PHYSIOLOGICAL BASES OF BEHAVIOR

Peripheral Nervous System

Endocrine System

PERIPHERAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

• Made up of nerves located throughout the

body except the brain and spinal cord

• Nerves – stringlike bundles of axons and

dendrites that come from the spinal cord
and are held together by connective tissue
• Carries information to and from the spinal
cord
• Have the ability to regrow, regenerate or
reattach if severed or damaged.
• The conus medullaris is the
terminal end of the spinal cord. It
occurs near lumbar vertebral levels
1 (L1) and 2 (L2). After the spinal
cord tapers out, the spinal nerves
continue as dangling nerve roots
called cauda equina.

PNS: SOMATIC NS & AUTONOMIC NS

• Cranial Nerves
Somatic NS
• 12 pairs arising from the brain
• Interacts with the environment • 1 Olfactory
• Associated with voluntary body 2 Optic
movements 3 Oculomotor
• Consists of the spinal and cranial nerves 4 Trochlear
that connect the CNS to the skin and 5 Trigeminal
skeletal muscles 6 Abducens
7 Facial
8 Vestibulocochlear
• Spinal Nerves 9 Glossopharyngeal
10 Vagus
• 31 pairs arising from the spinal 11 Spinal Accessory
cord 12 Hypoglossal
• Cervical (8), Thoracic (12), Lumbar
(5), Sacral (5), Coccygeal (1)

PHYSIO BASES 5
 • Sympathetic
Prepares the body for energy-expending
situations
Triggered by threatening situations
Promotes increase in heart rate, blood pressure
Inhibits digestion
Fight or Flight response (state of increased
physiological arousal helping the body cope and
survive threatening situations)

Bell’s Palsy is caused by paralysis of CN7 or the

facial nerve (Hollywood actor George Clooney
suffered Bell’s Palsy when he was younger)

ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
Autonomic NS
• Made up of numerous glands that are
located throughout the body
• Participates with the regulation of the
• These glands secrete various chemicals,
body’s internal environment/unconscious
called hormones, which affect organs,
activities, regulates heart rate, blood
muscles and other glands
pressure, body temperature and other
• Control center: HYPOTHALAMUS
visceral activities
• Portions of the autonomic nervous system
respond to emotional stress and prepare
the body to meet the demands of
strenuous physical activity
• Includes fibers that connect the CNS to
viscera

• Parasympathetic
Most active during normal conditions
Promotes decrease in heart rate and lowering of
blood pressure
Stimulates digestion
Rest and Digest response (promotes calming of
the nerves)
PHYSIO BASES 6

• Pituitary Gland - Produces hormones
that control the adrenal cortex, pancreas,
thyroid and gonads.
• Anterior Pituitary releases growth
hormone. Too many growth
hormones causes gigantism, too
little causes dwarfism.
• Posterior Pituitary is associated
with the regulation of water and
salt balance. Dysfunction leads to
lack of hormones that causes a less
common form of diabetes.
• Pancreas – regulates the level of sugar in
the bloodstream by secreting insulin. Lack
of insulin results in the more common
form of diabetes, too much causes
hypoglycemia (low blood sugar)
• Thyroid – regulates metabolism.
Hormone deficiency during development
leads to stunted growth and mental
retardation. Undersecretion during
adulthood leads to reduction in
motivation. Oversecretion results in high
metabolism, weight loss and nervousness.
• Adrenal Glands – regulates salt and
sugar balance and help the body resist
stress.
• Adrenal medulla (central portion of
the adrenal glands) secretes
epinephrine and norepinephrine.
• Adrenal cortex (outer part)
secretes cortisol that affects
glucose, fat and protein
metabolism. Dysfunction leads to
inability of the body to cope with
stress.
• Gonads – Ovaries regulate sexual
development, ovulation and growth of sex
organs. Testes regulate sexual
development, production of sperm and
growth of sex organs. Lack of sex
hormones during puberty results in lack of
secondary sexual characteristics such as
facial and bodily hari, muscles in males
and breasts in females.
• Pineal gland – regulates sleep cycle,
secretes melatonin in response to light
conditions outside the body. Dysfunction
leads to increase in sleep.
• Thymus – responsible for the secretion of
certain white blood cells, important in the
promotion of the immune system
Endocrine Disorders
Obesity is defined as excess adipose tissue.
Excess adiposity or obesity causes insulin
secretion, which can cause insulin resistance that
leads to type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes: Type 1: insulin deficiency
Frequent urination
Unusual thirst
Extreme hunger
Unusual weight loss
Extreme fatigue and Irritability
Type 2 Diabetes*: insulin resitance
Any of the type 1 symptoms
Frequent infections
Blurred vision
Cuts/bruises that are slow to heal
Tingling/numbness in the
hands/feet
Recurring skin, gum, or bladder
infections
*Often people with type 2 diabetes
have no symptoms
Hyperthyroidism can significantly accelerate
your body's metabolism, causing sudden weight
loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sweating, and
nervousness or irritability.
Hypothyroidism is a condition in which your
thyroid gland doesn't produce enough of certain
important hormones. Untreated hypothyroidism
can cause a number of health problems, such as
obesity, joint pain, infertility and heart disease.
PHYSIO BASES 7
The most common cause of goiter worldwide is a
lack of iodine in the diet. In the United States, Images:
where most people use iodized salt, goiter is
more often due to the over- or underproduction www.clarian.org/ADAM/doc/SeniorsCenter/2/8679.htm
http://www.maturespine.com/images/spinal_nerves.jpg
of thyroid hormones or to nodules that develop in
the gland itself.
http://www.yinyanghouse.com/theory/tamhealing/cranial_ner
ve_system
References:
http://www.healthyandstrong.net/wp-
th
content/uploads/2009/08/bells-palsy.gif
Pinel, J. (2000). Biopsychology. (4 ed.). USA: Allyn & Bacon.
http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/P/PN
Plotnik, R. (2005). Introduction to Psychology. (7 th ed.). Ca: S.html
Wadsworth Publishing Company
http://brainconnection.positscience.com/topics/?main=gal/hy
Shier, D., Butler, J. & Lewis, R. (2003). Hole’s essentials of pothalamus
human anatomy and physiology. (8th ed.). New York:
McGraw-Hill. http://www.web-
books.com/eLibrary/Medicine/Physiology/Endocrine/Endocrine
Smith, E., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., Fredrickson, B. & Loftus, G. .htm
(2003). Atkinson & Hilgard’s Introduction to
Psychology. Singapore: Thomson Learning.

CRANIAL NERVES

Sense of smell
I Olfactory Sensory

Sense of vision
II Optic Sensory

III Oculomotor Primarily Motor Raising eyelids, eye movements

Eye movements
IV Trochlear Primarily Motor

Impulses from surface of the eyes, tear glands, scalp, forehead and upper
V Trigeminal Mixed eyelids, teeth, gum, lips, skin of the face
Muscles of mastication and muscles in the floor of the mouth

VI Abducens Primarily Motor Eye movements

Sense of taste (anterior tongue)

VII Facial Mixed Facial expressions, muscles of tear glands, salivary glands

VIII Vestibulocochlear Sensory Sense of equilibrium, sense of hearing

Impulses from pharynx, tonsils, posterior tongue, carotid arteries

IX Glossopharyngeal Mixed Swallowing

Impulses from pharynx, larynx, esophagus

X Vagus Mixed Muscles involved in speech and swallowing

Muscles of the soft palate, pharynx and larynx, neck and back
XI Spinal Accessory Primarily Motor

XII Hypoglossal Primarily Motor Movement of the tongue

PHYSIO BASES 8
PHYSIO BASES 8