Biological Basis of

Behavior
MIND BODY AND BEHAVIOUR
The mind-body Issue

WHAT EXACTLY IS THE RELATIONSHIP

BETWEEN THE MIND AND THE
PHYSICAL BODY (BRAIN)??
 brain and behavior are two of the most interesting subjects of scientific research
 biopsychology focuses on the relation between them.
 biopsychology began to emerge as a distinct area in psychology towards the end of the 19th
century
 Hebb’s The Organization of Behavior (1949) is thought to be key factor in the field’s
development
 Biopsychologists study how the brain and the rest of the nervous system determine what we
perceive, feel, think, say, and do
 This may prove to be the ultimate challenge for the human brain…
 Does our brain have the capacity to understand something as complex as itself?
 Dualism
 Dualism is the view that the mind exists as a separate and
distinct entity from the physical self.
 This view goes back as far as Socrates and Plato
 Was rigorously defended by philosopher Rene Descartes in 17th Century
France

 This view has fallen from acceptance in the larger scientific

community
 Monism
 Monism is the view that the mind is what the brain ‘does’.
 3 versions of monism:
 Materialism – only the physical world exists, all mental experiences can be
explained by physical reactions
 Mentalism – the opposite of materialism, only mental events exist & the
physical world is dependent on our belief in it
 Identity position – the physical world exists, but we have mental experiences
that are different than the physical activity responsible for them
 Genetics in a nutshell
 Basis of what we know today all stems from the work of Gregor
Mendel in the 1800’s
 Pertinent vocabulary: genes, chromosomes, DNA, RNA, proteins,
enzymes, homozygous, heterozygous, dominant, recessive.
 Some traits are sex-linked, all others are autosomal
 Sex limited genes = both sexes have the gene, but it is only active in
one of the sexes.
 Variation happens through recombination and mutation
Heritability
 How likely is it that a given characteristic arises due to
genetics?
 Twin Studies
 Adoption Studies

 Still a very difficult question to answer –

 ‘Environmental’ influences start before birth
 Heritable traits (genetic predisposition) can be markedly influenced by
environmental factors = this is no black & white issue
Are behaviors heritable??
 Consider mating behaviors in birds or stress
responses in rats.

 Fairly strong evidence that at least tendencies

towards certain behaviors are heritable in
humans.
  Sociobiology 
 This is the study of the evolution and biological determinants of
social behavior (in animals and humans)

 The kinds of research questions a Sociobiologist might ask:

 Altruism?
 Incest
 Imprinting
 Methods and Techniques
To study brain and body
Encephalogram (EEG),
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Positron emission tomography (PET)
Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS)
Brain Waves
EEG
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
This is a diagnostic test that uses electrodes placed over the scalp to record the electrical activity
of the brain, especially the cerebral cortex. The recording of potential differences on the scalp
caused by brain activity was first reported by Hans Berger in 1929. This gave rise to the EEG that
is used widely today.
The EEG measures mass changes in synaptic activity in the nerves of the brain and is helpful in
diagnosing, treating and evaluating diseases that change electrical activity in the brain, such as
epilepsy. Around a couple of decades ago, multichannel EEG recording techniques came into
use.
These use mathematically extensive modelling algorithms to help locate functional brain areas
based on the scalp-potential distributions. This is termed high-resolution EEG.
The first recording of cerebral magnetic fields was performed with an induction coil by David
Cohen in 1968. The first recording with a superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID)
was also performed by Cohen in 1972. The pioneering research on MEG then began.
MEG can map brain activity by recording the electromagnetic fields that are produced by the
naturally occurring electrical currents in the brain. This technique offers a better spatial
resolution than EEG and helps to pinpoint problematic sites.
Regional cerebral blood flow imaging has been assessed using radioactive tracer substances
since the early 1960s. Such techniques include computed tomography (CT), positron emission
tomography (PET) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scans.
Both EEG and MEG have their disadvantages and have been replaced by more recent methods
such as functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This technique can detect the smallest of
changes and is useful in both diagnosis of disease and the development of treatments.
fMRI uses very powerful magnets and can localize brain activity changes to regions as small as
one cubic millimeter. In addition, it is not an invasive procedure and can be used widely.
However fMRI, does fail to provide real-time dynamics of blood flow within the brain.
Photon migration tomography (PMT; also called near-infrared spectroscopy or optical imaging) is
another new method for measuring cortical activity and assesses the scattering of near-infrared
light from the brain tissue.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is a technique used to excite neurons using strong and time-
varying magnetic fields. The procedure is non-invasive and painless.