Epigenetics - How the Environment Changes Gene Expression

Events in the environment influence how and when genes are activated or deactivated. Epigenetics occurs when there is a change in the way genes get expressed, activated, or deactivated, without changing the sequence of DNA. For example, a mother's behavior may influence the expression of genes in her children.

 

The nervous system and the endocrine system are the body's two coordinating and integrating systems. The system that relays messages in the form of electrochemical impulses through the body is called the nervous system whereas; the system that coordinates and integrates behavior by secreting chemicals into the bloodstream is called the endocrine system.

 

Why study these systems in a psychology class?

 

We study these systems because psychology is the study of behavior and behavior is, in part, the consequence of our feelings, memories, and actions. This area of psychology that focuses on the ways in which biological processes affect our behavior is known as psychobiology. To understand how information from the environment gets into the body, we need to understand how the nervous system carries chemical and electrical signals from the body to the brain and vice versa. The nervous system consists of the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The smallest unit in the nervous system is a neuron. The central nervous system consists of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system consists of all the neurons that connect the nervous system to the rest of the body.

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