Biopsychology

Question 1

What are the two components of the CNS?

Answer 1

The brain
The spinal cord

Question 2

How is the PNS split up + roles?

Answer 2

Autonomic nervous system - (sympathetic and parasympathetic)
Somatic nervous system (voluntary movement, transmitting signals to CNS)

Question 3

Thyroid gland function

Answer 3

Releases thyroxine - regulates metabolism

Question 4

Sympathetic nervous system function

Answer 4

Prepares the body for fight or flight (increased heart rate/breathing rate etc)

Question 5

Parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 5

Returns body to normal after fight or flight response

Question 6

Why can neurons only transfer information in one direction? (3)

Answer 6

1. Synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters only present on the presynaptic neuron
2. Receptors are only present on the post-synaptic neuron
3. It is the binding of the neurotransmitters to the receptors sites which allows information to be passed on

Question 7

Describe the process of synaptic transmission (4 points)

Answer 7

• Action potential reaches the end of the neuron
• Release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron into the synaptic cleft
• Diffuses across and binds to a receptor site on a postsynaptic neuron
• Excitatory vs inhibitory effect

Question 8

Name and describe two features of a neuron

Answer 8

Myelin sheath - insulates neutrons and speeds up the rate of transmission
Dendrites - allow for neutrons to connect + communicate

Question 9

Broca’s area location + function

Answer 9

Frontal lobe, responsible for speech production (patient Tan)

Question 10

What is the significance of patient Tan?

Answer 10

• Could only say ‘tan’
• Post-mortem revealed lesion at left frontal lobe
• This area is now known as Broca’s area

Question 11

Wernicke’s area location + function

Answer 11

Left temporal lobe - responsible for language comprehension

Question 12

Petersen et al (1988) - Wernicke’s area activation

Answer 12

Brain scans showed Wernicke’s area being active during listening tasks

Question 13

Plasticity definiton

Answer 13

Refers to the brain’s ability to change and adapt based on experience

Question 14

Maguire et al (2000) - taxi drivers study

Answer 14

• Studied 50 right handed, male taxi drivers
• Found increased grey matter in hippocampi
• Increased depending on years of experience

Question 15

Michelli et al (2004) - bilingual study

Answer 15

Found larger parietal cortex in bilingual individuals

Question 16

Functional recovery explanations (3 points)

Answer 16

• Neural unmasking
• Stem cells
• Natural regeneration

Question 17

Plasticity and functional recovery evaluation points (4)

Answer 17

• Plasticty support - Maguire
• Plasticity changes with age (Elbert et al)
• Functional recovery support (Tajiri et al - rat stem cells)
• RWA - neurorehabilitiation in the form of electrical stimulation

Question 18

Sperry (1968) - split-brain patients (3)

Answer 18

• Could describe objects flashed to the right visual field but not to the left hemisphere
• Could draw objects flashed to left visual field
• Right hemisphere specialised for facial recognition

Question 19

Endogenous pacemaker definition

Answer 19

Internal body clocks

Question 20

Exogenous zeitgeibers definition

Answer 20

External environmental stimuli which influences body clock (i.e light)

Question 21

Burgess et al (2003) - (bright light shift)

Answer 21

Found that continuous exposure to bright light could shift circadian rhythm by 2.1 hours

Question 22

Siffre (1962) - Cave study

Answer 22

Spent 2 months in a dark cave, yet kept 24.5hr cycle and regular sleep times

Question 23

Evaluation of research into circadian rhythms (3 points)

Answer 23

• Economical application (shift work)
• Drug treatment timings
• Use of case studies

Question 24

Infradian rhythm length

Answer 24

More than 24 hours long (menstrual cycle)

Question 25

Ultradian rhythm length

Answer 25

Less than 24 hours long (stages of sleep)

Question 26

Russel et al (1980) - menstrual cycle study

Answer 26

- Exposed one group of females to a sweat sample of another group - Found that menstrual cycles became synchronised.

Question 27

Sleep stages 1-5

Answer 27

1-2 — Light sleep 3-4 — Deep sleep 5 — REM sleep

Question 28

What cause Seasonal Affective Disorder?

Answer 28

Increased melatonin secretion in the winter reduces serotonin secretion

Question 29

Suprachiasmatic nucleus function (SCN)

Answer 29

Controls sleep-wake cycle via detection of light (even when eyes are closed)

Question 30

Decoursey et al (2000) - chipmunks

Answer 30

Destroyed the SCN of chipmunks, interrupting their sleep-wake cycle and led to them being attacked by predators.

Question 31

Describe an fMRI

Answer 31

- Measures oxygenated blood flow to parts of the brain using magnetic fields and radio waves - Produces 3D map of brain when completing task

Question 32

fMRI negative evaluation points (3)

Answer 32

- Quite expensive - Only shows blood flow in general regions - Low temporal resolution (1-4 seconds)

Question 33

fMRI postive evaluation points (2)

Answer 33

- Non-invasive - High spatial resolution (1-2mm)

Question 34

Describe an EEG

Answer 34

- Skull cap with electrodes fitted - Detects electrical changes in brain over time

Question 35

EEG evaluation points (3)

Answer 35

- Non-invasive - High temporal validity (10ms) - Waves are not specific

Question 36

Event-related Potentials (ERP)

Answer 36

Same as EEG but the individual is presented with a task/stimuli, and waves can be narrowed down.

Question 37

ERP evaluation points (2)

Answer 37

- Allows for measuring of response to different stimuli - Hard to control stimulus presentation ( e.g background noise) | ERP also has the same evaluation points as EEG

Question 38

Post mortem examination

Answer 38

Those with specific disorders can have their brains examined after death

Question 39

Post mortem evaluation points

Answer 39

- Requires consent - Small sample, hard to generalise - Brain can change after death