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Biopsychology > all (1) > Flashcards

all (1) Flashcards

1
Q

What are the two components of the nervous system?

A

CNS (central nervous system) and PNS (peripheral nervous system)

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2
Q

What are the two components of the central nervous system?

A

Brain and spinal cord

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3
Q

What are the two components of the peripheral nervous system?

A

Autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system

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4
Q

What are the components of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions

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5
Q

How can the brain be divided?

A

left and right hemisphere

4 lobes - frontal, temporal, occipital parietal

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6
Q

What is spinal cord responsible for?

A

reflex actions

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7
Q

What does the somatic nervous system do?

A

Controls volantary actions, muscle movement, and recieves info from the senses.

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8
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system do?

A

Controls involuntary actions, breathing homeostasis

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9
Q

What does the sympathetic division do?

A

fight or flight response
- pupil dilate
- increased heart rate
- natural painkillers called endorphins
- blood thickens

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10
Q

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

A

rest and digest, calms body down

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11
Q

What is the endocrine system?

A

Control body functions. Gland in the endocrine system secrete hormones that travel through the blood to organs throughout the body. - is slower

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12
Q

Name 4 glands that are part of the endocrine system and what they do?

A

Thyroid gland - releases thyroxine - increases heart rate and metabolic rates which affects growth

Adrenal gland - releases adrenaline - fight of flight and respond to threats in environment

Testes - releases testosterone - causes masculine gender behaviours (aggression)

Ovaries - releases oestrogen - causes feminine gender behaviours (nurturing)

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13
Q

Outline the sympathomedullary pathway

A

Hypothalamus triggers activity in sympathetic division. AND changes from parasympathetic state to sympathetic.

Adrenaline is released from adrenaline which triggers physiological changes in the body needed for fight or flight
(increases heart rate, dilated pupils, inhibits digestion)

Once threat has passed parasympathetic division returns body to rest.

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14
Q

What are the 3 types of neurons?

A

sensory neurons, motor neurons, relay neurons

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15
Q

What does a sensory neuron do and what does it look like?

A

Carry messages from the PNS to the CNS

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16
Q

What does a motor neuron do and what does it look like?

A

Carries messages from the CNS to effectors

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17
Q

What does a relay neuron do and what does it look like?

A

Passes electrical impulses between sensory and motor neurones.

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18
Q

What is the cell body of a neuron?

A

Nucleus and genetic material

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19
Q

What are dendrites?

A

Receives signals from other neurons, conducts impulses TOWARD the cell body of a neuron

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20
Q

What are axons?

A

Transmit the impulse away from the body.

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21
Q

What is the myelin sheath?

A

covers the axon of some neurons and helps speed neural impulses

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22
Q

What are the gaps in the myelin sheath called?

A

Nodes of Ranvier

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23
Q

What is the terminal button?

A

end of axon; secretes neurotransmitters

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24
Q

What is a reflex arc?

A
  1. Sensory neuron detect change, message sent to relay neurons
  2. Relay neuron in CNS recive info and pass onto motor neurons.
  3. Motor neurons receive info from relay neurons and cue effector to move.
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25
Q

What is the definition of synaptic transmission?

A

Process of neuronal communication with other neurons and effector systems

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26
Q

What is the synapse?

A

Gap between neurons

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27
Q

What is the process of synaptic transmission?

A
  1. Electrical impulse travels down axon of pre-synaptic neurons. Reaches axon terminal of presynaptic neuron.
  2. Once impulse reaches neuron’s terminal, it releases neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles (message goes from electrical to chemical)
  3. Neurotransmitters are released across synapse and post-synaptic neuron takes in this chemical as it binds to receptor sites. Post synaptic neuron uses process of summation to identify what to do next.
  4. If there are more excitatory neurotransmitters post synaptic neuron will generate electrical impulse - excitatory postsynaptic potential (ESPS)
  5. If there are more inhibitory neurotransmitters post synaptic neuron will not generate an electrical impulse - inhibitory postsynaptic potential (IPSP)
  6. If there are any neurotransmitters left over in the synapse, it will go back into the vesicles of the pre synaptic neuron. This process is called reuptake.
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28
Q

What is the role of the frontal lobe?

A

higher cognitive functions such as memory, emotions, problem solving etc.

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29
Q

What is the temporal lobe responsible for?

A

Located on the sides, associated with hearing

30
Q

What is the occipital lobe responsible for?

A

Located at very back of brain responsible for interpreting incoming visual information.

31
Q

What is the parietal lobe responsible for?

A

Processes information from body’s senses contains somatosensory cortex.

