Psychology

Psychology is the scientific study of human and animal behaviors and thoughts. Psychology can be broken down into several levels of analysis: biological level; cognitive level; individual differences or personality variables; social level with its sub-levels being family interactions and organizations; cultural level with its sub-levels being society/culture/societys source of beliefs & values.

Biological level of Analysis

It is the study of Biological Factors that influence behaviors and mental operations.

It helps to understand how behavior is organized at the physiological level, e.g., it deals with understanding how our body works like hormones, neural activity and genetic factors etc.

Origin of Biological Level of Analysis

The Biological Level of Analysis is based on three main principles: (1) Regardless of ones psychological state, all biological organisms must obey certain laws of nature. (2) Certain biological variables can be measured objectively and quantitatively. (3) All biological variables can be manipulated and studied in a laboratory setting.

1. All Behavior has Psychological Basis: 

The brain is the most complex organ in the body. It controls all organs and systems including thinking, feeling, emotion, and behavior.

Every thought or behavior you have is related to a biological process that has its own scientific principles.

2. All Biological Behaviors are Explained By Biological Principles:

 As all behaviors have psychological basis and are controlled by the brain, they are all affected by certain physical laws and biological variables. Some of them include genetic & hormonal factors; neural activity; neurotransmitters etc.

3. Behavior can be inherited: 

All behaviors are not purely a result of learned skills or behavioral components. It is possible that some of your behavior can be inherited.

Effects of Neurotransmission

Neurotransmission is the transmission of signals from one neuron to another across a synapse. Neurotransmitters are contained in synaptic vesicles and released into the synapse by exocytosis, which is triggered by a neural action potential that reaches the presynaptic cell and opens ligand-gated ion channels in the plasma membrane.

1.      Neurotransmission on Memory

Information is stored in the form of neural activity in the brain. Thus, memory depends on neural activity.

Brain mechanisms that control memory are based on various neurotransmitters (e.g., dopamine, acetylcholine). In turn, neurotransmitters activate receptors at specific points on the postsynaptic neurons, which change the shape of ion channels, opening or closing to allow or prevent natural ions (such as sodium & potassium) to flow into or out of the neuron. These channels are membrane proteins consisting of a special type of molecular structure called anion channel. Ion channels act as gateways between neurons and have a specific function in allowing or blocking transmission.

2.     Neurotransmitter Imbalances and Mental Illness

The brain is made up of billions of neurons. Through them, different signals are sent to each other. Each neuron transmits only one type of signal (i.e., action potential, chemical signal or electrical signal) at a time to a postsynaptic neuron. The signaling can be blocked by an imbalance in the brains neurotransmitters, which can cause mental illness and thus affects behavior control.

Question: Do neurotransmitters affect insomnia of a person?

Answer: Neurons run all through the body and are active even when you are asleep. To know about effect of neurotransmitters on insomnia, visit our channelhttps://youtube.com/channel/UCoqI7C9rI2UbFPITF2bPgnQ

 Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia is a severe mental illness characterized by symptoms such as hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized speech. Many of the abnormal functions of schizophrenia are related to neurotransmitters, especially dopamine. When dopamine is released at the synapse, it binds to dopamine receptors in the postsynaptic neuron. Historically, schizophrenia has been linked to a deficit of dopamine in the synaptic cleft, although this has never been proven and is widely debated.

Effects of Environment on Physiology

1. Effects of deprivation on neuroplasticity:

 A recent study has shown that deprivation of social interaction for two weeks increased the number of dendritic spines, which are the structures that receive signals from other neurons. The finding indicates how deprivation affects brain plasticity: deprived rats tend to grow more dendritic spines and create new connections in the cerebral cortex.

2. Effects of social behaviours on mirror neurons: 

Mirror neurons are a special type of brain cells that respond to stimuli with action potentials in other parts of the body. When an animal performs a certain behaviour in its natural environment, its mirror neurons fire in response. This is called emotional contagion. For instance, when one person touches anothers face, both are affected and respond through their mirror neurons.

Use of Brain imaging technologies in investing relations between biological factors and behavior

Neuroimaging, the technique of scanning the brain with the help of machines and processing these images digitally, has been widely used in the field of cognitive neuroscience. There are two main categories of brain imaging: functional imaging and structural imaging.

Functional Imaging

Functional imaging shows which parts of the brain are being activated at any given time (which regions are active). It can be used to show changes in activity or state variables over time in response to stimuli such as verbal instructions, drug administration, or sensory-motor stimulation.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

1. fMRI is based on the principle that when neurons are active, they require oxygen and glucose to stay alive; when there is an increase in oxygen and glucose (oxygen level and blood flow), there is an increase in magnetic field strength in the area; therefore, by calculating magnetic fields we can determine the level of activity.

2. Detection of changes in magnetic fields requires that the scanner be very quiet because even the sound of people talking can cause waves to change.

Question: How can one perform fMRI and what are the precautions?

Answer: fMRI should be done under supervision of a professional. To know about the process kindly visithttps://youtube.com/channel/UCoqI7C9rI2UbFPITF2bPgnQ

 Structure Imaging

Structural imaging shows which molecules are being activated and the shapes of these molecules in the brain. A common structural MRI scanning area is the occipital cortex, which usually corresponds to information processed by vision. Another area that often undergoes structural changes due to a mental disorder is the hippocampus, because of its role in memory storage, planning, and learning about spatial and temporal context. Structural imaging is more difficult to use than functional imaging because it requires not only a noisy machine but also special calibration that can only be performed by experienced researchers who are trained in data processing.