PSYC1001

Biological Psychology
 Does eating
bananas improve
your mood?
 What is biological psychology?
• Mental processes and
behaviors are a result of the
activity of nerve cells

• Cartesian mind-body dualism

• Monism
 Some research questions in biological psychology
(aka behavioral neuroscience)
• Where do emotions register in the brain?

• What is the biological basis of psychological disorders and

their cures, such as Major Depressive Disorder?

• How is memory formed in the brain? How does the brain

perceive sensory information?

• What part of the brain activates as one is socially excluded?

• Can sociocultural/ individual differences be explained by

neurological differences?
Zhu, Zhang, Fan & Han (2007)
Early Attempts

• Early theorizing

• Phrenology

• Accidents (natural
experiments)
Contemporary Approaches
• EEG electroencephalogram

• Magnetic Resonance Imaging

• PET

• Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation

How is the nervous system organized?
The Major Divisions of the Nervous System
• PNS

– Somatic nervous system (skeletal muscles/

sensory signals)

– Autonomic nervous system (internal organs/

glands) –involuntary
• Cannot consciously control these organs/ glands
The Spinal Cord, Brainstem, and Cerebellum (1 of 2)

The Spinal Cord and the Spinal Nerves

The Spinal Cord, Brainstem, and Cerebellum (2 of 2)
• Endorphin (natural painkiller)

• Endogenous morphine
 Subcortical brain
• Beneath the cerebral cortex
Subcortical Structures (1 of 2)
Subcortical Structures (2 of 2)
• Anterograde amnesia (failure to form new
memory)

• Retrograde amnesia (memory functions fail

for old memories)

• Nucleus accumbens
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/science/risky-rats-help-shine-
light-on-brain-circuitry-behind-taking-a-chance.html
 The Cerebral Cortex
• The outermost layer of the brain

• Higher cognitive functions

Albert Einstein’s Brain
Left or right?

Front or rear?
 Localization of brain functions
• The frontal lobe

– Prefrontal cortex

– Motor cortex

– Broca’s area (expressive aphasia)

Localization of brain functions

• The occipital lobe

– Primary visual cortex

Localization of brain functions

• The temporal lobe

– Primary auditory cortex

– Wernicke’s area (receptive aphasia)

– Face recognition - Prosopagnosia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vQGPcYfIAo
Localization of brain functions
• The parietal lobe

– Somatosensory cortex

– Neglect syndrome
Prosopagnosia: Face Blindness

Patient WJ finds it
easier to recognize
sheep faces than
human faces

McNeill & Warrington (1993)

Cortical homunculus
• Phantom Limb Syndrome
Myths about the brain
 Myth 1

Humans only use 10% of

the brain.
 Myth 2

About mirror neurons …

 Myth 3

People can be classified into right-

brain person and left-brain person
Experiments with
split-brain patients
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zx53Zj7EKQE
 Myth 3

People can be classified into right-

brain person and left-brain person
The Major Divisions of the Nervous System
Autonomous
nervous system
The endocrine system
 What are neurons?
How do they communicate?
• Body cell

• Dendrites

• Axon
– Myelination

• Glia
 What is a neural signal?
• Two-step process
– Electrical signal
– Chemical messages

• Resting potential (negative)

What is a neural signal?
From resting potential to action potential
Myelin sheath speeding up neural transmission
 Synapses
• Neurotransmitters

• Synaptic cleft

• Reuptake mechanism
Neurons are like logic gates

- -
-
- + -
- -
-
 Neurotransmitters
• Many of them

• Poison - Curare

• Caffeine - Adenosine

• Psychoactive drugs
– Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)
 Does eating
bananas improve
your mood?
 Conclusion
• Biological basis of psychology
– Nervous system
– Endocrine system

• Caution about reductionism

• Chapter 4