A2 biopsychology Flashcards

Question

what is plastcicty

Answer 1

the brains ability to change and adapt as a response to new learning and experiences

Answer 2

in infancy the brain has rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections with 15,000 at 2-3 as children are constantly taking in new information which is twice as much as adult brain synaptic pruning: rarely used connections are deleted whereas frequently used connections are strengthened neural connections can change or be formed at any time in life

Answer 3

maguire et al studied the brains of london taxi drivers and found more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than the matched control group this part of the brain is associated with development of spatial and navigational skills their brain adapted as a result of new learning

Answer 4

its may be a lifelong ability bezzola et al shows how 40hrs of golf training leads to changes in the neural representation of movement in participants age 40-60. Fmri showed increased activity in motor area than a control group. suggesting NP is lifelong however adults may find it harder to learn than children as albert et al suggests that general NP is much stronger in children (more synaptic connnections)

Answer 5

plasticity has maladaptive behavioural consequences. evidence has shown the brains adaptation to prolonged drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning later in life as well as an increased risk of dementia. shows the brains ability to adapt to damge may not always be positive but still supports the fact that it can adapt.

Answer 6

a from of plasticity after damage the brain is able to redistribute functions that are usually performed by the damaged area to a non damaged area of the brain

Answer 7

after damage unaffected areas can adapt and compensate for damaged areas This is a type of neural plasticity that often occurs after trauma, such as a stroke or brain injury. this can occur spontaneously then slow down after weeks or months the brain rewires and reorganises itself by forming ***new synaptic connections* close to the area of damage.** secondary neural pathways that wouldn't typically be used are activated to allow functioning to continue

Answer 8

brain deals with indirect physical effects of trauma e.g damaged blood vessels

Answer 9

the growth of new nerve endings which connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new pathways

Answer 10

areas on the opposite side of the brain carry out functions of the damaged area

Answer 11

individual differences like education level influence recovery. Schneider et al found that the more time people with brain damage spent in education the greater their chance of disability free recovery. 40% of people who achieved DFR had more than 16 years in education. not everyone benefits from functional recovery equally.

Answer 12

evidence to support from animal studies. Tajiri et al found stem cells given to rats after brain trauma show a clear development pf neuron like cells in the area of injury. shows the ability of the brain to form new connections. real life application in development of neuro rehabilitation. uses motor therapy and electrical stimulation to counter the deficits in motor and cognitive functions following accidents and strokes. e.g constraint induced movement therapy for strokes (practice using the affected part of the body whilst the other side is constrained)

Answer 13

the idea that two hemispheres of the brain are functionally different and certain mental processes are mainly controlled by hemisphere than the other e.g language controlled by the left hemisphere

Answer 14

allows info received from one hemisphere to be sent to the other

Answer 15

image or word is shown to the right eye with left eye closed. and then the same image/word is shown to the left eye with the right eye closed. in the normal brain the corpus collosum would share any info between hemispheres In split brain: when an image was presented to the left visual field they could not describe it and often said there was nothing there fue to no language centre in the right. although patients could not attach verbal labels to objects in the left, when objects were hidden behind a screen they could select a matching object from a grab bag of different objects w their left hand that was more closely associated w the object presented. although the right hempishphere cant verbalise anything it can still understand what is being shown to the left eye

Answer 16

Did his study on people with severe epilepsy who had their corpus collosum removed Visual condition: when an image was shown to the right eye they could easily describe what was seen. when shown to the left eye they couldnt describe it. this is due to lack of language centres in the right hemisphere and no corpus collosum to relay information in the tactile condition: they had to feel for the object that was clsoest to what they saw with their left eye which they could do. this proves. the right hemisphere can understand what the right eye is seeing but it just cant verbalise it

Answer 17

differences in function may be overstated. Sperry says left =speech and right = recognition and drawing. however functional recovery suggests functions of the damaged area may be taken over by non specialised areas in the opposite hemisphere e.g lang controlled by right cant establish causal relationship w/ sperry. compared 11 split brain patients w epilepsy to neurotypical control group who had no epilepsy. having epilepsy is a confounding variable and any differences could be a result of this

Answer 18

research: in connected brains 2 hemispheres process info differently. fink et al pet scans to see what areas of the brain were active during a visual processing task. ptps w connected brains had to attend to global elements of an image(e.g a whole forest), regions of the right hemisphere were much more active. when focusing on finer details (individual trees)the specific areas of the left hemisphere dominated support from more split brain research. split brains performed better than connected controls on certain tasks e.g faster identifying the odd one out than controls. in a normal brain the left hemispheres better cognitive strategies were weakened by the inferior right hemisphere

Answer 19

A circadian rhythm is a type of biological rhythm that lasts around 24 hours, such as the sleep-wake cycle. It is regulated by internal body clocks (like the suprachiasmatic nucleus) and influenced by external cues like light.

