[Psychology] Biological Bases of Behavior
Student’s Name
Institution
[Psychology] Biological Bases of Behavior
Major Anatomical Areas of the Brain: Structure and Function of a Neuron
The brain comprises cerebrum, which occupies the all the upper part of the cranium, cerebellum which occupies the back part of the cranium and the brain stem in the central area of the cranium and between the two above. Cerebrum comprises frontal area, parietal area, the temporal area and the occipital area. These areas are responsible for voluntary actions of the brain such as remembering, reasoning, feeling and motion (Schneider, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The specific processes include emotions regulation, planning, problem solving, decision making, speech, hearing, movements, and vision among others. Cerebellum is found in the back end of the cranium. It has a very high concentration of neurons cells and controls involuntary actions in the body (Baria, Baliki, Parrish, & Apkarian, January 01, 2011). It is responsible for stability, body coordination, posture and respiratory and cardiac activities. It also controls vasodilatation. The brainstem is found beneath the cerebrum and links the brain to the spinal cord. It controls automatic body functions such as digestion, breathing, blood pressure and heart rate.
The Mechanisms of Information Processing At the Cellular and Molecular Levels
Nerve cells process and convey messages through their axons in form similar to electrical pulses. This is achieved through action potential generated as positively charged sodium and potassium ions move across the cell membrane. Neurons retain more positively charged sodium ions outside their cell membranes and more positively charged potassium ion inside (Berger, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Rapid movement of ions across the selectively permeable cell membrane occurs when there is an impulse. This causes transfer of impulse from one nerve cell to the next across synapses. Learning is a chemical process where the neurons get stimulated at the synapse. Learning causes stimulations through movement of ions across the cell membranes. The stimulation leads to formation of more connections of dendrites at the synapse (Petrides, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). These connections are the ‘memories’. The stronger the connections, the better the memories are stored for retrieval (Schulkin, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The connections are developed through the normal protein synthesis although the whole process is initiated through stimulation of neurons. Learning involves development of more dendrites and more neurons which ultimately enlarges the specific area of the brain.
The Influences of Heredity and Environment on Brain Development and Functioning
Hereditary is very crucial in brain development. The development of brain is directly affected by the genetic makeup of each individual which is influenced by the gene recombination from the two parents. The genetic makeup of a person provides a blue print and guides both the pre and post-partum development of a brain (Itakura, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). This determines the size of the brain as well as other natural abilities. Independent assortment of parent’s genes during meiosis can cause genetic problems such as Down’s syndrome among others. At the same time, environment plays a very crucial role in the development of the brain. Such aspects such as nourishment and the exposure of the brains are influenced directly by the environment (Petrides, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). A person with genes for long memory and high intelligence may not develop these characteristics if the brain does not get the right nourishment during the developmental phase. Similarly, such a brain may fail to exhibit such desirable characteristics if it is not exposed to environmental challenges that enhances grown. A brain and especially in the post partum period and throughout the lifetime should be exposed to continuous stimulation to foster healthy growth.
How the Brain Regulates Bodily and Brain Functions,
The brain controls the entire body and itself through two major processes: the nervous system process and the endocrine system (Faingold, & Blumenfeld 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The brain is the centralized control centre for these two processes. In the nervous response, the brain initiates -through automatic and voluntary control centers- pattern of muscle reaction. In the endocrine system, the hypothalamus area of the brain controls all the pituitary glands. The hypothalamus controls behavioral, involuntary and endocrine functions but is primarily involved in homeostatic regulation (Emer, 2013). Transduction occurs when a cells’ external signaling mechanism (which occurs as a maintained gradient of positively charged ions) activates sensory stimuli. This is moved as biochemical and electric impulses through the axons of neurons in form of action potential. This impulse is transmitted across neurons through the synapses to the brain for action. Information is stored by neurons through development of dendrites. This entire process of reception and transfer of stimuli and the hormonal and nervous responses, which generates a physical response, constitutes a behavior.
Psychology] Biological Underpinnings of Human Behavior
A Neuron’s Structure and Function in Relation to the Major Anatomical Areas of the Brain
A person’s brain is composed of three parts: the cerebrum, which occupies the entire upper portion of the cranium, the cerebellum, which occupies the back section of the cranium, and the brain stem, which is located in the central area of the cranium and between the two parts above. The cerebrum is divided into four sections: the frontal area, the parietal area, the temporal area, and the occipital area. These parts of the brain are in charge of the voluntary actions of the brain, such as remembering, reasoning, sensation, and movement (Schneider, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Among the specialized processes are emotion management, planning, problem solving, decision making, speaking, hearing, movements, and vision, to name a few. Other processes include vision and hearing. The cerebellum is a structure located in the rear of the skull. It contains a high concentration of neuronal cells and is responsible for the regulation of involuntary actions in the body (Baria, Baliki, Parrish, & Apkarian, January 01, 2011). It is in charge of maintaining stability, physical coordination, posture, as well as respiratory and cardiac functions. It also has a role in controlling vasodilatation. The brainstem is located beneath the cerebrum and is responsible for connecting the brain to the spinal column. digestion, breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate are all automatic bodily functions that are controlled by this hormone.
