Ch. 3 Topics

1. What is the difference between genotype and phenotype?
The genotype is an organism's genetic code or makeup. The phenotype is the visible characteristics that result from the genetic code such as brown hair or green eyes.
2. What are some distinctions between motor, sensory, and interneurons?
Motor neurons travel from the brain to the body's different receptors in order to cause a motor reaction, such as an muscle contraction. Sensory neurons detect information from the physical world and send signals through the spinal cord to the brain. Interneurons communicate within small areas of the brain. They integrate neural activity in the brain.
3. What is dopamine and what function does it serve?
Dopamine is the primary neurotransmitter responsible for causing desire for things that involve satisfaction and pleasure, such as hunger and thirst. It also causes the body to move towards things that give reward. Basically our sin response.
4. What is the amygdala and what does it do?
The amygdala is the almond shaped part of the brain that deals with associating emotional responses with things. An example would be an expression of happiness at the sight of a park due to previous fond memories. "A frightening experience may be seared into one's memory for life, although their memory of the event may not be completely accurate."
5. Learning is apart of several different parts of the brain. Emotional responses and feelings associated with specific things is done in the amygdala. Motor memory or planned movements is controlled by the basal ganglia. Memory and thought is more of a function of the prefrontal cortex.