Brain and Neurons

Question 1

What is Psychology

Answer 1

Psychology is the scientific study of behaviour and mental processes. Eg) Sport, Health

Question 2

What is the difference between a behaviour and a mental process

Answer 2

Mental process is something you experience inside the individual, eg a thought, a behaviour is the action you take based on that mental process.

Behaviour and mental processes influence each other, eg you feel cold (mental process), so you put your blazer on (behaviour). Eg: you have a fight with your friend (behaviour) so you feel guilty (mental process).

Question 3

Difference between Psychiatrists and Psychologists

Answer 3

Psychologists study the brain and Psychiatrists prescribe medication.
If you need to be prescribed mediation you have to go to a Physiatrist, Psychologists can NOT prescribe medication

Question 4

What is biology

Answer 4

Biology is the study of life and living organisms. Eg) Ecology, Genetics

Question 5

Two parts of the nervous system

Answer 5

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

Question 6

What is CNS made of

Answer 6

Brain and Spinal cord

Question 7

What is are the two subdivisons of the PNS

Answer 7

Somatic and autonomic nervous systems

Question 8

Function of the Spinal cord

Answer 8

The upper section of the spine is responsible for communication to the brain and upper parts of the body and the lower section of the spine is responsible for the lower parts of the body

Question 9

Function of the brain

Answer 9

The brain is the control centre of the body it is the central hub of the nervous system
The spinal cord allows the brain to communicate with the rest of the body

Question 10

Functions of the CNS

Answer 10

Receiving, processing, and responding to sensory information

Question 11

Function of the PNS

Answer 11

To communicate information from the body’s organs, glands and muscles to the brain. And to communicate information from the brain to the body’s organs, glands and muscles.

Question 12

Two subdivisions of the Autonomic nervous system

Answer 12

Sympathetic (prepares us for action, including the fight or flight response) and Parasympathetic (calms our body down and returns us to baseline/normal.

Question 13

Function of the Autonomic Nervous system

Answer 13

The autonomic nervous system controls the body’s non-skeletal muscles. The autonomic system does everything we don’t need to think about. (AUTOMATICALLY = AUTONOMIC)

Question 14

Function of the Somatic Nervous system

Answer 14

The somatic nervous system is responsible for carrying messages from the brain to the skeletal muscles (voluntary movement) - controlling our arms is with somatic.

Question 15

what is the cerebrum

Answer 15

The largest part of the brain where all conscious thought and thinking occurs

Question 16

Two parts of the cerebrum and what they do

Answer 16

The left hemisphere: Controls the right side of the body and looks after Speech, Language and comprehension
The right hemisphere: Controls the left side of the body and and controls creativity and spacial ability etc

Question 17

4 brain lobes

Answer 17

Frontal Lobe, Temporal Lobe, Occipital Lobe and Parietal Lobe

Question 18

Frontal Lobe

Answer 18

Important for your personality if it is missing your personality changes. Functions include problem solving, decision making.

Contains the Primary motor cortex which initiates voluntary movement. It also contains the production of speech
(Broca’s area)

Question 19

Parietal Lobe

Answer 19

Found in the upper back half of the brain, Functions include:
processing sensory information, spatial awareness, direction

Contains the Primary somatosensory cortex, This part of the brain receives and processes information about touch, temperature and the position of muscles

Question 20

Occipital Lobe

Answer 20

Vision and Contains the primary visual cortex.
Left lobe receives information from the right visual field
Right lobe receives information from the left visual field

Question 21

Temporal Lobe

Answer 21

Next to ears. Contains areas responsible for hearing and language comprehension (Wernicke’s area).

Has a role in recognizing: Faces, places, songs, paintings

Contains the Primary Auditory Cortex

Question 22

Where and what is Wernickes area

Answer 22

hearing and language comprehension - Temporal Lobe

Question 23

Where and what is Brocas area

Answer 23

production of speech - Frontal lobe

Question 24

Brocas Apashia and Wernickes Apashia

Answer 24

Wernickes Apashia - This is where people have damage to Wernicke’s area and have issues with comprehending speech and producing coherent speech

Brocas Apashia- this is when there is damage to Broca’s area and it is difficult for people to produce fluent speech

Question 25

What is the cerebellum

Answer 25

The word Cerebellum means ‘little brain', it is small. It is located at the base of the brain. Responsible for muscle coordination and balance.

Question 26

What is a Neuron

Answer 26

A neuron is an individual nerve cell. The entire nervous system is made up of neurons.

Question 27

3 Types of Neurons

Answer 27

1. Sensory neurons 2. Interneurons (or relay neurons) only found in CNS 3. Motor neurons

Question 28

What is a sensory Neuron

Answer 28

pick up information from your senses to send to your brain

Question 29

What are Motor neurons

Answer 29

move your muscles/organs/glands

Question 30

What are Interneurons

Answer 30

transfer signals between sensory and motor neurons

Question 31

What are the parts of Neurons

Answer 31

Dendrite Soma Axon Axon terminal Myelin

Question 32

Dendrite

Answer 32

Receives information from other neurons and transmits it to the soma.

Question 33

Soma

Answer 33

Also known as the cell body. This contains the nucleus and maintains the neuron and keeps is functioning

Question 34

Axon

Answer 34

Thin tube-like extension that transmits information from the soma to the axon terminal.

Question 35

Axon terminal

Answer 35

Found at the end of axons, this small structure stores and secretes neurotransmitters.

Question 36

Myelin

Answer 36

A white fatty substance that coats the axon. This insulates the axon and allows the message to pass faster along the axon.

Question 37

Synaptic gap (describe what happens and what structures are involved)

Answer 37

As one neuron does not touch the next neuron they need something to cross the space between the neurons so the message can be passed from one neuron to the next. The space between neurons is called the synaptic gap.

Question 38

How do neurons communicate

Answer 38

The neuron releases the neurotransmitters at the axon terminal, this passes on the chemical message. The neurotransmitters travel through the synaptic gap (synapse) then it binds to the receptor site on the dendrite. The electrochemical messaging has now been passed on from one neuron to the next.

Question 39

Difference between Excitatory and inhibitory

Answer 39

Excitatory: makes the post synaptic neuron more likely to fire Inhibitory: makes the post synaptic neuron less likely to fire INHIBIT: STOP EXCITE= GO

Question 40

What are Neurotransmitters

Answer 40

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that neurons use to communicate with each other.

Question 41

What is it called when neurons communicate

Answer 41

IT IS CALLED SYNAPTIC TRANSIMISSION