Biological Psychology and Neuroscience Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Biological Psychology and Neuroscience flashcards as text
The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is primarily activated in response to:
Answer: Stress and perceived threats
The HPA axis is the central stress response system; stressors trigger the hypothalamus to release CRH, which drives pituitary ACTH release, ultimately causing the adrenal cortex to secrete cortisol.
During REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, brain activity most closely resembles:
Answer: A waking, alert state
EEG recordings during REM sleep show high-frequency, low-amplitude waves nearly identical to the waking state, which is why REM is often called paradoxical sleep.
Split-brain research by Sperry and Gazzaniga demonstrated that severing the corpus callosum results in:
Answer: Independent functioning of the two cerebral hemispheres
Split-brain studies showed that with the corpus callosum severed, each hemisphere independently perceives and responds to information, revealing distinct specializations of the left and right hemispheres.
Which neuroimaging technique measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood oxygenation levels (the BOLD signal)?
Answer: fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)
fMRI measures the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, mapping neural activity by detecting hemodynamic responses to increased oxygen demand in active brain regions.
Heritability estimates in behavioral genetics are best defined as:
Answer: The proportion of trait variance in a population attributable to genetic differences
Heritability is a population-level statistic describing what proportion of observed variation in a trait is accounted for by genetic variation; it does not indicate how much of the trait itself is genetic.
Endogenous opioid neuropeptides (endorphins) are released primarily in response to:
Answer: Stress and pain
Endorphins are released in response to pain and physical stress, producing analgesia and feelings of euphoria by binding to opioid receptors—the same receptors targeted by morphine and heroin.
The case of Phineas Gage, in which an iron rod destroyed much of his prefrontal cortex, provided early evidence that the prefrontal cortex is critical for:
Answer: Personality, decision-making, and impulse control
After his injury, Gage showed profound personality changes—becoming impulsive, irreverent, and unable to plan—demonstrating the prefrontal cortex's role in executive function and social behavior.