32
Q

Where is the motor cortex and what does it do?

A

Back of the frontal lobe and voluntary movement.

33
Q

Where is the somatosensory cortex located?

A

Front of parietal lobe, sensory information from skin is represented the amount of somatosensory area donated to each body part denotes its sensitivity.

34
Q

What separates the somatosensory cortex and the motor cortex?

A

Central sulcus

35
Q

Where is the visual cortex located and what does it do?

A

Occipital lobe, Each eye sends information from right visual field to left visual cortex and left visual field to right visual cortex.

36
Q

Where is the auditory cortex located?

A

Temporal lobe. speech based information

37
Q

What are the language areas of the brain and where are they located?

A

Wernicke’s area and Broca’s area in the left hemisphere.

38
Q

What is Broca’s area?

A

Speech production

39
Q

What is Broca’s aphasia?

A

“broken speech”, trouble speaking, halting/jarring speech but you can understand what people are saying

40
Q

What is Wernicke’s area?

A

Language comprehension

41
Q

What is Wernicke’s aphasia?

A

“fluent aphasia”, nothing the person says makes logical sense and struggle to understand but speak with fluency.

  • Impaired language comprehension
42
Q

What is the definition of localisation of function?

A

When a part of the brain carries out a particular function.

43
Q

Evaluate localisation of function ( Case study)

A

Strength
Case study support. Phineas Gage suffered from accident resulted in metal pole exiting his skull taking most of his brain and left frontal lobe. Supports localisation of function as damage to his brain resulted in him having a change of behaviour and personality as are of the brain responsible for behaviour (frontal lobe) was damaged.
- However lacks external validity as case studies are unique cases and eveyones brain may differ then unable to generalise findings from this study to wider population.

44
Q

Evaluate localisation of function ( Brain scans supports)

A

Strength
Brain scans support. Tulving et al used PET scanner, when participants thought of episodic memories there was greater activation in the anterior region and when semantic memories were thought of there was greater activation of the posterior region. Shows localisation of function as thinking of specific memories led to specific areas of brain being activated. A strength as provides objective scientific evidence to support.

45
Q

Evaluate localisation of function ( Plasticity)

A

Weakness
Plasticity. When an area of the brain has become damaged and a particular function has been lost the rest of the brain is able to reorganise itself to recover the lost function. Lashley described this as the law of equipotentiality where the brain can tranfer functional memory from damaged portions of the brain to undamaged portions. This disproves the idea of LOF.

46
Q

What is brain plasticity?

A

the brain’s ability to change and adapt as a result of experience/learning.

47
Q

What is Hebb’s theory?

A

“cells that fire together, wire together” more you use collection of neurons together, the more easily you will be able to use them together again in future. Neuronal connections become more efficient at communicating the more you use them.

48
Q

What research is there to support brain plasticity?

A

Maguire et al studied the brains of London taxi drivers using MRI and found more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than in the matched control group. Associated with the development of spatial and navigational skills in. This is a strength because it provides evidence that our brain can change with experience.
- However, one issue with Maguire et al’s study is that it was only correlational. This means that we cannot establish cause and effect and know that the time spent as a taxi driver directly caused the changes in brain structure in the participants. Therefore, difficult to draw valid conclusions plasticity due to its limitations.

49
Q

What is functional recovery?

A

A form of plasticity. Following damage through trauma, the brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area(s) to other, undamaged area(s).

50
Q

What are two ways functional recovery can happen?

A

Neural regeneration - growth of new neurons and/or connections to compensate for damaged areas (e.g. axon sprouting- when axon is damaged connections w/ other neurons lost, so other axons that already connect with that neuron may sprout new connections to the neuron, replacing destroyed)

Neural reorganisation - transfer of functions to undamaged areas.

51
Q

What are two factors that affect the liklihood of recovery?

A

Age - deterioration of brain in old age affects extent and speed of rexovery.

Gender - women recover better from brain surgery as function is not as lateralised

52
Q

What study supports how age affects recovery?

A

Marquez de la Plata et al found following brain trauma older patients regained less function than younger patients and were also more likely to decline in terms of function for 5 years following trauma.

53
Q

What study supports how gender affects recovery?

A

Ratcliffe at al examined brain trauma patients for level of cognitive skills. Woman performed significantly better than men on tests of attention/memory/language. Men outperformed visual analytical skills.

54
Q

Evaluate brain plasticity and functional recovery (strength/ EB)

A

EB had operation to remove benign tumour from left hemisphere due to size of tumour virtually all left hemisphere was removed too. However right hemisphere was able to compensate for loss.
- However case study, unique cases so may lack generalisability.

