...Epilepsy is a growing neurological disease that many people do not know a lot about. It was once thought of as being controlled by demons, the devil or witches, and even caused mass amounts of discrimination through the years. After the accusations, a few different scientists are known for big discoveries such as a diagnostic tool that is used in most cases of the disease today. Epilepsy has a growing list of seizures, all which have their own unique symptoms, names and precautions for those surrounding the seizure patient. There are not many preventions and very few treatment options, which allows this disease to continue to be mysterious and unknown by many. Epilepsy is a very serious disease that everyone should know about, including the...
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...BIO-REGULATORS OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR Human beings – products of biological functions and their behaviors are influenced by many factors (one of these factors is biological or physiological) Nervous system & Endocrine system (both biological & physiological) – regulators of human behaviors. The Nervous System * Most complex and elaborate system of biological structure in the human body. It regulates the behavior of an individual to make him survive. Neuron – the basic unit of the nervous system Producing and transmitting electrical and chemical signals from a stimulus to a response. (Distinct parts: dendrites, soma, axon, myelin sheath, nodes.) Dendrites – fine and tiny hairlike structure looks like a branch of a tree. They receive nerve impulses (messages/information which are electrical in nature) for nearby neurons and send the information to the cell body (the process is called axonal transmission) Cell body or soma – contains the nucleus that provide energy for transmitting the stimulus received from the dendrites to axon. It performs work of metabolism. Axon – found at the other end of cell body. It carries away the stimulus to Another neuron. *There is only one axon in neuron. (process of transmitting info from neuron to neuron is called synaptic transmission) Myelin sheath – fatty material that covers and protects the axons. Its function is tospeed up the conduction of nerve impulses. Nodes – they serve as break on the momentum of the speed...
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...Growing up Epileptic June of 1980 is the year I was born. It was a time when Neurologist did not know much about Epilepsy. Born to a mother who did not know how to handle a child, every time she would pick me up or move me in any way, I would not stop crying. How do people deal with things or people that are different from what they know? In the same case, those that are different from the majority, how do they grow up in a world where they are treated as outcast? This is my story, a story of a girl who always felt like an outcast, and has used it to her advantage. As a child, my mother and I would drive every few weeks to Children’s Hospital in Seattle, WA, for routine exams. For the most part, the procedures consisted of a scan or a simple test where I would have to visualize something and describe what I saw. The only problem was I did not know how to visualize something without seeing a picture of it first. Other times I was blindfolded. I was instructed to select items that had the same shape and place them in a box. This procedure became my favorite because I found a way to cheat. More so, this lead to my fascination of doing things blindfolded or with my eyes closed. No matter what it was, I spent a lot of my youth sitting in a hospital waiting for the doctor to show up or having someone draw my blood for more test. I disliked having my blood drawn, so I would always ask for the butterfly. It takes longer but the needle is a quarter of an inch long compared to...
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...University of Phoenix Material Neurotransmitter Chart Select four neurotransmitters. Complete a table for each neurotransmitter. |Neurotransmitter 1 |State if this neurotransmitter is inhibitory or excitatory: | |(Dopamine) | Both | | | | |What is this neurotransmitter's role on behavior? | | | Dopamine’s role on behavior involves whether there is a decrease of dopamine or an increase. In the case that there is a decrease then there is a chance that the individuals’ behavior will | |represent an individual that id depressed. In the case that there is an increase then the individual will show behaviors of the individual feeling happy and as if they are feeling pleasure. | | ...
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...Epilepsy "Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by short, recurrent, periodic attacks of sensory and motor malfunctions called seizures. Epileptic seizures are initiated by abnormal discharges of electricity from the brain. They occur suddenly and overwhelm the patient without any possibility of avoiding the fit. Seizures are brief, lasting from seconds to minutes. "The negative phenomenon that a patient might experience as a result of seizures is loss of awareness, loss of muscle tone, or loss of language."3 A nonepileptic seizure, one that is not caused by epilepsy, is an episode of abnormal behavior that is not caused by a disturbance in brain activity, but by some other problem. Abrupt drops the blood pressure, an imbalance...
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...Epilepsy is a disorder that affects the central nervous system, which is caused when nerve cell activity in the brain is interrupted. This interruption in activity is called a seizure, which is an excessive and abnormal release of neurons. There are about 30 million people all over the world that suffer from Epilepsy, the onset of epilepsy begins at any age (Breedlove & Watson, 2013). To completely understand this disorder, we must learn what happens to the brain when a seizure takes place, and how it effects the rest of the body. The brain When seizures occur, neurons are active at the same time when they are not supposed to be. Active neurons are electrical signals relaying messages from neuron to neuron. Each electrical signal the passes...
