Biological Bases of Behavior
What to know
Neurons communicate electrically within (action potential) and chemically between (neurotransmitters across the synapse). Know the all-or-nothing firing principle and refractory period. Key neurotransmitters: acetylcholine (muscle/memory), dopamine (reward, movement, schizophrenia/Parkinson's links), serotonin (mood, sleep), norepinephrine (arousal), GABA (inhibition), glutamate (excitation), endorphins (pain relief).
Nervous system organization
The central nervous system is brain and spinal cord; the peripheral splits into somatic (voluntary) and autonomic, and autonomic into sympathetic (fight-or-flight) and parasympathetic (rest-and-digest). Reflexes can bypass the brain via the spinal cord.
Brain structures
Hindbrain: medulla (vital functions), pons, cerebellum (balance, coordination). Midbrain: reticular formation (arousal). Forebrain: thalamus (sensory relay), hypothalamus (hunger, temperature, endocrine control), limbic system-amygdala (emotion/fear), hippocampus (memory formation)-and cerebral cortex. Lobes: frontal (motor, planning, Broca's area), parietal (somatosensory), temporal (hearing, Wernicke's area), occipital (vision). Split-brain research (corpus callosum) shows hemispheric specialization.
Traps
Don't confuse Broca's (production) with Wernicke's (comprehension) aphasia. The endocrine system uses hormones, slower than neurotransmitters. Genes interact with environment (heritability is a population statistic, not an individual destiny). EEG, fMRI, PET, and CT measure different things-know the rough distinction.
Rule of thumb
When a question names a brain area, ask "what job does that area do?" Match function to structure-hippocampus = forming new memories; amygdala = emotional salience, especially fear.