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Psychology > Biopsychology 2 > Flashcards

Biopsychology 2 Flashcards

1
Q

Peripheral nervous system

A
  • Somatic NS - receives information from senses and transmits it to CNS which transmits to muscles/glands
  • Autonomic NS - automatic and involuntary
    - responsible for vital functions e.g. HR
    - transmits information to and from internal . body organs e.g. liver and lungs
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2
Q

Autonomic nervous system

A
  • Sympathetic NS - prepares body for rapid action
    - necessary for F/F
    e. g. adrenaline release; increased HR
  • Parasympathetic NS - dampens stress response
    e. g. pupils constrict, decreased HR
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3
Q

Sensory neuron

A

carries nerve impulses from sensory receptors to brain and spinal cord

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4
Q

Relay neuron

A

Allow sensory and motor neurones to communicate with each other

Lie wholly in the brain and spinal cord

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5
Q

Motor neuron

A

Transmit messages from the brain and spinal cord to muscles and glands

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6
Q

Transmission of signals across the synapse

A
  1. Neurone stimulated, creating an action potential that travels down the axon
  2. This stimulates the synaptic vesicles to release chemical neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft
  3. NTs diffuse across the synaptic cleft and binds with appropriate receptors on the post-synaptic neurone
  4. Summation of excitatory post-synaptic potential (EPSP) and IPSP decides whether the post-synaptic neurone fires
  5. NT molecules then removed either by re-uptake into the pre-synaptic neurone or broken down by enzymes
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7
Q

Action potentials

A
  • When a neurone is not sending a signal (at rest) it is negative relative to the outside; -70mV
  • When activated by a stimulus, inside becomes positivity charged for a short time (action potential), creating the electrical impulse
  • Potassium ion and sodium ion pumps restore resting potential; repolarisation
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8
Q

Hypothalamus

A

stimulates and controls release of hormones fro the pituitary gland

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9
Q

Anterior pituitary

A

ACTH, LH and FSH

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10
Q

Posterior pituitary

A

Oxytocin

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11
Q

Adrenal cortex

A

Cortisol

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12
Q

Adrenal medulla

A

Adrenaline and noradrenaline

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13
Q

F/F response

A
  1. Situation perceived as stressful
  2. Hypothalamus activates the sympathomedullary pathway
  3. Sympathetic branch of the ANS is activated
  4. Adrenal medulla stimulated
  5. Adrenaline and noradrenaline secreted
  6. Physiological changes; increased HR + BR, pupils dilate
  7. Parasympathetic NS brings body back to optimum level of functioning
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14
Q

Response to chronic stress

A
  1. After initial adrenaline surge subsides, hypothalamus activates HPA axis
  2. Pituitary gland stimulated to release ACTH
  3. Adrenal cortex stimulated
  4. Corticosteroids released e.g. cortisol
  5. Energy released from fats
    Increased blood flow
    Immune system supressed
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15
Q

Evaluation of F/F

A

= Tend and befriend - Taylor et al.
women protect ‘selves and their young and make protective alliances with other women

= Negative consequences
can be harmful e.g. increased blood flow;

= Doesn’t tell the whole story - Gray
initial reaction is avoiding confrontation
‘freezing’ focuses attention so can look for new information to make the best decision

= Genetic sex differences - Lee and Harley
SRY gene causes testes to produce testosterone so more aggressive so more likely to ‘fight’
Women don’t have SRY gene so foetus produces ovaries; less aggressive so less likely to ‘fight’

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16
Q

Cerebrum

A

2 hemispheres; communicate through corpus callosum

4 lobes; parietal, frontal, temporal, occipital

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17
Q

Parietal lobe

A

processing sensory information

18
Q

Frontal lobe

A

personality, decision making, planning/organisation

19
Q

Temporal lobe

A

language, memory and hearing

20
Q

Occipital lobe

A

processing visual information

shape, colour and speed

21
Q

Cerebellum

A

Controls motor skills and balance

Coordinates muscles and allows precise movements

22
Q

Diencephalon

A

Controls thalamus

Relays nerve impulses from senses to appropriate brain region

23
Q

Brain stem

A

Regulates automatic functions e.g. HR, breathing

24
Q

Motor cortex

A

Responsible for voluntary motor movements

Controls muscles on opposite side of body

25
Q

Somatosensory cortex

A

Detects sensory events

Processes in opposite hemisphere

26
Q

Broca’s area

A

Critical for speech production

In LEFT hemisphere

27
Q

Wernick’s area

A

Responsible for processing spoken language

28
Q

Lateralisation and split brain research

A

Sperry and Gazzaniga
split-brain patients; corpus callous cut

Shown image in L or R field of vision and asked to say and draw what they saw

  • drawing uses opposite hemisphere to one it is processed in
  • speech uses L hemisphere

If saw in L hemisphere, processed in R so can draw it with L hand but not R and can’t say what they saw as info. can’t get to Broca’s area in L hemisphere

