biopsychology lessons 1-5

Question 1

THE NERVOUS SYSTEM DIAGRAM

Answer 1

nervous system
central nervous system. peripheral nervous system
brain. spinal cord. somatic nervous system. autonomic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system parasympathetic NS

Question 2

what is CNS

Answer 2

made up of brain and spinal cord. brain split into two hemispheres. spinal cord is extension of brain responsible for reflex actions also connects nerves to PNS

Question 3

what is PNS

Answer 3

transmits messages to and from the CNS. divided into autonomic and somatic.
ANS - vital unconscious functions such as breathing and heart rate
SNS - controls conscious functions such as muscle movement

Question 4

what are the brain components

Answer 4

cerebrum - split into 4 lobes - frontal, temporal, parietal, occipital. two hemispheres which communicate via corpus callosum
cerebellum - back of cerebrum which controls skills and balance
diencephalon - sits above brain stem and split into 4 - thalamus, hypothalamus, epithalamus, subthalamus. coordinates endocrine system.
brain stem - regulates automatic functions such as breathing and heart rate

Question 5

what is the somatic nervous system

Answer 5

facilitates communication between the CNS and the outside world. made up of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves. has both sensory and motor neurons.

Question 6

what is the autonomic nervous system

Answer 6

regulates involuntary actions such as heart beats and digesting food. ANS control centre is in the brain stem

Question 7

what is the sympathetic nervous system

Answer 7

involved in responses that help us deal with fight and flight such as increasing heart rate etc.

Question 8

what is the parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 8

relaxes body after an emergency has passed by slowing the heart beat and is involved in energy conservation

Question 9

what are structure of neurone components

Answer 9

cell body: contains nucleus and has dendrites attached
axon: has myelin sheath to speed electrical transmission which are segmented by nodes of ranvier
axon terminal: at end of axon which communicates with next neurone

Question 10

what are the 3 types of neurones

Answer 10

sensory: carry messages from PNS to CNS. has nucleus on axon
relay: connect sensory to motor. has short dendrites and no myelin sheath
motor: connects CNS to effectors has short dendrites and myelin sheath

Question 11

what is synaptic transmission

Answer 11

process by which neighbouring neurones communicate with each other by sending chemical messages

Question 12

describe the process of synaptic transmission

Answer 12

when a neurone is activated by a stimulus the inside becomes positively charged causing an action potential to occur which creates an electrical impulse which travels down axon. once action potential reaches axon terminal it crosses gap between pre-synaptic neurone and post synaptic neurone which is the synapse. axon terminal has synaptic vessels which contain neurotransmitters.

Question 13

what are inhibitory neurotransmitters

Answer 13

responsible for calming the mind and body. eg. serotonin and GABA. inhibitory neurotransmitter binding to post synaptic cell results in an inhibitory post - synaptic potential making neurone less likely to fire.

Question 14

what are excitatory neurotransmitters

Answer 14

likely to increase your chances to activate or carry out a behaviour. eg. adrenaline and dopamine. when excitatory neurotransmitter binds to post synaptic receptor it causes electrical charge on membrane of post synaptic neurone resulting in excitatory post synaptic potential meaning post synaptic cell is more likely to fire

Question 15

what is summation

Answer 15

the net result of adding up the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic input

Question 16

how can the strength of EPSP’s be increased

Answer 16

by spatial summation whereby a large number of EPSP’s are generated at many different synapses. by temporal summation whereby a large number of EPSP’s are generated at the same synapse by a series of high frequency action potentials.

Question 17

what is the role of the endocrine system

Answer 17

network of glands and hormones which control vital functions. slower but more long lasting changes than the nervous system.

Question 18

pituitary gland function

Answer 18

master gland which controls the release of hormones from other glands

Question 19

hypothalamus role

Answer 19

stimulates and controls release of hormones from pituitary gland.

Question 20

thyroid role

Answer 20

releases thyroxine which regulates metabolic rate

Question 21

adrenal medulla role

Answer 21

releases adrenaline which induces a fight or flight response

Question 22

adrenal cortex role

Answer 22

releases glucocorticoids such as cortisol which release stored glucose and suppressed immune system and mineralocorticoids which regulate water balance

Question 23

testes role

Answer 23

releases androgens mainly testosterone which develops male sexual characteristics and promotes muscle mass.

Question 24

ovaries role

Answer 24

releases oestrogens mainly oestradiol which regulates female reproductive system and menstrual cycle.

Question 25

pineal gland role

Answer 25

releases melatonin which regulates arousal and the sleep cycle

Question 26

anterior pituitary gland hormones

Answer 26

Adrenocortical trophic hormone which targets adrenal cortex
thyroid stimulating hormone which targets thyroid
prolactin which targets mammary glands to release milk
FSH which targets ovaries and tested
growth hormone which targets cell growth
melanocyte stimulating hormone which targets melanin production

Question 27

posterior pituitary gland hormones

Answer 27

vasopressin or anti diuretic hormones which regulate water balance
oxytocin which promotes uterine contractions

Question 28

what happens in our brain during fight or flight

Answer 28

an area in brain called amygdala is activated which associates sensory signals with emotions associated with fight or flight such as fear and anger. the amygdala then sends signal to hypothalamus which communicates with rest of body via sympathetic nervous system

Question 29

response to acute (sudden) stressors

Answer 29

the sympathetic nervous system is triggered and prepares body for fight or flight by sending signal to adrenal medulla to release adrenaline which circulates body to increase heart rate and breathing rate.

Question 30

parasympathetic nervous system role in FoF response to stress

Answer 30

when threat has passed the PNS branch of autonomic nervous system dampens down stress response. the PNS slows down heartbeat and blood pressure. body goes into rest and digest

Question 31

evaluation of fight or flight

Answer 31

advantages: makes sense from evolutionary psychology pov as it helps an individual to survive by fighting or fleeing.
disadvantages: when faces with dangerous system it is not only limited to fight or flight and psychologists suggest there is freeze. gray suggests the first response to danger is to avoid confrontation by freezing. FoF is more a male response as females adopt a tend and befriend response. von dawans found it is w both male and female as in 9/11 both genders contacted love ones and helped each other.