Biological psychology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Biological psychology - Essay Example Biological psychology also looks at genetics and their influence on the chances of a person getting a disease. For example, theories on phobias look at heritability. It is believed that phobias run in families, and that if someone has this specific phobia there is a 64% chance a first degree relative will also have it. Examples of this are phobias of blood, injury and injection (Biopsychology, 2006). Studying monozygotic/MZ (identical) and dizygotic/DZ (un-identical) twins is also a method used by biological psychologists. With MZ twins, if one twin has a disorder, there is the likelihood that the other has it than DZ twins. This is explained as the MZ twins sharing 100% of their genes with DZ twins sharing only 50%. Adoption studies are also of interest to biological psychology. They help to rule out environmental factors, since these children have a genetical link to the disorder, but reared in an environment free from the contended disorder. In a way, this facilitates setting aside nature influences from nurture influences on the development of psychological disorders. Biological psychology is also interested in neurotransmitters, particularly on whether a specific neurotransmitter in some large or small amounts has an effect on a disorder. Depression, for example, is associated with low levels of norepinephrine and serotonin, a link established by studies looking at what drugs have curative effect on depression (Biopsychology, 2006). The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a diffusion barrier, which impedes entry of most compounds from blood to brain (Ballabh, Braun, & Nedergaard, 2004). Its general properties are such that large molecules do not pass through the BBB easily. Low lipid (fat) soluble molecules do not penetrate into the brain, and molecules that have a high electrical charge are slowed. The BBB is semi-permeable such that it allows some materials to cross, but prevents others from