Answer 20

the sleep wake cycle core body temperature hormone production

Answer 21

circadian rhythms are driven by our body clocks and synchronised by the SCN in the hypothalamus.

Answer 22

light provides the primary input to this system, setting the body clock to the correct time which is photoentrainment. in mammals light sensitive cells in the eye act as brightness detectors and **send messages about environmental light levels to the scn**. the SCN uses this to coordinate activity of the whole circadian rhythm.

Answer 23

an endogenous (internal) pacemaker in the hypothalamus of each hemisphere of mammals, acts as a master clock

Answer 24

he spent time underground to study his bio rhythms he was deprived of exposure to natural light and sound but had access to food and drink. he resurfaced in mid September and believed it was mid august. a decade after he spent 6 months in the cave again. his free running bio rhythms was just beyond 24 hrs he fell asleep and woke up on a regular schedule. this suggests we need external factors like light

Answer 25

influence of exogenous zeitgebers is overstated in synchronising cr . **miles** studied man blind from birth who had an abnormal circadian rhythm of 24.9 though hes exposed to social cues like sleep and meal times, his sleep wake cycle couldn't be adjusted. EZ is overstated and their social cues didnt do nish support on the role of the SCN from animal studies. DeCoursey destroyed the SCN in the brain of chipmunks that were released back to their natural habitat and observed for 80 days. their sleep wake cycle dissapeared and by the end of the study most of them were killed by predators. SCN is important in the sleep wake cycle and synchronising CR . without it the cycle is non existent. used to improve medical treatments. CR coordinate a number of the bodys basic processes like heart rate. they rise and fall during the day so treatments are administered to fit a bio rhythm. E.g asprin for heart issues is best taken at night as heart problems occur in the morning so this timing matters

Answer 26

external cues that may affect or entrain our biological rhytms such as the influence of light on the sleep cycle

Answer 27

the internal body clocks that regulate our biological rhythms such as the influence of the SCN on the sleep cycle

Answer 28

the SCN receives info on light levels via the optic nerve. the SCN signals to the pineal gland to increase production of melatonin at night and decrease it as light levels increase in the morning

Answer 29

by inhibiting the brain mechanisms that promote wakefulness

Answer 30

the free running biological clock that conrols the sleep cycle continues to tick in a distinct cyclical pattern, its then brought into line in environmental cues

Answer 31

light - it can reset the SCN and plays a role in the maintenance of sleep cycle social cues - all babies start with a random sleep cycle, schedules are then imposed by people like meal times and bed times

Answer 32

influence of exogenous zeitgebers is overstated. **miles** studied man blind from birth who had an abnormal circadian rhythm of 24.9 though hes exposed to social cues like sleep and meal times. EZ is overstated and their social cues didnt do nish support on the role of the SCN from animal studies. DeCoursey destroyed the SCN in the brain of chipmunks that were released back to their natural habitat and observed for 80 days. their sleep wake cycle dissapeared and by the end of the study most of them were killed by predators. SCN is important in the sleep wake cycle. without it the cycle is non existent. exogenous zeitgebers dont have the same effect in all environments. people in the arctic circle have similar sleep patterns all year round. though they spend 6 months in total darkness. sleep cycle is controlled by endogenous p that override exz

Answer 33

research to support exogenous zeitgebers on sleep wake. Campbell and murphy found lights detected by skin receptor sites. had 15 ptps woken at diff times and light shone on the back of knees. produced deviation in ptps usual sleep cycle of up to 3 hrs. Light is a powerful zeitgeber on not j eyes. research to support animal studies. DeCoursey destroyed SCN in brains of chipmunks and put them back in the wild, observed for 80 days. their sleep cycle dissapeared so they were killed by predators. SCN is important. No SCN = no sleep cycle. HWVR unethical do findings outweigh procedure?

