Biopsychology

the biological basis of

behavior

Indriana Rakhmawati
INTRODUCTION
• Biological Psychology is the study of the
physiological and genetic basis of behavior.
• Emphasis is placed upon physiological,
evolutionary and developmental mechanisms of
behavior.
• Strong emphasis on brain function.
PENGANTAR
•
Biologi Psikologi adalah studi tentang dasar
perilaku fisiologis dan genetik. Penekanan
ditempatkan pada mekanisme perilaku
fisiologis, evolusi dan perkembangan.
Penekanan kuat pada fungsi otak.
Biopsychology
• Biological Psychology is the study of the
physiological and genetic basis of behavior.
• Psychology
• Brain
• Neural chemistry
• Physics

• Emphasis is placed upon physiological, evolutionary

and developmental mechanisms of behavior.
• Strong emphasis on brain function.
• Biologi Psikologi adalah studi tentang dasar
perilaku fisiologis dan genetik
• Psychology
• Brain
• Neural chemistry
• Physics
The Goals of Biopsychology
1. “Observing” the brain in response to alterations
in the environment and consequent changes in
behavior.

2. Associating abnormal behavior with deficits in

brain function.
The “biological events” that might be
involved in human behavior?

• Genetic make-up—the genetic inheritance we

receive from our biological parents
• Nervous system functioning
• Hormones—endocrine system
• Brain structure & function—the size and shape of
different brain areas & how these different areas
“work”
The two communication systems for your
body are:

• The nervous system

• The endocrine system
Nervous System N.S.

• Central (CNS) Peripheral Central

Brain & Spinal Cord

• Peripheral (PNS) Somatic Autonomic

Somatic

Autonomic
Parasympathetic
Sympathetic ParaSymp
Sympathetic
Autonomic Nervous System
Sympathetic Parasympathetic
• Fight or Flight • Maintenance & Refuel

1. Eyes open Wide 1. Eyes constrict

2. Mouth Goes Dry 2. Mouth Waters
3. HR Increase 3. Digestion
4. Start to Sweat 4. Blood away from muscles
The CNS & PNS work together in executing
behavior…

information
from our Raise your
senses (PNS) Our brain
are sent to the (CNS) sends hand
brain (e.g., messages to because
the “sound” of tell our skeletal you have
a teacher muscles (PNS)
asking a what to do something
question in to say
class)
THE BRAIN
• The cerebral cortex is a higher-level brain structure…it’s
responsible for higher-level cognitive processes
• The cerebral cortex covers the two hemispheres of the
brain with wrinkled folds these “wrinkles” increase the
entire surface area of the cortex.
• The cerebral cortex consists of 30 billion nerve cells and
around 300 trillion synaptic connections!
Cortex
o Parietal Lobe

o Temporal Lobe

o Occipital Lobe

o Frontal Lobe
Functions of the cerebral cortex
• Motor functions—the motor cortex is located at the
rear of the frontal lobe.

• Note that each hemisphere of the brain controls

and receives info from the OPPOSITE side of the
body. So the command for moving your left arm
originates from the motor cortex in your right
hemisphere.
Functions of the cerebral cortex
• Sensory functions
the sensory cortex is located in the front of the
parietal lobe (right behind the motor cortex)
▫ Information from the optic nerve is sent to the
visual cortex located in the occipital lobe
▫ Information from the sensory organs in our ears
are sent to the auditory cortex located in the
temporal lobes
Functions of the cerebral cortex
• Associational functions—
▫ Our brain does lots of organizing and interpretation of
information. This organization and interpretation is
accomplished by association areas in the brain
▫ Association areas are believed to make up ¾ of the
area of the brain
▫ Association areas of the brain used for planning ahead
are believed to be located in the frontal lobes of the
brain
Functions of the cerebral cortex
• Language functions—Two important brain areas
for language are:
▫ Wernicke’s area—located in the left temporal lobe
—important for our understanding of language
▫ Broca’s area—located in the left frontal lobe—
important for spoken language
A mnemonic (memory) device that you can use to
remember some of the locations of these functions…

• Frontal: forethought—thinking & planning

ahead (associational areas)
• Occipital: observing –vision (visual cortex)
• Temporal: twanging –sound (auditory
cortex)
• Parietal: prickling—sensation (sensory
cortex)
Neurotransmitters…
• …are chemicals that are released into the
synapse by neurons.
• These neurotransmitters are “taken back up”
into the terminal buttons of neurons through the
process of reuptake
Neurotransmitters…
• ..and the balance of neurotransmitters in the
body have been implicated in a number of
conditions that are very interesting to
psychologists, such as depression or
schizophrenia (a mental disorder in which an
individual loses touch with reality and e.g., may
hear voices or see things that aren’t there—called
hallucinations)
Types of Neurotransmitters
 Acetylcholine: ACTh
 Norephinephrine: NE
 Dopamine: DA
 Serotonin: 5-HT
 Gamma-amino-butyric acid: GABA
Effects of Neurotransmitters

• Excitatory (merangsang/memicu)

• Inhibitory (menghambat)
Acetylcholine (ACh):
found through out the central nervous system,
autonomic nervous system, and all neuromuscular
junctions.
Excitatory
Involved in muscle action, attention, learning, and
memory
Too much: spasms
Too little: paralysis
Norephinephrine: NE
o Synonymous with Adrenalin
o Found in ANS
o Excitatory
o Responsible for getting “pumped up”
• Fight or Flight Response
o Eating behavior
• Carbo-craving
Dopamine: DA
Reward system
Produced by neurons located in a region of the brain
called the substantia nigra.
Involved in pleasure, movement, attention, and
learning.
Degeneration of dopamine-producing neurons has
been linked with Parkinson’s Disease. Too much
dopamine is implicated in schizophrenia and
Tourette’s .
Serotonin: 5-HT
• Found in the brain and spinal cord.
• Inhibitory
• Plays a role in the regulation of mood and is control
of eating, sleep and arousal. Has also been
implicated in the regulation of pain and dreaming.
• Destroyed by MAO
• SSRI’s (Prozac, Zoloft)
Gamma-amino-butyric acid: GABA

• Found through out the brain and spinal cord, in very

high concentrations compared to other
Neurotransmitters.
• Inhibitory
• Is the major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain.
Abnormal levels of GABA have been linked to eating
and sleeping disorders.
Brain Lateralization
• Right Hemisphere • Left Hemisphere
▫ Left side of the body ▫ Right side of the body
▫ Creativity ▫ Language
▫ Math & Spatial tasks  Wernike & Broca
▫ Nonverbal - Emotion
Endocrine Systems
• The endocrine system is not a part of the
nervous system, but it is still essential to
communication throughout the body.
• This system is composed of glands, which
secrete chemical messengers known as
hormones.
• Hormones are carried in the bloodstream to
specific areas of the body, including organs and
body tissues.
• Some of the most important endocrine glands
include the pineal gland, the hypothalamus, the
pituitary gland, the thyroid, the ovaries and the
testes. Each of these glands works in a number
of unique ways in specific areas of the body.
How are the endocrine and nervous system
linked?
• The brain structure known as the hypothalamus connects
these two important communication systems.
• The hypothalamus is a tiny collection of approximately nuclei
that is responsible for controlling an astonishing amount of
behavior. Located at the base of the forebrain, the
hypothalamus regulates basic needs such as sleep, hunger,
thirst and sex in addition to emotional and stress responses.
• The hypothalamus also controls the pituitary glands, which
then controls the release of hormones from other glands in
the endocrine system.
Motivation & Emotion in the Brain

• Hypothalamus

• Limbic System

• Thalamus