Biology and Behavior

8/29/16

Measuring Brain Activity

- Electroencephalogram (EEF)
o Electrical activity detected by electrodes placed on the scalp
o Measures the electrical currents shooting around in the brain with everything we
do.
o Noninvasive method
- Microelectrode
o Monitors or stimulates activity of a single neuron “reads the activity of a neuron”
o Invasive method
- Magnetic Resonance imaging (MRI)
o Produces clear and detailed images without exposure to potentially dangerous X-
rays like a CT scan.
o Can be used to find abnormalities in the brain or other system of the body
o It’s extremely dangerous to have metal on or in your body because the magnets
are so powerful they can pull the metal right out.
- Positron Emission Tomography (PET Scan)
o Studies normal brain activity and identifies malfunctions
o Maps patterns of blood flow, oxygen use, and glucose consumption.
 Glucose is food for the brain, the only food the brain can function off of.
 Allows for the study of the action of drugs on the brain.
- Functional MRI (FMRI)
o Provides images of structure and activity on the brain
o Images are usually better and requires no injections of glucose (radioactive or
other)
o More localized and faster
Neurons and Neurotransmitters: The Structure of the Neuron
- A neuron is a specialized cell that conducts electrical impulses through the nervous
system.
- Neurotransmitters are specialized chemicals that are released by the neuron that can
either inhibit (stop) an electrical impulse from happening or facilitate (start) an electrical
impulse.
- Cell Body
o The metabolic center of the neuron enclosed by the semipermeable cell
membrane.
- Dendrites
o The branches extending from the cell body, which receive most of the signals
from other nerves.
- Axon
o The slender extension that projects from the cell body and transmits signals to
the dendrites or cell bodies of other neurons and to the muscles, glands, and
other parts of the body.
 o The signal sent is called “action potential.”
o The resting potential is -70mV when the neuron is doing nothing.
o When a signal comes along, the cell depolarizes for a small amount of time and
becomes a positive 30mv when the action potential is sent all the way through
the neuron
o When the action potential goes through the entire neuron, the cell repolarizes
and goes back to -70mV
- Nodes of Ranveir
o The gaps in the myelin sheath.
- Myelin Sheath
o The fatty coating on some axons that act as insolation.
- Branches
o Sprouts from the axon that end in bulbous axon terminals.
- Synaptic Cleffs (Synapse)
o gaps between axon terminals and the relieving neurons, across signals are
terminated.
o 100 trillion synapses in the CNS.
- Axon Terminal
o Bulbous end of the axon where signals move from the axon of one neuron to the
dendrites or cell body of an other.
Neurons and Neurotransmitters: Communication between
Neurons
- All or none law
- Refractory period
o For a few milliseconds after a neuron is
fired, it can not fire again.
- Receptors
o Little spots along the dendrites (specific
ones for specific actions)
o Protein molecules on the surfaces of
dendrites and cell bodies that have
distinctive shapes and will interact only with
specific neurotransmitters.

Human Nervous System

- Nervous System
- Central Nervous System
o Brain
o Spinal Cord
- Peripheral Nervous System carries information to and from CNS
o Somatic Nervous System
 Controls skeletal muscles; interacts with external movement.
o Autonomic Nervous System
 Regulates body’s internal environment including organs, glands, and
blood cells.
 Sympathetic Nervous system prepares the body for action “fight
or flight.” People with anxiety have this happen anytime there is a
stressful event or environment.
 Parasympathetic Nervous System returns the body to its normal
state after the “fight or flight” mode is over. “Rest and Digest”
The Human Nervous System: The Central Nervous System
- Spinal Cord
o Best thought of as an extension of the brain like the “tail” of the brain.
o Transmits messages between the brain and the peripheral nervous system.
o Can act without help from the brain to protect the body from injury, which is
called the spinal reflex.
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