So far, we have discussed the fundamentals of

how behavior actually develops in an individual. Our

lesson now focuses on the biological processes that play
a role in how we think, feel, react and behave.

Every year, millions of people are affected by

disorders of the brain and nervous system including
Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, stroke, and traumatic
brain injuries. Because of this, it becomes extremely
important to know the biological bases for our behavior.
In this week's lesson, we'll explore some of the basics of
biological psychology.
This lesson will cover the following topics:
• What is biopsychology?
• What is a neuron?
• The structure and functions of a neuron.
• The brain.
WHAT IS BIOPSYCHOLOGY?

The area of psychology that seeks to

understand how the brain affects behavior is known as
biopsychology, although some refer to this subject as
psychobiology or behavioral neuroscience.

Biopsychology analyzes how the brain,

neurotransmitters, and other aspects of our physical
biology influence our behaviors, thoughts, and
feelings. Biopsychologists often look at how biological
processes interact with emotions, analysis, and other
mental processes.
THE NEURON

Neurons are nerve cells.

Our body consist BILLIONS of these
cells. It is the basic building block of
the nervous system. Neurons are
similar to other cells in the human
body in many ways, but there is one
key difference between neurons and
other cells. Neurons are specialized
to transmit information throughout
the body. These highly specialized
nerve cells are responsible for
communicating information in both
chemical and electrical forms. There
are also two major types of neurons
responsible for different tasks in the
human body.

Sensory neurons carry

information from the sensory
receptor cells throughout the body
to the brain. Motor neurons transmit
information from the brain to the
muscles of the body.
HOW DO NEURONS FUNCTION?

Simply put, sensory and motor neurons receive stimulus

from the nerve cells located around our body. Stimulus is
anything outside that affects our senses. This information is
processed inside a neuron, transmitted through the axons, and
passed on to the dendrites of another neuron, travelling all the
way to the brain to process information.

Let's use the tongue as an example. Just like in many

parts of our body, there are nerve cells in the tongue. When your
tongue tastes food, the chemical component of the food is
received by the nerve cells in your tongue. That means the food is
the stimulus.
 The brain
Our nerve cells Our neurons
transforms the
We experience react to the process the info
information into
the STIMULUS experience and chemicals and
thoughts and
around us transmit the info transmit it to the
sends signals to
to the neurons brain
the body

After getting received by a nerve cell, the chemical

information travels through neurons. The neurons processes
the information (taste, texture, etc.) and passes that
information in chemical and electrical form through their
axons and to another neuron's dendrite all the way to the
brain. The brain then would determine what food it is by
accessing your memories. This information transportation
takes a matter of milliseconds. That's why even when you are
blindfolded, you recognize the taste of food in your mouth.
 Here’s another example; One day, you were just sitting in
your sofa when a centipede suddenly bites your leg. That’s the
stimulus, the “bite”.

In milliseconds, the nerve cells react to the bite, they don't

know what it is, so they send the stimulus information to the neurons.
At this point your body doesn’t know what to do yet.

Also in a matter of milliseconds The neurons process this

stimulus information and TRANSMIT it from one neuron to the next.
The neurons need to send this to the brain immediately so that your
body will know what to do.

The brain will access its library of memories, feelings, etc.

This is when the brain finds out that this specific stimulus is NOT a
good thing. The human skin was punctured, there was something that
punctured the skin.

The brain needs to send a message to the leg or the body to

MOVE. What's the message? "There's pain, move!"

After the pain and our body's sudden movement, the brain
continues processing the feeling because the neurons never stop
sending messages. And so we ask ourselves "What could it be?" "It
feels like a bite!" "Did we clean the sofa?" "What kind of bug was
that?" "Where IS IT?".
 HERE'S THE DRAMATIC VERSION:

*Centipede bites your leg, puncturing your skin*

*NERVE CELLS under your skin suddenly wake up, alert*

NERVE CELL: Whoa, whoa! What's that! I felt something!

*NERVE CELL calls the NEURON hotline*

NEURON #1: This is the NEURON hotline, what’s your

emergency?. Okay. Okay…where are you located?.. The leg? Uh-
huh. Can you explain what the sensation was? Okay. Okay. I will
send this to the brain, thank you.