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...for both medicinal purposes, as it provides treatment for many patients who suffer from a variety of ailments, and recreational purposes, as it isn’t dangerous like other decriminalized drugs. In normal bodily functions, inhibitory neurotransmitters (such as Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)) exist in the synaptic cleft, which is the gap between neurons. The neuron is the basic functioning unit of the nervous system. It is an elongated cell that’s purpose is to transmit messages from the brain to motor neurons, which allows humans to function. The messages travel via an electrical current from one end of the neuron to the other. These messages are then transmitted between the neurons in a pathway through the synaptic cleft – the gap between adjacent neurons – via chemicals called neurotransmitters. Dopamine is one of several neurotransmitters that causes the post-synaptic neuron (the neuron after the synapse, the one that ‘receives’ the message) to polarize in its charge, thus transmitting the message to the next neuron in the pathway. Neurotransmitters can either be excitatory or inhibitory. Excitatory neurotransmitters increase the probability that the target cell will fire an action potential and polarize (i.e. Dopamine). Inhibitory neurotransmitters regulate...
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...It has long been speculated that there is a relationship between exercise and it’s effects on mental health. However, it has not been until recent years that evidence has shown that exercise indeed has a profound benefit on brain function. Studies show that humans and animals that are engaged in regular physical activity have an improvement in learning and memory, protection of overall mental health, and also suggest that an active and healthy lifestyle may help in reversing the effects and causes of depression. One of the most intreresting changes caused by exercise is Neurogenesis, or the creation of new neurons. New neurons are created in the hippocampus, however the exact process behind this neurogenesis is still unknown. It is possible that stresses caused by exercise result in a spike in calcium in neural cell, which, in turn, causes hippocampal neurons to run through a cell building process. This cell building process activates the BDNF (Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor) gene, which creates BDNF proteins that aid the process of neurogenesis. Thus it is shown that BDNF is generated as a protective response to stress, as it acts not only to generate new neurons, but also to protect existing neurons. (Cotman, Berchtold & Christie, 2007) However, BDNFs do more than protect, they also repair. For example, in a comparison between sedentary and active mice, scientists found that mice which were generally more active rebuilt damaged brain tissue more efficiently than sedentary...
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...experience our interactions with them, and with other people, in the future, yet the precise roles that different memory systems play in these processes have yet to be elucidated. Short-term memory involves a temporary synaptic modification, presumably consisting of transient alterations in the concentration, binding, or uptake of various neuro transmitter substances. Short-term synaptic enhancement refers to a model of such short-term memory processes, and it suggests a way that neurochemical activity might briefly maintain memories by modifying the synapse for brief periods of time. The mechanisms mediating STE appear to occur primarily in the presynaptic neuron, perhaps involving an increased number of synaptic vesicles releasing neurotransmitter substance into the cleft in response to an action...
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...Exercise 6: Cardiovascular Physiology: Activity 4: Examining the Effects of Chemical Modifiers on Heart Rate Lab Report Pre-lab Quiz Results You scored 100% by answering 4 out of 4 questions correctly. 1. The parasympathetic nervous system releases __________ to affect heart rate. You correctly answered: d. acetylcholine 2. A cholinergic drug that worked the same as acetylcholine would You correctly answered: c. be an agonist and decrease heart rate. 3. Norepinephrine affects the heart rate by You correctly answered: a. increasing the rate of depolarization and increasing the frequency of action potentials. 4. The __________ receptor binds norepinephrine and epinephrine. You correctly answered: b. ß-1 adrenergic 03/02/13 page 1 Experiment Results Predict Question: Predict Question 1: Pilocarpine is a cholinergic drug, an acetylcholine agonist. Predict the effect that pilocarpine will have on heart rate. Your answer : b. Pilocarpine will decrease heart rate. Predict Question 2: Atropine is another cholinergic drug, an acetylcholine antagonist. Predict the effect that atropine will have on heart rate. Your answer : a. Atropine will increase heart rate. Stop & Think Questions: Which of the following is true of epinephrine? You correctly answered: c. It increases the heart rate and mimics the sympathetic nervous system. The final chemical modifier we will look at is digitalis (also known as digoxin and digitoxin and derived from the foxglove plant). Individuals with weakened...
