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Biological Basis of Behavior:
Neuron Structure- primary components of the neuron are the soma (cell body), the axon (a long
slender projection that conducts electrical impulses away from the cell body), dendrites (tree-like
structures that receive messages from other neurons), and synapses (specialized junctions
between neurons)
Neuron Impulses/transmissions/communication- transmission occurs when a neuron is
activated, or fired (sends out an electrical impulse)
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(The type of stimulation necessary to produce firing depends on the type of neuron
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When a neuron is sufficiently stimulated to reach
the neural threshold (a level of stimulation below which the cell does not fire), depolarization, or
a change in cell potential occurs
Central Nervous System- main control center of the body—it takes in sensory information,
organizes and synthesizes this input, then provides instructions for motor output to the rest of
the body, made up of the brain and spinal cord
Spinal cord serves as a conduit for signals between the brain and the rest of the body
Peripheral Nervous System- has two components: the somatic nervous system and the
autonomic nervous system, consists of all of the nerves that lie outside the brain and spinal cord
Somatic Nervous System of PNS= made up of nerves that connect to voluntary skeletal
muscles and to sensory receptors
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This system mediates much of the physiological arousal (such as
rapid heart beat, tremor, or sweat) experienced by a fearful person in an emergency situation
- Sympathetic Division= mobilizes the body to respond to emergencies
- Parasympathetic Division= helps to conserve the body's energy
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Used for motor control, sensory control, visceral control, and
control of consciousness
- Limbic System- set of brain structures located at the border of the cortex and responsible for a
variety of functions
- Thalmus= either of two masses of gray matter lying between the cerebral
hemispheres on either side of the third ventricle, relaying sensory information and acting as a
center for pain perception
- Hypothalmus= forebrain below the thalamus that coordinates both the
autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst,
hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity
- Hippocampus= elongated ridges on the floor of each lateral ventricle of the
brain, thought to be the center of emotion, memory, and the autonomic nervous system
- Amygdala= almond-shaped mass of gray matter inside each cerebral
hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions
- Cerebral Cortex- responsible for higher functions of the nervous system, including voluntary
muscle activity and learning, language, and memory
- Corticalization= increase in size and wrinkling of the cortex
- Left/Right Hemisphere Lateralization= certain mental processes that are mainly
specialized to one side or the other
- Corpus Callosum= Nerve fibers which connect the two hemispheres,
responsible for allowing the two hemispheres to communicate with each other and share
information
Occipital Lobe- visual processing center of the brain containing most of the anatomical region of
the visual cortex
Parietal Lobe- processing sensory information regarding the location of parts of the body as well
as interpreting visual information and processing language and mathematics
Temporal Lobe- Involved with hearing, each lobe is responsible for hearing in the opposite ear
Frontal Lobe- controlling thoughts, reasoning, and behaviors
Broca’s Area/Aphasia- disordered way of speaking that can occur after brain damage to the
Broca's Area which is located in the front left side of the brain, usually occurring after a stroke
Broca's aphasia is characterized by being unable to form complete sentences and difficulty
understanding sentences
Wernicke’s Area/Aphasia- difficulty understanding spoken language but are able to produce
sounds, phrases, and word sequences



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