*NEURON #1 passes the message to NEURON #2, who then passes

the message to NEURON #3, then #4, and so on and so forth*

*Message reaches the BRAIN*

BRAIN: Hmm, what do we have here? Let’s see now…

*BRAIN shuffles through the library to

figure out the stimulus*

BRAIN: Oh…OH! Oh this is not GOOD! NOT GOOD! Neuron! Send

this to the Nerve Cell on the leg, NOW!

*BRAIN types a simple message 'LOTS OF PAIN, MOVE!' and sends

it to the leg using the neurons*
 In summary, a centipede bit your leg, you're not sure what
it is, but it's really painful and so you react suddenly by jerking your
leg and suddenly standing up. The interaction between nerve cells,
neurons, the brain, and your leg happens in less than a second.

At that point, you still don't know what it is. Your neurons
keep sending the same signals to your brain: "pain, pain, pain". so
your brain is wondering "what is it?" "where is it??"

But when your EYES finally find the centipede, that will
trigger another set of nerve cells and neurons, and it will send that
"visual stimulus" to the brain. The brain will access it's library again
to find out what it is.

Obviously, the brain's library depends on how much

memories it has gained through experience.
NEURONS serve as the body’s information
super highway – complete with delivery
trucks and a map of your body. Without
neurons, you will never feel the pain of a
centipede.

You will never know the taste of the food

you’re eating.

You will never know if you have broken a

bone.

You will never feel the comfort or

discomfort of temperature.

You will never know if you’re thirsty or not.

 BIOPSYCHOLOGY
and

Mental Depression
 Any psychologist/therapist knows that in the
case of diagnosing mental disorders such as depression
or anxieties, before going to the MIND, first you need to
address the condition of the BRAIN.

It's because that whatever the mind feels, the

brain has a direct effect to. It's like a computer, if
there's an error, you can’t just say it’s misbehaving. You
need to look at applications, you need to look at
programming, you need to see if there are imbalances
in the codes, you also need to check the hardware.

When your body receives a stimulus, your

brain processes and releases chemicals. These
chemicals are known as NEUROTRANSMITTERS.
There are three neurotransmitters implicated in
depression: Dopamine, Norepinephrine, and
Serotonin.
DOPAMINE
A substance that plays a major role in mood is
dopamine. Dopamine creates positive feelings associated with
reward or reinforcement that motivate us to continue with a
task or activity.

For example: you've been working out because your

goal is to look good in summer while wearing your swimwear.
When you look in the mirror with satisfaction, or when
someone compliments you for how you look, the feeling of
achievement that you feel is specifically because of the
dopamine produced by your brain.
NOREPINEPHRINE
Norepinephrine plays a role with the chemical known
as adrenaline. Basically it's a hormone that gets produced at
times of an emergency "fight or flight". Your heart beats faster,
you become stronger, you become more resistant to pain, and
you become more focused.

For example: it's the last five seconds in a basketball

game, two more points and your team wins. You suddenly get
a hold of the ball. The feeling that you have while running, your
eyes darting from one player to the basketball ring, the
movements of your body trying to avoid other players, all the
while paying attention to the time, that's all because of
norepinephrine.
SEROTONIN
Another neurotransmitter is serotonin or the "feel good"
chemical. In addition to helping regulate your mood, serotonin
has a number of different jobs throughout the body from your
stomach digestion, to blood clotting, to sexual function.

Serotonin plays a major role in the medication of

depression. Antidepressant medications like Prozac and other
selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), all act by elevating
serotonin levels produced by the brain. Newer antidepressants
called serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) like
Effexor target both serotonin and norepinephrine production.
 Contrary to popular belief the brain does not suffer
from thinking too much. The brain is a powerful organ that
can carry loads of information. It’s main function is to THINK.

But the problem is that we forget that the brain is

still a PHYSICAL component of the body, and so it should be
treated like any organ in the body – it needs rest and it
needs nutrition.
MOST COMMON CAUSES OF DEPRESSION
The brain produces neurotransmitters whenever we perform an
action, or when we experience receiving an action. Such as when we work,
when we achieve something, or when we experience affection. Generally it’s
what keeps us positive, its what keeps us “happy”.

