4.2.2 biopsychology

Question 1

CNS

Answer 1

system comprised of the brain and spinal chord
spinal chord facilitates the transferal of messages to and from the brain to the PNS
involved in reflex actions such as the startle response

Question 2

the peripheral nervous system

Answer 2

transmits messages to the whole body from the brain and vice versa
has 2 divisions:
somatic nervous systems and autonomic system

Question 3

somatic nervous system

Answer 3

transmits information to and from senses and to and from central nervous system

Question 4

autonomic nervous system

Answer 4

transmits information to and from internal organs to sustain life processes.
divides into 2 systems- parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system

Question 5

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 5

maintains or decreases bodily activity

Question 6

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 6

generally increases bodily activities

Question 7

sensory neurones

Answer 7

neurones tell the rest of the brain about the external and internal environment by processing information taken from 1 of the senses

Question 8

relay neurones

Answer 8

[see flashcard for diagram]

carry messages from 1 part of the CNS to another. connect sensory and motor neurones

Question 9

motor neurones

Answer 9

[see flashcards for diagram]

carry signals from the CNS which helps both organs, including glands and muscles, function

Question 10

synaptic transmission information

Answer 10

process fro transmitting messages from neurone to neurone. a synapse is a specialised gap through which the electrical impulse from the neurone is transmitted chemically

Question 11

synaptic transmission process

Answer 11

electrical impulse travels down the neurone and prompts release of neurotransmitters at the pre-synaptic terminal.
chemicals are then released into the synaptic cleft fluid in the synapse
the adjacent neurone mist then quickly take up the neurotransmitters from the fluid and convert them to an electrical impulse to travel down the neurone to the next pre-synaptic neurone.

Question 12

synaptic transmission- excitation and inhibition

Answer 12

excitatory potential- make it more likely for the neurone to fire and so a synapse is more likely to cause the post-synaptic neurone to fire, it is called an excitatory synapse
inhibitory potential- makes it less likely to fire and if the message is likely to be stopped at the post-synaptic neurone, it is inhibitory synapse

Question 13

pituitary gland

Answer 13

some of the hormones released are important for regulating the endocrine system.
the ‘master gland’

Question 14

adrenal gland

Answer 14

important part of the fight-or-flight response

facilitates the release of adrenaline

Question 15

testes

Answer 15

facilitate the release of testesterone

Question 16

ovaries

Answer 16

facilitate the release of oestrogen and progesterone

Question 17

fight-or-flight response

Answer 17

generated from the autonomic nervous system, specially the sympathetic branch
a reflex response designed to help an individual to help an individual manage physically when under threat
helps an individual react quicker than normal and facilitates optimal functioning so they can fight the threat or run away from it

Question 18

process of adrenaline

Answer 18

hypothalamus
sends a message to adrenal gland (adrenal medulla)
triggers the release of adrenaline to the endocrine system and noradrenaline in the brain
prompts physical changes

Question 19

physical changes the release of adrenaline causes

Answer 19

increased heart rate (speed up blood to vital organs and improve the spread of adrenaline)
faster breathing (improve oxygen intake)
muscle tension ( improve reaction time/speed)
pupil dilation (improve vision)
production of sweat (facilitate temperature regulation)
reduced functioning of digestive and immune systems (save energy for prioritised functions i.e. running)

Question 20

brain hemispheres

Answer 20

brain has 2 hemispheres which are bridged by the corpus callosum. the ‘bridge’ which is a bundle of fibres is a communication pathway so the 2 hemispheres can exchange information

Question 21

hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 21

1 hemisphere carries out a particular function.
i.e. the right side of the brain is responsible for the left side of the body, smell on the left side of the nose is processed in the right hemisphere

Question 22

left hemisphere

Answer 22

language processing i.e. Broca’s and Wernicke’s area

Question 23

right hemisphere

Answer 23

seems to be particularly dominant for recognising emotions in others Narumoto et al. (2001)
spatial information

Question 24

right hemisphere recognising research

Answer 24

Heller and Levy (1981)
if a photo is shown with a face split in half so 1 half is smiling and the other is neutral, the emotion on the left-hand side is the emotion recognised

Question 25

right hemisphere spatial relationships research

Answer 25

Clarke, Assal and de Tribolet (1993)
women who had right hemisphere damage would get lost even in familiar settings unless she had verbal instructions which had a distinguishable visible feature

Question 26

motor centres- motor cortex

Answer 26

movement is centred on the primary motor cortex which sends messages to muscles via brain stem and spinal chord
particularly important for complex movement and not basic actions such as coughing

Question 27

motor centres- somatosensory centres

Answer 27

somatosensory is referring to the sensation of the body
lies next to the motor cortex
perceives touch, so the amount of neuronal connections needed dictates the amount of somatosensory cortex needed for that area of the body

Question 28

motor centre- visual centre (primary visual cortex)

Answer 28

has 2 visual cortices, 1 in each hemisphere

primary is in the occipital lobe which is the back of the brain. is main visual centre

Question 29

motor centres- auditory centre (primary auditory cortex)