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...Outline and evaluate biological explanations of depression. 8 + 16 marks One biological explanation of depression is genes. This suggests that depression is inherited. Research shows that individuals with a depressed relative (parent/sibling) are 1.5. to 3 times more likely to develop depression than those without a depressed relative. Twin studies show a concordance rate of 46% for MZ (identical) compared with 20% for DZ (non-identical) twins. This suggests that genes have a role in whether people develop depression or not. However, concordance rates are never 100% for identical twins so this suggests that genes can’t be a full explanation because MZ twins share 100% of their genes and so if genes were the only cause of depression there would be a 100% concordance. This means that there must be other factors involved for example environmental ones such as upbringing and interaction with parents and family members. Higher concordance rates for MZ twins could be explained by the fact that being identical, they are more likely to share a more similar life experience than non-identical twins. It makes sense to take a mixed approach; the diathesis-stress model shows how there can be a genetic predisposition, which is triggered by environmental cues such as life experience. Research has shown that women who were genetically predisposed to depression (had an identical twin suffering with depression) were more likely to develop depressive symptoms when faced with negative life experiences...
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...Gabriel Test 1 Study Guide (Topics and Concepts) for Chapter 1 and 2: Chapter 1 * Define psychology Psychology is the scientific study of behavior and mental processes * Identify and explain psychology’s four primary goals.description, explanation, prediction, influence * Understand the meaning of a theory a theory organizes facts systematically and guides scientific reaserach * **Compare and contrast basic and applied research Basic research is to seek new knowledge and expore and advance scientific understanding. Applied research is to solve practical problems and improve the quality of life * Compare and contrast naturalistic and laboratory observations, case studies and survey research, including their advantages and limitations. Naturalistic Observation – where reasearchers observe behavior in its natural setting without attempting to influence or control it. It allows study of behavior in normal settings but you have to wait for things to happen and observer bias distrots observations. Laboratory Observation- Studying behavior in a labortatory, Reasearchers have more control and use morepresise equipment to measure responses but they lose sontaneirt that occurs when behaviours take place in a more natural setting Case study – an in depth study of one or a few participants consisting of info gathered through observations, interviews and psychological testing. Good for studying people who have uncommon psychological or physiological disorders or brain...
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...controller of behavior. For centuries, scientists and philosophers have been infatuated by the brain, but until recently the brain has been viewed as perplexing. Now, however, the brain is beginning to show its secrets. Scientists have learned more about the brain in the last few years than in all previous centuries because of the accelerating pace of research in neurological and behavioral science and the development of new research techniques. The brain is like a committee of experts. All the parts of the brain work together, but each part has its own special properties. Biological causes of clinical depression continue to be studied extensively. Great progress has been made in the understanding of brain function, the influence of neurotransmitters, and other biological processes, as well as how they may relate to the development of depression. Depression or anxiety causes individuals to have many changes in their behaviors. They tend to become isolated from their family, friends, or be social. Their eating patterns lead to either weight gain or loss; and sleeping patterns change where they either do not sleep or sleep excessively. They become agitated, irritable, and fatigue or have lack of energy. Biological psychology aims at finding the biological factor of depression. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, (SSRI) have had a major impact on the field of biological psychology because it is the most commonly prescribed medication for the treatment of depression and other...
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...Physiological Effects of Caffeine: (Note that the doses of caffeine required to produce such effects, and the severity of those effects, varies between individuals.) CARDIOVASCULAR (-) Caffeine is a vasoconstrictor and stimulant. (-) Caffeine often increases blood pressure by contracting the heart and blood vessels in non-habitual users. Effects usually subside after 3 – 4 h. (-) Caffeine changes the electro-physiological activity of the heart, increasing conductivity, even in limited doses. (-) Heavy caffeine consumption raises (by about 2 mmol/L)the plasma levels of homocystine, a risk factor for heart disease. (-) Caffeine raises plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine levels in non-habitual users. (-) Coffee intake may raise serum cholesterol levels. Intakes of 5+ cups of unfiltered have been shown to raise cholesterol levels by 0.5 – 1.0 mmol/L (20 – 40 mg/dL). GASTROINTESTINAL (-) Caffeine stimulates gastric secretion. Some individuals are sensitive to caffeine and suffer ill effects such as acid indigestion, heartburn, abdominal pain, gas or constipation to varying degrees. (-) Coffee can cause emesis (vomiting) (-) Caffeine inhibits vassopressin, it acts as a powerful diuretic (it increases urination.) (-) Liver metabolism is effected by methylxanthines such as caffeine. It increases the levels of cyclic AMP and decreases the level of branched chain and aromatic amino acids in plasma. MUSCULAR/SKELETAL (-) Caffeine can mobilize calcium from cells and may lead...
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...cells growth and core functions. Dendrites are branches off the outer edges of the soma. Their role is to receive messages or neurotransmitters from other neurons. The axon is a wire that extends from the soma; it sends outgoing messages to the terminal buttons (small knot like structures at the ends of the axon). Terminal buttons store...
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