Biological Understanding of Human Behavior - Essay Example

? Biological understanding of human behavior affiliation Biological understanding of human behavior The human body is a collection of billions of neuron which enable each and every activity of the body. With many neurons in the body the division of their function is widespread across the body. Each function of the body is connected to the brain for coordination. Neurons work as coordinators of the brain and the functionality of the human body. The function of the brain in the human body is to control and command the functions in all body parts. According to Kalat (2000) the relationship between the brain and every other inch of the body is one that cannot be replaced by any other functions. The brain is however, not helpful without the billon neurons incorporated in the human body. The human body needs the neurons to communicate commands from the brain. In an argument by Kalat (2000) neurons are the most important body cells in the human body. From the brain neurons are connected to the rest of the body through the spinal cord. The spinal cord contains the largest composition of neurons that convey commands from the brain to the rest of the body (Open University Course Team, 2007). After commands have been formulated in the brain, the cells in the neurons convey the message through from the command system to the bottom of the brain. From the bottom part of the brain, the spinal cord is then brought in to the chain of communication. The spinal cord runs down the spine of the human body carrying with it billions of neurons which have in them command and communication from the brain. It is from this chain that every aspect of the human body is controlled: the movement of the limbs, the reaction to danger and the general stimulus in the body. Kalat (2000) argues that neurons hold the assurance of survival in all humans. Neurons are the main composition of the nervous system. In the nervous system, neurons are aided by the glial cells. The glial cells ensure the continuity of the neuronal activity which ensures the existence of neurons. Minus the glial cells neurons may die and the consequences may be fatal. The nervous system has a composition of 100 billion. However, neurons still exist in all other part of the body. A single neuron connects to 10, 000 other neurons. This feature enables s the speed of communication between the brain and body parts to take less than seconds. The speed of communication between two neurons is 330 miles per hour (Open University Course Team, 2007). With such a high speed the reaction of the human body part is as fast. For instance, it takes a person less than a second to detect the smell of food, interpret the type of food and know the direction the aroma is coming from. The author further argues that this example shows how fast and accurate the neurons are in transmitting information from the brain to the rest of the body. A single neuron is comprised of three parts. One is the cells body which contains the nucleus and it processes the information received from other neurons. There is the dendrite which receives information from other neurons. Then there is the axon whose main function is to convey information to other neurons. This neuron structure creates the fast and efficient nature of the cell. The functionality of the neurons depends on synapses. Synapses are functional communication or connections between neurons and another neuron or another body cell. One neuron generates thousands of synapses but this statistic varies with functionality. Synapses connect the axon to the dendrite. With the help of synapses neurons are enabled to make circuits through the nervous system and convey information to other cells. During a chemical synapse a neuron a neurotransmitter that is adjacent to another neuron. The human brain is estimated to have an approximated number of 500trillion synapses. This shows how dependent human brain is dependent on neurons. Human behavior is an integral part of the human body. Many factors influence the nature of human behavior including the action of neurons. However, psychologists have argued that environment influence human behavior than any other factor. According to the Open University Course Team (2007) as much biology is important in the study of human behavior, the environments in which humans live control almost all of the human behavior. For instance, in an environment people have specific duties and responsibilities which shape their behavior. The social environment on the other hand has influence on human behavior but the effect of the social environment can be altered to fit other human behavior requirements. Biology also has an impact on human behavior. Factors like medical specifications and requirement may dictate heavily the nature of human behavior. For instance, an individual diagnosed with diabetes or cancer has specific lifestyles that they have to adhere to. In words by Kalat (2000) biological factors have the most significance in shaping human behavior since their specifications cannot be altered. Biologists have used the efficiency of the neurons to relate to human behavior. It is an obvious assumption that the neurons in the nervous system are responsible for each and every aspect of functionality in the human body. The command in the nervous system shapes the human reaction towards every little thing. This includes human reaction towards danger, the detection of danger, the knowledge of environment features and the use of the common senses (Kalat, 2000). However, many biologists have come up with theories that may argue that the nervous system has no total control of the human body. For instance, medical inventions have been formulated to heal people from the nervous system breakdown. In one scenario is the scenario of the harm on the spinal cord. The spinal cord holds almost all neurons that exist in a human body. A fracture on the spinal cord usually makes a person paralyzed. In some cases the condition is permanent as a person cannot be able to move or perform any other function with their limbs. However, some biologists have argued that with treatment the permanent condition can be altered (Kalat, 2000). From this assumed theory one may argue that medical surgery and drugs can shape human behavior and condition better than the nervous system. According to Kalat (2000) drugs and other medical operations usually boost the efficiency of the neurons in the nervous system. It is an obvious assumption that neurons may brake don their efficiency in communication and require medication to retain their original form. However, in the case of breaking down of the nervous system natural medication and therapy have more efficient results than any other form of medication. This proves the point that human behavior is solely dependent on the functionality of the nervous system. The same notion is supported by Open University Course Team (2007) who argues that the relationship of human behavior and the nervous system is can only be corrected through medical services but not altered the neurons to perform specific functions. From the above analysis, the function of the neurons in the nervous system is important in the performance of the human body. With the nervous system having 100 billion neurons the communication of the brain to other parts of the body is at a high speed which is recommended in a normal body. Regardless of the invention trends in medicine, no medical operation would alter the nature of the nervous system. If the nervous system is severely damaged, it would affect human behavior directly and significantly but medication would only reduce the impact other effect. References Kalat, W. (2000). Biological Psychology. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole. Open University Course Team. (2007). Mapping Psychology 1 and 2. London: Open University Worldwide Read More