UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS
B.Sc. DEGREE COURSE IN PSYCHOLOGY
SEMESTER SYSTEM WITH CREDITS
(Effective from the Academic Year 2003-2004)

SYLLABUS

Semester I - Allied I - Bio Psychology

Chapter I:

Biological Psychology - What is Biological Psychology? Methods of Study: Ablation, Recording, Electrical & Chemical Stimulation, Stereotaxic surgery, Neuroimaging - CT Scans, PET Scans, MRI & FMRI

Chapter II:

Neuroanatomy - The neuron: Structure of the neuron, types of Neurons; The Peripheral Nervous system: Structure and function The Skeletal Nervous system-structure and function; The Autonomic Nervous System-Structure & function The Central Nervous System: Spinal cord - structure and function The Brain - hindbrain, midbrain & forebrain.

Chapter III:

Neural Impulse: Neural impulse Cycle: membrane potential, resting potential,action potential; conduction across the length of a neuron and conduction across the synapse; Neurtransmitters and the nervous system - acetylcholine, dopamine, norepinephrine & GABA

Chapter IV:

Hormones and Behaviour-Main endocrine glands, their hormone products and principal effects of the hormones

Chapter V:

The Biology Of Emotions, Learning & Memory Emotional behaviour - Visceral factors in emotional behaviour, Autonomic nervous system & emotions; Brain mechanisms Learning & Memory: Various types of memory, brain damage & Impairments of implicit memory; brain damage & experiments Of explicit memory; The story of H.M: a man with hippocampal Damage; role of hippocampus, amygdala and frontal cortex.

REFERENCE