Biopsychology Flashcards
(18 cards)
What does the central nervous system do?
Made up of the brain and spinal cord.
Regulating body temperature, heart rate and breathing.
Language.
Coordinating movement.
Coding sensory data via the sensory organs and the environment.
Problem-solving and planning.
What does the peripheral nervous system do?
Transmits messages throughout whole body from the brain and relays those messages back to the brain.
Divided into somatic nervous system (SNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS).
The SNS transmits and receives messages from the senses, directs the muscles to move appropriately.
The ANS is involuntary and can further be subdivided into the sympathetic nervous system (SPNS) and the parasympathetic nervous system (PSNS).
The SPNS is associated with fight or flight and the PSNS is associated with rest and digest.
What is the function of the endocrine system?
Responsible for releasing hormones to regulate the bodies processes.
A hormone is a chemical secreted by the endocrine gland and released into the bloodstream.
Name some hormones involved in the endocrine system and explain what they do.
Testosterone and oestrogen removed from sex glands which control primary and secondary sexual characteristics.
The pituitary gland secretes adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH), follicle-stimulating hormone, luteinising hormone, oxytocin and thyroid-stimulating hormone.
Melatonin controls the sleep/wake cycle, adrenaline controls the fight-or-flight response and insulin helps blood sugar enter the body cells.
Describe the fight or flight response.
Sympathetic nervous system stimulates the adrenal medulla to secrete adrenaline.
Adrenaline heightens reactions.
Adrenal gland releases ATP.
SAN is targeted leading to an increase in reactions, such as heart rate.
Explain the sensory neurons, motor neurons and relay neurons.
Sensory neurons- sends information from the PNS towards the CNS, external and internal environmental information coming from the sense organs, long dendrites and short axons with the cell body to the side.
Motor neurons- carry signals from the CNS towards the PNS, can both transmit and receive messages, short dendrites and long axons.
Relay neurons- connects sensory to motor neurons, located in the CNS and carries signals across it, short axons and short dendrites.
Describe the process of synaptic transmission.
The synapse is the junction where two neurons meet.
The presynaptic knob contains vesicles that hold neurotransmitters.
The synaptic cleft is the space between the neurons where the electrical signal is turned into a chemical messenger.
The postsynaptic membrane receives the signal.
What are the different kinds of neurotransmitters?
Seretonin- seretonin receptor 5, regulates mood.
Dopamine- dopamine receptors, movement.
Excitatory- stimulate an action potential.
Inhibitory- inhibit/prevent action potential.
What is localisation of brain function (LOF)?
Specific functions/processes are localised to specific locations in the brain.
What are the lobes of the brain and their function?
The frontal lobe- motor cortex = movement, prefrontal cortex = executive functioning, Broca’s area - speech production.
The temporal lobe- auditory, Wernicke’s area = language comprehension, hippocampus = spatial navigation.
The parietal lobe- somatosensory cortex = touch sensation, body orientation and learning.
The occipital lobe- visual area = distance and depth perception and recognition.
Cerebellum- balance and coordination.
Brain stem- involuntary responses.
What is hemispheric lateralisation?
The brain is split into two hemispheres; right hemisphere and left hemisphere connected by the corpus callosum.
Left hemisphere linked to language processing- Broca’s area and Wernickes area.
Right hemisphere linked to visual information, imagination and creativity.
Explain split brain research.
Sperry.
Epileptic patients, severed corpus callosum.
Describe what you see.
Recognise by touch.
Composite words.
Drawing tasks.
What is plasticity and functional recovery?
Neuroplasticity- brains ability to adapt.
Structural plasticity- changes within brain structure.
Functional recovery- brains ability to replace lost or damaged functions by using existing brain regions in their place.
What are the different ways of studying the brain?
fMRI- oxygenated blood flow in the brain.
EEGs- placing of electrodes on the scalp which record brain activity, brain waves.
ERPs- use the same apparatus and techniques as EEGs, record when activity in response to a stimulus.
Post mortems- examining brain after death.
what are circadian rhythms?
24 hour cycle which is reset by levels of light.
E.G. sleep wake cycle.
Exogenous zeitgebers.
Suprachiasmatic nuclei in hypothalamus detects light.
Melatonin plays a role in triggering sleep by responding to a decrease in light levels.
What are infradian rhythms?
Cycles that last more than 24hours.
E.G the menstrual cycle, 28 days.
E.G. seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
What are ultradian rhythms?
Under 24hours.
Stages of sleep:
1 and 2. Sleep escalator, light sleep, alpha waves, theta waves (deeper sleep).
3 and 4. Delta waves of deep sleep.
5. REM, dreaming occurs.
Explain endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers.
Endogenous pacemakers- internal mechanisms, body clocks, suprachiasmati nuclei.
Exogenous zeitgebers- external cues, resetting the biological clock, social cues