Answer 29

has 2 auditory cortices, 1 in each hemisphere
primary in both hemispheres receives information from both ears via 2 pathways that transmit information about what the sound is and the location

Question 30

motor centres- language centres (Broca’s area)

Answer 30

left hemisphere, where most language processing in majority of the population is situated
speech production
nouns and verbs seem to be unaffected, but other classes such as prepositions and conjunctions cannot be spoken

Question 31

motor centres- language areas (Wernicke’s)

Answer 31

understanding language and accessing words
inability to comprehend language and anomia (struggles to find the word they want)
had fluent speech when they could access the word easily

Question 32

split-brain

Answer 32

cut the corpus callosum so the epilepsy is contained with 1 side of the brain

Question 33

split-brain research- Sperry

Answer 33

unfamiliar functions such as stringing beads onto string cannot be performed, yet familiar ones like tying laces can be done
in 1st few weeks, hemispheres act separately, making the person feel like 2 people in 1 body
in some, hemispheres co-operate with each other
some compensate for the lack of connectivity of 2 hemisphere by using strategies such as turning head so both hemispheres can take in the environment

Question 34

plasticity

Answer 34

ability to replace the function lost by anatomical damage
a cell body cant be replaced but axons in some cases can.
are 3 anatomical ways a body can replace axon function in the brain after trauma:
1. increased brain stimulation
2. axon spouting
3. denervation supersensitivity

Question 35

increased brain stimulation

Answer 35

as neurons are damaged there is an effect on neighbouring neurons as they no longer have input
this happens with the hemisphere too.
although damage may be on 1 side, the other hemisphere functions at a lower level too, as it has reduced input

Question 36

axon sprouting

Answer 36

when an axon is damaged its connection with a neighbouring neuron is lost. in some cases, other axons that already connect with that neuron will sprout extra connections to the neuron, replacing the ones that have been destroyed.
is compensating for the loss of a neighbour
occurs for most part of 2 weeks. replaces function but only if the new axon is similar

Question 37

denervation supersensitivity

Answer 37

occurs when axons that do a similar job become aroused to a higher level to compensate for the ones that are lost.
it can have the consequence of over-sensitivity to messages such as pain.

Question 38

functional recovery of the brain after trauma

Answer 38

much recovery is anatomical compensation brought about by intensive rehabilitation.
the brain learns to compensate for function
can be taught how to use the working facilities and function to compensate for the ones that are lost forever

Question 39

factors affecting recovery of the brain- perseverance

Answer 39

is dependent on assessment and perseverance.
sometimes a function may be seen to be lost but that may be because the individual affected may not be trying and takes the view that it is unrecoverable.

Question 40

factors affecting recovery of the brain- physical exhaustion, stress and alcohol

Answer 40

when a function is recovered it is important to remember that often the function is used with considerable effort and although a person can do a task, they are often fatigued by the effort

Question 41

factors affecting recovery of the brain- age

Answer 41

is a deterioration of the brain in old age which therefore affects the speed and extent of recovery (Corking et al(1989))

Question 42

factors affecting recovery of the brain- gender

Answer 42

there is research that suggests that women recover better from brain injury as their function isn’t lateralised

Question 43

studying the brain- fMRI

Answer 43

can show activity as it occurs
measures the energy released by haemoglobin. oxyhaemoglobin reacts differently to when it doesnt, so when an area of the brain is active, and is therefore using more oxygen, the difference in the amount of energy released by haemoglobin is detected by the scanner and change measured.

Question 44

studying the brain- fMRI AO3

Answer 44

provides a moving picture of brain activity, means patterns of activity can be compared rather than just the physiology.
the complexity of brain activity means that interpreting a fMRI scan is problematic. is a difficult task, made more difficult by the time delay
machines are expensive to buy and maintain
require trained operators
sample size is usually small as there is limited availability and funding

Question 45

studying the brain- EEG

Answer 45

electrodes are placed on the scalp and they record the electrical activity of the brain
measure the activity of the cells immediately under the electrode

Question 46

studying the brain- ERP

Answer 46

use the same apparatus as EEG but record when there is activity in response to a stimulus introduced by the researcher

Question 47

studying the brain- EEG and ERP AO3

Answer 47

both are reasonably accurate for activity measured close to the electrode. means that finer detail is missed
cheaper than fMRI
output needs to be interpreted so there is level of expertise needed
ERP is useful in testing the reliability of self-report answers and a useful supplementary method for research, particularly when the area of research is particularly sensitive and open to social desirability bias

Question 48

studying the brain- post-mortem examinations

Answer 48

are when a persons body and brain is a=exammined afetr death.
can be used to see where the damage had occured in the brain and how that may explain behaviour exhibited by the individual prior to death

Question 49

studying the brain- post-mortem examination AO3

Answer 49

research is conducted on a dead person so there is no brain activity measured
issues with comparison of functioning prior to death. it may be that there is little information about how the person managed before they died
some brains may be affected by the reason for death
no discomfort experienced by the individual as they aren’t alive