Supports language association in L hemisphere and evidence for lateralisation for brain function

29
Q

Lateralisation and split brain research evaluation

A

+ Advantageous to have lateralisation
More neural processing capacity
e.g. domestic chickens can do two different tasks simultaneously such as looking for food and avoiding predators; different use in both hemispheres

  • Split-brain patients are rare
    very few participants, sometimes 1; hard to generalise
  • Lateralisation changes with age
    language becomes for lateralised to L hemisphere
    BUT after 25 years lateralisation decreases each decade of life; may be to compensate for age-related declines in function
  • In reality see for more than 1/10th of a second so don’t struggle in everyday life
30
Q

Brain plasticity

A

The ability of the brain to change and adapt as a result of EXPERIENCE

Frequently used nerve pathways develop stronger connections and rarely used ones are pruned away

+ Maguire - positive correlation between London taxi drivers hippocampi size and length of time they’d been txi drivers. (Hippocampi function related to navigation). This suggests brain changes w experience to suit function

+ Kemperman - rats in rich, complex environments develop more neurons than rats kept in lab cages, especially in hippocampus

  • Plasticity reduces with age
31
Q

Functional recovery

A

The recovery of brain functions that have been damaged by TRAUMA

Another area takes over function; dormant synapses reactivated

+ Stem cells in brains of rats that suffered trauma brain injury (TBI). Rats given transplants of stem cells developed more neurones in area of injury than control; migrated to area of injury and directly replaced dead/dying cells
suggests brain function can recover

+ Schneider et al. - patients with college education or equivilent are 7x more likely to be disability-free 1 year after moderate to severe traumatic brain injury than those who didn’t finish high school

32
Q

Ways of studying the brain

A

Post-mortem examination
fMRI
EEG
ERP

33
Q

Post-mortem examination

A

Look for abnormalities if think behavioural changes caused by brain damage

+ More detailed exam than fMRI, EEG and ERP
+ Better understanding of behaviours from structural abnormalities and changes in NT systems
- People die at varying stages of diseases and circumstances

34
Q

fMRI

A

Measures changes in blood flow; indicates neural activity

+ Non-invasive
+ No exposure to potentially harmful radiation
+ Objective and reliable
+ Investigate psychlogical phenomena that people aren’t capable of providing verbally
- Not a direct measure of neural activity; not truly quantitative
- Overlooks networked nature of brain activity

35
Q

EEG

A

General brain activity measured; brainwaves overtime

+ Real-time recording
particular task related to/associated with brain activity
+ Clinical diagnosis
- Can only detect activity in superficial brain regions
e.g. not hypothalamus; too invasive so unethical
- Difficult to pinpoint source of activity as electrical activity can be picked up by neighbouring electrodes

36
Q

ERPs

A

Small voltage change triggered by specific stimuli or cognitive events

+ Continuous measure; can be used to determine how processing is affected by a specific experimental manipulation e.g. visual stimuli
+ Monitor covertly the processing of a particular stimuli without the person responding
- large number of trials needed to gain meaningful data
- important electrical impulses deep in brain not recorded; have to be sufficient voltage change to be recordable

37
Q

Circadian rhythms

A

Biological rhythms lasting about 24hours
e.g. sleep/wake cycle, temperature

+ Micheal Siffre - lived in a cave for 6 months, circadian rhythm settled to just over 24hours with some dramatic variations so independent of light/social cues
BUT individual differences; cycles can vary from 13 to 65 hours

+ Real-life application - drugs released into the body most effective when administered at optimal time

38
Q

Ultradian rhythms

A

Biological rhythms lasting less than 24 hours

e. g. sleep stages;
1. light sleep; slowing muscle activity
2. breathing and heart rate slows
3. deep sleep begins
4. v. deep sleep
5. REM

+ Ericsson - found elite violinists generally practice for 90minutes and nap in-between

39
Q

Infradian rhythms

A

Cycles lasting more than 24hours

e.g. menstrual cycle
Russell et al. - cycles synchronise
sweat of 1 group of women applied to another group and
they synchronised
this suggests that infradian rhythms can be regulated by pheromones of other women as well as their own pituitary glands

40
Q

Endogenous pacemakers

A

The master clock controlling the other pacemakers in the body is the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) in the hypothalamus.

Sends a message to the pineal gland to produce melatonin at night; promotes sleepiness by inhibiting brain mechanisms that promote wakefulness

41
Q

Exogenous Zeitgebers

A 
Outside time giver
e.g. Meal times 
       Exercise 
       Sun; photoentrainment
             - SCN receives information about light levels from retina via the optic nerve. Keeps SCNs circadian rhythms synchronised with daylight

+ Hamsters bred to have abnormally short circadian rhythms, SCN neurons transplanted into normal hamsters which then displayed abnormal rhythms as well
ALSO reversible if SCN from normal hamsters to short circadian rhythm hamsters

Psychology (11 decks)

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