypothalamus - Hippocampus
- Acquisition of memories
- Amygdala
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Emotional control and recognition of emotion
Related to acquisition of threat and danger - Hypothalamus
- Maintain homeostasis
- Brain Plasticity
- Changes in the performance of the brain; may involve the creation of new synapses or changes in the function of existing synapses
- What 2 things can reshape the brain after birth?
- New Life Experiences & New cell growth
- What class of drug is MDMA (Ecstasy)?
- Stimulant
- What are the medical uses of MDMA?
- Aid to psychotherapy
- What is ecstasy a derivative of?
- Amphetamine
- How long does it take for ecstasy to get into the brain?
- 15 minutes
- Psychoactive drugs
- Drugs that contain chemicals that affect brain activity and consciousness
- What are the 3 major structures of the reward pathway?
- Ventral tegmental area (VTA), Nucleus accumbens and the Prefrontal cortex
- Intoxication
- Alteration in brain function brought about by drug use
- Withdrawal
- Alteration in brain function brought about by the cessation of drug use
- Tolerance
- Need to take more of a psychoactive drug in order to produce the same effect
- Dependence/Addiction
- Cluster of congitive, behaivoural and physiological symptoms that indicate severe impairment and distress due to drug use.
- How long does it take for ecstasy to leave the body?
- 36-40 hours
- Stimulant
- Drugs that increase arousal and speed up mental and physical activity
- Depressants
- Drugs that reduce awareness of external stimuli and slow down bodily functions
- Hallucinogens
- Drugs that produce hallucinations ; usually viual
- Acute effects of ecstasy
-
Heightened perceptions
Reduced Appetite
Stimulation
Elevated mood - Adverse Effects of ecstasy
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Clouded thinking
Hyperthermia
Disturbed behavior
Jaw clenching - Life threatening effects of Ecstasy
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Hyperthermia
Arrhythmias
Renal Failure - Examples of Stimulants
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MDMA
Methamphetamine
Cocaine
Tobacco
Nicotine
Caffiene
- Examples of Depressants
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Alcohol
Opiates
Heroine
Morphine - Examples of Hallucinogens
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LSD
PCP
Marijuana - Long term effects of Ecstasy
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Chemistry
-Serotonin reduced
-Serotonin metabolites reduced
Structure
-Serotonin Transporters reduced
-Serotonin Terminals degenerate - Short term effects of Ecstasy
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Depression like feelings
Irritability - Teratogens
- Environmental agent that causes damage during the prenatal period
- Effects of Cocaine (teratogen)
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Cocaine babies higher risk of
-Genital, urinary tract, kidney and heart deformities
-Brain seizures - Effects of Tobacco (teratogen)
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Risks of
-LBW
-Prematurity
-Miscarriage
-Infant death - Effects of Alcohol
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Fetal alcohol spectrum diorder (FASD)
-LBW, small head
-organ dysfunction
-facial abnormalities
-Poor coordination
-poor social learning
-behavioral problems - Neonatal absence syndrome
- Babies that undergo withdrawal
- Areas affected by ecstasy
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Neocortex
Basal ganglia
Hypothalamus
amygdala
hippocampus - What is the function of the Raphe nucleus?
- Releases seratonin to the rest of the brain
- Opiates stimulate which parts of the brain?
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Caudate nucleus
Thalamus
Reward pathway - Cocaine stimulates which parts of the brain?
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Caudate nucleus
Reward Pathway -
Tetrahydrocannabanoid(THC)stimulates which parts of the brain?
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Cerebellum
Hippocampus
Caudate Nucleus
Reward Pathway