Answer 34

type of biological rhythm w a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours e.g menstruation and seasonal affective disorder

Answer 35

type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more that one cycle in 24 hours e.g stages of sleep

Answer 36

Its an endogenous system thats governed by the monthly changes in the hormone levels during each cycle rising levels of oestrogen cause the ovary to develop an egg and release it(ovulation) after progesterone thickens the womb lining to prepare the body for pregnancy and if it doesn't haven the lining is shed through mentsruation typical cycle takes 28 days to complete

Answer 37

diet stress Stern and McClintock studied 29 women with a history of irregular periods. got pheromone samples from 9 women at diff stages of their cycle via cotton pad on armpit to be rubbed on the upper lip of other participants. Every day they gave the 20 women pads from each day of the menstrual cycle. on day 2 they were given a pad from the second day of the cycle and so on. 68% of women experienced changes to their menstrual cycle which brought them closer to the cycle of their odour donor. other ex factor is the cycle of other women

Answer 38

SAD is another type of infradian rhythm It is a depressive disorder which has a seasonal pattern of onset. Characterised by persistent low mood and lack of activity and interest in life

Answer 39

The experience of Sad may be due to the disruption of the sleep wake cycle SAD is triggered during winter where theres less daylight hours. during winter lack of light in morning and evenings means secretion of melatonin is extended which has a knock on effect on the production of serotonin in the brain.

Answer 40

SAD has practical application in creating light therapy. light box shines light in the morning and evening to reset melatonin levels in people w SAD, works in 60%. shows external cues affect melatonin which affects sleep wake. HWVER, higher relapse rate than those recieving CBT. Menstrual cycle can be explained by natural selection. synchronisation of cycles has an evolutionary value. in ancestors time it may have been good for women to menstruate together because babies who lost the mother in childbirth can access milk and survive.

Answer 41

There are methodological issues with studies support the menstrual cycle is influenced by exogenous factors like synchronisation. confounding variables like diet and stress affect the cycle. weakness as synchronisation may have been due to chance.no causal relationship

Answer 42

light sleep, easily awoken, brain wave patterns are slower and more rhythmic: alpha waves. they become even slower(theta waves)

Answer 43

deep sleep or slow wave sleep, more difficult to rouse someone at this point.

Answer 44

body is paralysed but brain activity speeds up. rapid eye movement which is associated with dreaming

Answer 45

improved understanding of age related changes in sleep. sleep scientists have observed slow wave sleep(when growth hormone is produced) reduces with age. sleep deficit explains issues with old age like reduced alertness. this led to the use of relaxation medication in order to increase slow wave sleep. practical to improve peoples sleep and healtjh significant variations between people. tucker found large differences between Participants in terms of duration of each sleep stage specifically 3 and 4. these differences are likely to be biologically determined so its hard to describe normal sleep in any meaningful way.

Answer 46

significant variations between research. Tucker found big differences between ptps in terms of duration of each sleep stage specifically 3 and 4 which are possibly biologically determined suggesting its difficult to describe 'normal sleep' in a meaningful way.

Answer 47

Cell body: contains the nucleus which contains the genetic material of a cell dendrites: protrude from the cell body and carry nerve impulses from neighbouring neurons towards the cell body. axon: carries nerve impulses away from the cell body

Answer 48

Terminal Boutons: at the end of axons, these make synaptic connections with other cells Nodes of Ranvier: Speed up transmissions by forcing the impulse to jump across the gaps along the axon Myelin sheath: Fatty layer that protects the axon and speeds up electrical transmission along the axon

Answer 49

sensory neuron: carries messages from the receptors to cns. It had long dendrites and short axons Relay neuron: These connect the sensory neuron to the motor .They have short dendrites and short axons Motor neuron: These connect the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands. They have short dendrites and long axons

Answer 50

When a neuron is in the resting state the inside of the cell is negatively charged compared to the outside When a neuron fires the electrical charge of the cell changes to positive for a split second causing an action potential This **creates the electrical signal (impulse) that travels down the axon to the end of the neuron**

Answer 51

Synaptic vesticles containing the neurotransmitter are only present at the presynaptic membrane. The receptors for neurotransmitters are only present on the post synaptic membrane. Diffusion of the neurotransmitters means they can only go from high to low concentration.

Answer 52

To help regulate the activity of cells and organs in the body. It instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones are carried towards target organs in the body

Answer 53

The thyroid gland produces thyroxine which increases heart and metabolic rates Testes produce testosterone which controls the development of male physical features like facial and body hair The pineal gland produces melatonin which may help to regulate the sleep wake cycle

Answer 54

Detection of stimulus by receptors e.g heat impulse travels along the Sensory neurons from the senses to the spinal cord Relay neurons act as a bridge between the sensory neuron and the motor neuron. Impulse is relayed via a relay neuron in the spinal cord to a motor neuron. Motor neurons send messages via long axons to the muscles or effectors to produce a response e.g withdrawal

Answer 55

Define biological rhythms outline circadian rhythms give the 3 types explain sleep wake cycle explain the SCN and photo entrainment give siffre's cave study proving we need external factors e.g light

Answer 56

Define EZ and EP outline SCN and its role in circadian rhythms outline the pineal gland and melatonin at both morning and night outline the types of EZ and what happens in the absence of them

A2 biopsychology Flashcards

(80 cards)