55
Q

Evaluate brain plasticity and functional recovery (limitation)

A

Most of studies into Functional Recovery people only researched after brain injury so we do not know brain function and abilities before accident. Difficult to know what extent someone’s function has recovered - validity

56
Q

Evaluate brain plasticity and functional recovery (Practical Application)

A

Understanding process involved in plasticity has contributed to neurorehabilitation. Following illness or injury to the brain spontaneous recovery tends to slow down after a number of weeks so forms of physical therapy may be required to maintain functioning e.g. movement therapy. This matters because whilst it shows the brain can only fix itself up to a certain point it has led to the development of therapies and interventions to ensure functional recovery is always completely successful.

57
Q

Define hemispheric lateralisation.

A

Certain mental processes and behaviours are controlled or dominated by one hemisphere rather than the other (as in the example of language).

58
Q

What is split brain research?

A

When the the corpus callosum is cut in epileptic people and allow research to investigate the extent to which brain function is lateralised.

59
Q

Outline what Fink, Halligan et al found.

A

Identifying smaller details prompts the left hemisphere whereas looking at picture holistically prompts activation in the right hemisphere.

60
Q

Describe Sperry’s study about memory - test 1

A

Picture of object was presented to either LVF or RVF and then presented again to the same or the other VF then were asked if they recognised it. Objects only recognises if flashed to same visual field. Suggesting memories from one VF cannot cross to other.

61
Q

Describe Sperry’s study about describing an object - test 2

A

Visual stimuli presented to LVF or RVF but were asked to describe stimulus required speech (Left hemisphere). Could only describe things in RVF as this is processed by left hemisphere.

62
Q

Describe Sperry’s study about describing an object - test 2

A

Visual stimuli presented to LVF or RVF but were asked to describe stimulus required speech (Left hemisphere). Could only describe things in RVF as this is processed by left hemisphere.

63
Q

Describe Sperry’s study about drawing - test 3

A

Two diff images flashed in LVF and RVF. Asked to draw with left hand what they saw (right hemisphere to draw) then had to say what they drew without looking (left hemisphere speech) They would draw with left hand what they saw in the LVF but describe what they saw in RVF. Left hemisphere is unaware of actions controlled by left hemisphere.

64
Q

Evaluate Sperry’s study (case study)

A

Able to collect detailed info about each participants abilities and conducted number of tests is improves validity of research.
- However may not be generalisable patients all had epilepsy meaning even prior brain surgery may not work the same as a ‘normal’ person. This may have caused unique changes in the brain that may have influenced findings. Some participants also experienced more disconnection of the two hemispheres than others. Only 11.

65
Q

Evaluate Sperry’s study (controlled)

A

Highly standardised procedures. Participants would be asked to stare at a given point. The image projected would be flashed up for one tenth of a second meaning the individuals would not have time to move their eyes across the image and so spread the info across both sides of the visual field and subsequently both sides of the brain. This allowed Sperry to vary aspects of the procedure and ensured only one hemisphere was receiving information at a time. A useful and well controlled procedure increases internal validity.

66
Q

Evaluate Sperry’s study (plasticity)

A

Sperry’s work may overemphasise and oversimplify functional distinction between the left and right hemispheres. Although ‘verbal’ and ‘non verbal’ labels can be usefully applied to summaries the differences between two hemispheres. modern neuroscientists would contend that actual distinction is less clear cut and much more messy. The two hemispheres are in constant communication when performing tasks and many behaviours associated with one hemisphere can be effectively performed by the other when the situation requires it.

67
Q

What is spatial resolution?

A

How clear the image is. If it can give precise detail about blood flow/activity, this has high spatial resolution. If less clear/precise, low spatial resolution

68
Q

What is temporal resolution?

A

How much of a delay is between activity and recording in the scan.

69
Q

How does an fMRI scan work?

A
  • Measures energy released from haemoglobin (the protein content of blood).
  • Brain needs oxygen to function; when haemoglobin has oxygen it reacts differently to when without oxygen.
  • When area is active and using oxygen, the difference in the amount of energy released by haemoglobin is measured. Can create a moving image of activity and show which parts are active when a function is performed.
70
Q

Evaluate fMRI scans (strength)

A

High spatial resolution, depicting detail by the milimetre and providing a clear picture of how brain activity is loaclised

71
Q

Evaluate fMRI scans (limitation)

A

Low temporal resolution - up to 5 sec delay between blood flow change and image - low internal validity

Biopsychology (5 decks)

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