In the case of depression, even when we achieve something, even

when we work, and even when someone shows us affection, we do not feel
the positive emotions associated with it simply because our brain is not
producing ENOUGH of the neurotransmitters.

As we said previously, the brain is a physical component of the body,

and it should be treated as such. So what are the most common causes why
the brain is NOT producing enough transmitters? Simply put, we’re not doing
what the human body should NATURALLY do, such as:

• We’re not getting enough sleep (or too much screen time)
• We’re not eating on time (or may crash dieting)
• We’re not working-out (living a sedentary lifestyle)

NOTE:

The case of mental depression shall be discussed

more in our lesson on METAL HEALTH
THE

BRAIN
 The human brain is not only one of the most
important organs in the human body; it is also the
most complex. In the following tour, you will learn
about the basic structures that make up the brain as
well as how the brain works.

Please note that this lesson is NOT an in-

depth look at all of the research on the brain (there
are too many). Instead, the goal of this brain tour is to
familiarize you with major brain structures and their
functions.
THE CEREBRAL CORTEX

The cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that functions to make
human beings unique. Distinctly human traits including thought, language, and
human consciousness as well as the ability to think, reason and imagine all
originate in the cerebral cortex.

Physically, the cerebral cortex is what we see when we Google

images of the word “brain”. It's the outermost portion that's divided into two.
But it actually has four divisions based on role. Each lump on the surface of the
brain is known as a gyrus, while the grooves are known as sulcus. The cerebral
cortex is made up of four lobes:
Frontal Lobe. This lobe is located at the front of the brain and is associated
with reasoning, movement, and expressive language. Damage to the frontal
lobe can lead to changes in socialization, attention as well as increased risk-
taking.

Parietal Lobe. The parietal lobe is located in the middle section of the brain
and is associated with processing information such as physical pressure,
touch, and pain. A portion of the brain known as the somatosensory cortex
is located in this lobe. The somatosensory cortex is essential to processing
some the body's senses, especially touch.

Temporal Lobe. The temporal lobe is located on the bottom section of the
brain. This lobe is also the location of the primary auditory cortex, which is
important for interpreting sounds and the language we hear. The
hippocampus is also located in the temporal lobe. The hippocampus is the
portion of the brain that's responsible for the formation of memories.
Obviously, damage to the temporal lobe can lead to problems with
memory, speech, and language skills.

Occipital Lobe. The occipital lobe is located at the back portion of the brain
and is associated with interpreting what you see. The primary visual cortex,
which receives and interprets information from the retinas of the eyes, is
located in the occipital lobe. Damage to this lobe can cause visual problems
such as difficulty recognizing objects, an inability to identify colors, and
trouble recognizing words.
THE BRAIN STEM

The brain stem is comprised of the midbrain, pons, and medulla, and
is often considered the smallest region of the brain. It acts as a regulator for
auditory and visual information. The midbrain controls many important
functions such as the visual and auditory systems as well as eye movement.
One way to immediately recognize the importance of the midbrain is to be
reminded of how the pupil of our eyes react to light. The midbrain is
responsible for that reflex.

The medulla is
located directly above the
spinal cord in the lower part of
the brain stem and controls
many vital involuntary muscle
movements such as heart
beats, breathing, and blood
pressure.

The pons connects

the cerebral cortex to the
medulla and to the cerebellum
and serves a number of
important functions including
playing a role in several
autonomic functions such as
controlling sleep cycles.
THE CEREBELLUM

Sometimes referred to as the "Little Brain" the cerebellum lies on top

of the pons behind the brain stem. The cerebellum is comprised of small lobes
and receives information from the balance system of the inner ear, sensory
nerves, and the auditory and visual systems. It is involved in the coordination of
movements as well as learning movements.

The cerebellum helps control posture, balance, and the coordination of

movements. This allows different muscle groups in the body to act together
and produce coordinated fluid movement. Dancers and people who often go
the gym can thank the cerebellum for making them remember the reflexes of
their muscles when they dance or workout.
THE HYPOTHALAMUS

The hypothalamus is a collection of cells that lie

along the base of the brain near the pituitary gland. The
hypothalamus is responsible for controlling hunger, thirst,
emotions, and body temperature. The hypothalamus also
controls hormones, so it's responsible for many things
including emotions, sexual orientation, and sexual urges.