2- Brain and behaviour Flashcards
Biological psychology
Scientific study of the biology of behaviour
Neuroanatomy
Structure of the brain
Neurophysiology
how the brain works
What are the 2 divisions of the nervous system?
- Central nervous system
- Peripheral nervous system
What is the CNS made up of?
- Brain
- Spinal cord
What is the general name for the 2 halves of the brain?
Cerebral hemispheres
What connects the 2 hemispheres?
Corpus callosum
What is the left hemisphere for?
Speech
Controls right side of the body
What is the right hemisphere for?
Spatially dominant
Controls left side of the body
What is contralateral control?
Left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, right side controls the left
What are the 4 lobes in the brain?
- Frontal
- Parietal
- Temporal
- Occipital
What is the role of the frontal lobe?
- Takes info from all lobes
- Integrates information
- Plans actions
What is the role of the parietal lobe?
Interprets sensory information
What is the role of the temporal lobe?
- Interprets emotion
- Storage of memory
- The motosensory homunculus
What is the role of the occipital lobe?
Vision
What are the divisions of the peripheral nervous system?
- Somatic nervous system
- Autonomic nervous system
What are afferents?
Sensory signals moving towards CNS
What are efferents?
Motor signals moving from the CNS to muscles etc
What is the somatic nervous system?
- Interacts with environment
- Gathers sensory info
- Sends info to CNS via afferents
- Efferents send signals to muscles
What is the autonomic nervous system?
- Regulates body internal environment
- Heart rate, body temperature, digestion
- Afferents carry sensory signals from internal organs
- E.g. if we get cold the afferents will send that information to CNS. Body can do things to warm itself up such as shivering and goosebumps
- Sympathetic nerves get body ready for fight or flight
- Parasympathetic nerves act to conserve energy
What is the sympathetic nervous system for?
Gets body ready for fight or flight
What is the parasympathetic nervous system for?
Returns the body to a normal state after fight or flight
In what way do neurons communicate?
Electrochemically
What charge does a neuron have?
-70mV (the resting potential)
What is the charge due to?
An imbalance of positively and negatively charged particles
What does polarised mean?
In the resting potential state.
This means that there is a difference in charge inside and outside of the neuron.
What are the 4 structural divisions within neurons?
Input zone: post-synaptic membrane
Integration zone: cell body and axon hillock
Conduction zone: the axon
Output zone: presynaptic membrane
What psychological disorders involve neurotrtansmitters?
- Depression
- Bipolar
- SAD
What prevents reuptake?
SSRIs
How do SSRIs work?
They prevent reuptake meaning that the serotonin stays in the cleft longer so it has more of a chance to bind with the receptor site.
How do SSRIs work?
They prevent reuptake meaning that the serotonin stays in the cleft longer so it has more of a chance to bind with the receptor site.
