Chapter 3: The

Biological Bases of
Behavior
Types of Neurons
 Afferent neurons (Sensory),
 relay information from the senses to the brain
and spinal cord.
▪ Eyes, ears, nose, mouth, and skin
 Efferent neurons (motor),
 send information from the central nervous
system to the glands and muscles,
▪ enables the body to move.
 Interneurons
 carry information between neurons
▪ in the brain
▪ in the spinal cord

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Structures of a neuron
The cell body

 Contains the cell’s Nucleus

◦ Round, centrally located

structure
◦ Contains DNA
◦ Controls protein
manufacturing
Dendrites
 Information
collectors
 Receive inputs
from neighboring
neurons
 Inputs may
number in
thousands
Axon

 The long threadlike part of a

nerve cell along which
impulses are conducted
from the cell body to other
◦ tube like structure
branches at end that
connect to dendrites
of other cells
Myelin sheath

 White fatty
casing on axon
 Acts as an
electrical insulator
 Not present on all
cells
 When present
increases the
speed of neural Myelin Sheath

signals down the

axon.
How neurons communicate
• Neurons communicate by means of
an electrical signal called the Action
Potential
• Action Potentials are based on
movements of ions between the
outside and inside of the cell
• When an Action Potential occurs a
molecular message is sent to
neighboring neurons
Central Nervous System

Brain
Spinal
Cord
 Brain and Spinal Cord
Figure 3.5 Organization of the human nervous system
Brain has 2 Hemispheres

 Left & Right sides are Corpus Callosum

separate Right
 Corpus Callosum : major Hemisphere
pathway between
hemispheres
 Some functions are
‘lateralized’
◦ language on left
◦ math, music on right

Left
Hemisphere
Figure 3.14 The cerebral hemispheres and the corpus callosum
Right Brain/Left Brain:
Cerebral Specialization

Cerebral Hemispheres – two

specialized halves connected by the
corpus collosum
◦ Left hemisphere – verbal processing:
language, speech, reading, writing
◦ Right hemisphere – nonverbal processing:
spatial, musical, visual recognition
Brain Regions and Functions
 Hindbrain – It is the control centre for visceral function. As a result,
this part of the brain plays a role in controlling the heart rate,
breathing, blood pressure, sleep and waking up functions etc.  The
hindbrain has three parts, namely – medulla oblongata, Pons and
cerebellum.
 Midbrain – The midbrain connects the forebrain and the hindbrain. It
acts as a bridge and transmits signals from hindbrain and forebrain. It
is associated with motor control, vision, hearing, temperature
regulation, alertness.
 Forebrain – It is the main thinking part of the brain and controls the
voluntary actions. The forebrain processes sensory information that is
collected from the various sense organs such as ears, eyes, nose,
tongue, skin. It is because of the presence of forebrain, humans are
placed at the highest level in the animal chain.
 The forebrain consists of the Cerebrum, Thalamus and Hypothalamus.
 Neurogenesis in the Adult Brain
 Neurogenesis is the process by which new neurons are formed
in the brain. Neurogenesis is crucial when an embryo is
developing, but also continues in certain brain regions after
birth and throughout our lifespan.   
 Adult neurogenesis is known to occur in three regions in the
mammalian brain:
 the sub granular zone (SGZ) of the dentate gyrus in
the hippocampus, which is a region that is involved in
regulating learning and memory
 the subventricular zone (SVZ), which is situated throughout
the lateral walls of the brain’s lateral ventricles (see figure
below).

the amygdala.
A coronal view of the adult human brain shows the lateral ventricles (LV) and the
subventricular zone (arrows), where adult neurogenesis occurs.