LECTURE : 4

Biological Basis of Behaviour

The Nervous System
Neurons
Divisions of the Nervous system
Brain

NEURONS: PRIMARY UNITS

OF THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

Neurons range in length from less than a millimetre to

more than a meter in length. Yet all neurons are made
up of essentially the same parts.
The human nervous system is composed of 100 billion
neurons.
Cell Body: Is the central part of the nerve cell. It
contains the cells control centre, or nucleus, and other
components necessary for the cells preservation and
nourishment.
Dendrites: Are small branches that extend out from
the cell body and receive messages from other neurons.
Axons: The axons are small branches at the other end
of the neuron that perform a function opposite that of
the dendrites. Axon carry messages away from the cell
body and transmit these messages to the next neuron.

CONTD.
Myelin

Sheath: a layer of fatty tissue

segmentally encasing the fibers of many
neurons ; enables vastly greater
transmission speed of neural impulses as
the impulse hops from one node to the next.

Action Potential: a neural impulse; a brief

electrical charge that travels down an axon.
The action potential is generated by the
movement of positively charged atoms in and
out of channels in the axons membrane.

STRUCTURE OF A NEURON

CONTD.

Information travels in the nervous system through

three types of neurons. The sensory neurons
send information from the bodys tissues and
sensory organs inward to the brain and the spinal
cord , which process the information.
The processing involves a second class of neurons
the central nervous systems own interneurons,
which enable its internal communication.
The central nervous system then sends
instructions out to the bodys tissues via the
motor neurons.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The bodys speedy, electrochemical

communication system, consisting of all the
nerve cells/neurons of the peripheral and the
central nervous systems.
Neurons are the elementary components of the
nervous system.
Neurons communicating with other neurons form
our bodys primary information system, the
nervous system.

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM

The

brain and spinal cord form the central

nervous system (CNS). The Peripheral
nervous system (PNS) links the central
nervous system with the bodys sense
receptors, muscles, and glands. The sensory
and the motor axons carrying this PNS
information are bundled into the electrical
cables that we know as nerves.

The

optic nerve, for example , bundles nearly a

million axon fibres into a single cable carrying
the information that each eye sends to the
brain.

THE PERIPHERAL NERVOUS

SYSTEM

1.

2.

The Peripheral Nervous System can be

divided into two components:
The Somatic Nervous System: Controls
the movements of our skeletal muscles .
The Autonomic Nervous System:
Controls glands and the muscles of our
internal organs . It usually operates on its
own to influence the internal functioning,
including our heartbeat, digestion, and
glandular activity.
The autonomic nervous system is a dual
system consisting of the sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous system.

CONTD.

The Sympathetic Nervous System arouses

us for defensive action. If something alarms or
enrages you, the sympathetic nervous system
will accelerate your heart beat, slow your
digestion, raise your blood sugar level, cool
you with perspiration , dilate your arteries
thus making you alert and ready for action.

When the stress subsides , the

parasympathetic nervous system produces
opposite effects. It conserves energy as it calms
you by decreasing your heart rate , lowering
your blood sugar and so forth.

In everyday situation these both work together

to keep us in a steady internal state .

THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

(SPINAL CORD AND BRAIN)
Spinal Cord

The CNSs spinal cord is an information highway

connecting the peripheral nervous system to the brain
ascending neural tracts send up sensory information, and
descending tracts send back motor-control information.
The neural pathways which enable the pain reflex , are
automatic response to the stimuli, illustrate the spinal
cords work.
When your finger touches a flame , neural activity excited
by the heat travels via sensory neurons to interneurons in
your spinal cord. These interneurons respond by activating
motor neurons to the muscles in your arm. That is why it
feels your hand jerks away not by your choice , but on its
own.

BRAIN

The other part of your central nervous system , your brain,

receives information , interprets it and decides responses.
In doing so the brain rather acts like a computing
machine . It receives slightly differing images of of an
object from the two eyes , computes their difference , and
instantly infers how far away the object must be to project
such a difference .
In our brains, one neural network is interconnected with
other networks that do different things . There are no
arrows to tell us where one network ends and the next
begins,; what distinguishes them in their specific functions.
Each is a subnetwork, contributing its little bit of
information to the whole information processing system
that we call the brain.

Brain
Introduction to the structure
and functions of the brain
Genetics influence on Behavior

STRUCTURE AND FUNCTIONS OF

THE BRAIN

All mental functions require the integrated

functioning of many parts of the brain : no
function of the brain is carried out solely in one
part. Still, the brain does have many specialised
parts, each bearing primary responsibilities for
certain activities.
The most convenient classification divides the
brain into three major parts: the hind brain, the
midbrain and the forebrain.

Each part of the brain interacts with the entire

nervous system, and the parts work together in
intellectual, physical and emotional functions.
The brain is an organ that is elastic to some
degree, it changes over the course of
development.

PARTS OF THE BRAIN AND THEIR

FUNCTIONS
Hindbrain

Medulla

Sensory and motor

Pons

Regulation of sleepwake cycle

Reflexes (e.g.,
balance), coordinates
movements

Cerebellum

Midbrain
Forebrain

nerves crossover

Hearing , vision relay

point, Pain registered
Thalamus

Hypothalamus

Major message relay

center, regulates
higher brain centers
and peripheral
nervous system
Emotion and
motivation, stress
reactions

FOREBRAIN: CEREBRAL
HEMISPHERES

The two cerebral hemispheres take up most of the room

inside the skull. They balloon out over the brain stem,
fold down over it and hide most of it from view. They are
more highly developed in humans than in animals.
The account for 80 percent of the weight of the human
brain, and they contain about 70 percent of the neurons
in the central nervous system.
The outer layer of the cerebral hemispheres is called the
cerebral cortex. If the cerebral cortex were to spread
out , it could cover 2 to 3 feet . To fit inside the skull , the
cerebral cortex has developed intricate folds.

Cerebral

Hemispheres
Occipital lobe
Temporal lobe

Parietal lobe

Frontal lobe

Receives and processes

visual information
Complex vision,
hearing and smell,
balance and
equilibrium, emotions
and motivations and
some language
Processing
sensory
comprehensions
information,
visual/spatial abilities
Goal- directed
behavior,
concentration,
emotional control and
temperament,
voluntary movement,
coordinates messages

GENETIC INFLUENCE ON
BEHAVIOR

Genes play their role by influencing the creation or

synthesis of protein in cells, which influences the
nature and of the type of cells that are our neurons.
The nature of our neurons is just not effected by our
genes but is also influenced by our experience in the
environment experience can and does alter neurons.
The nature of our neurons then works with the
environment to shape our behavior and mental
processes.
Differences in our neurons play a role by influencing
how we interact with the environment and how the
environment influences us.

Studies of Twins:
Monozygotic Twins: Twins formed from a single
ovum; they are identical in appearance because
they have the same genetic structure.

Dizygotic Twins: Twins formed from the

fertilization of two ova by two sperms.