Describe the mechanisms by which information is processed. Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Action
Nerve cells process and transmit messages through their axons in a manner similar to that of electrical pulses, which is analogous to electrical impulses. This is accomplished by the action potential generated by the movement of positively charged sodium and potassium ions across the cell’s membrane. Neurons retain a greater amount of positively charged sodium ions outside their cell membranes and a greater amount of positively charged potassium ions inside their cell membranes. According to Berger (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay), a formalized (Berger, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). When an impulse is received, the transport of ions across the selectively permeable cell membrane accelerates dramatically. This results in the transmission of an impulse from one nerve cell to another across synapses. Learning is a chemical process in which neurons are stimulated at the synapse, which is where the information is transferred. The flow of ions across cell membranes is responsible for the stimulation caused by learning. The stimulation results in the creation of additional dendritic connections at the synapse as a result of the stimulation (Petrides, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The’memories’ are formed as a result of these interactions. The greater the strength of the connections, the better the memories are preserved for future retrieval of information (Schulkin, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). In spite of the fact that the entire process is triggered by nerve stimulation, proper protein synthesis is responsible for the development of neural connections. Learning results in the growth of more dendrites and neurons, which in turn results in the expansion of the specific area of the brain that has been trained.
Effects of Heredity and Environment on the Development and Function of the Brain
In the development of the brain, hereditary factors are extremely important. Development of the brain is controlled directly by the genetic makeup of each individual, which is modified by the recombination of genes from the two parents during conception. The genetic makeup of a person serves as a blueprint for the development of a person’s brain, both before and after birth, and it guides both of these processes (Itakura, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The size of the brain, as well as other inherent skills, are determined by this factor. During meiosis, the independent arrangement of the parent’s genes can result in genetic disorders such as Down’s syndrome and other conditions. At the same time, the environment has an extremely important role to play in the formation of the mind. Things like nutrition and brain exposure are directly influenced by the environment, as is the way in which people behave (Petrides, 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). If the brain does not receive the proper nutrition during the growth phase, a person who possesses the genes for long memory and high IQ may be unable to manifest these abilities. An identical brain may fail to exhibit such desirable traits if it is not subjected to external challenges that encourage the development of new neural pathways. A brain, particularly during the postpartum period and throughout one’s lifetime, should be subjected to continual stimulation in order to promote healthy development.
How the Brain Regulates Bodily and Brain Functions, and How the Brain Regulates Bodily and Brain Functions,
It is the brain’s two fundamental processes, the nerve system process and the endocrine system process, that allow it to regulate the entire body as well as itself (Faingold, & Blumenfeld 2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). These two processes are controlled by the brain, which serves as a centralized control center. The nerve response is initiated by the brain, which does so through automatic and voluntary control centers, and results in a pattern of muscle reaction. The hypothalamus region of the brain is responsible for the regulation of all of the pituitary glands in the body. The hypothalamus is responsible for controlling behavioral, involuntary, and endocrine activities, although it is primarily concerned with maintaining homeostasis (Emer, 2013). Transduction happens when a cell’s external signaling mechanism (which manifests itself as a continuously maintained gradient of positively charged ions) activates sensory stimuli in response to the stimulus. This is transported via the axons of neurons in the form of action potentials, which are biochemical and electric impulses. This impulse is transferred between neurons and across synapses to the brain, where it is translated into action. Neurons store information in the form of dendrites, which grow as the neurons mature. A behavior is the culmination of the entire process of receiving and transmitting stimuli, as well as the hormonal and neurological responses that result in a bodily response to those inputs.
References
Baria, A. T., Baliki, M. N., Parrish, T., & Apkarian, A. V. (January 01, 2011). Anatomical and functional assemblies of brain BOLD oscillations. The Journal of Neuroscience : the Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 31, 21, 7910-9.
Schneider, S. M. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The science of consequences: How they affect genes, change the brain, and impact our world. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books.
Berger, K. S. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). The developing person through childhood and adolescence: Special update for dsm-5. New York, N.Y: Worth Publishers.
Schulkin, J. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Preoperative Events: Their Effects on Behavior Following Brain Damage. Hoboken: Taylor and Francis.
Itakura, T. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Deep Brain Stimulation for Neurological Disorders: Theoretical Background and Clinical Application. Dordrecht: Springer.
Petrides, M. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Neuroanatomy of language regions of the human brain. Amsterdam: Academic Press.
Faingold, C., & Blumenfeld, H. (2014: 2024 – Essay Writing Service | Write My Essay For Me Without Delay). Neuronal networks in brain function, CNS disorders, and therapeutics. London: Academic Press.
Emer, S. A. (2013). Behavioral analysis of sensitivity and signal transduction in the infrared imaging system of Burmese pythons using conditioned discrimination.
