4.2.2 BIOPSYCHOLOGY Flashcards
define the nervous system
a specialised network of cells
the primary internal communication system
based on electrical and chemical signals
what are the two main functions of the nervous system
• to collect, process and respond to information in the environment
• to coordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body
what are the two main components of the nervous system
central nervous system
peripheral nervous system
what are the two main components of the peripheral nervous system
autonomic nervous system
somatic nervous system
what are the two components of the autonomic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system
parasympathetic nervous system
what is the central nervous system made up of and what are the functions
• the brain
centre of all conscious awareness
divided into two hemispheres
• the spinal cord
passes messages to and from the brain
responsible for reflex actions
what is the function of the peripheral nervous system
transmits messages via millions of neurons to and from the cns
what are the functions of the autonomic nervous system
• vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual arousal and stress
• divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic
what are the functions of the sympathetic nervous system
• muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
• controls voluntary movements
describe the endocrine system
• networks of glands around the body
• works alongside the nervous system to control vital functions in the body
• acts more slowly than the nervous system but has widespread, powerful effects
• glands release hormones into the bloodstream
• affect any cell with a receptor for that hormone
outline the flight or fight response from start to finish
stressor is perceived, hypothalamus activates pituitary gland, ans changes to sympathetic state, adrenaline released from the adrenal medulla, fight or flight
what are the biological changes associated with the sympathetic nervous system
slows digestion, inhibits saliva, increases heart rate, stimulates glucose production, stimulates urination, dilates pupils, dilates bronchi
what are the biological changes associated with the parasympathetic nervous system
increases digestion, increases saliva production, decreases heart rate, stimulates bile, inhibits urination, constricts pupils, constricts bronchi
what is a neuron
basic building blocks of the nervous system and are nervous cells that process and transmit messages
what are the different types of neuron
sensory, relay, motor
what is the function of a sensory neuron
carries messages from peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system
what is the function of a relay neuron
connects sensory neurons to the motor or other relay neurons
what is the function of a motor neuron
connects the central nervous system to the effectors
name the parts of a neuron
dendrites, nucleus, cell body, axon, schwanns cells, myelin sheath, node of ranvier, axon terminals
describe the process of electrical transmission
when a neuron is in resting state the inside of the cell is negatively charged, when a neuron is activated by a stimulus the inside becomes positively charged for a split second which creates an electrical impulse that travels down the axon
describe the process of synaptic transmission
neurons communicate with eachother within groups known as neural networks, neurons are separated by synapses, signals between neurons are transmitted electrically but are transmitted chemically across the synapse
what is a neurotransmitter
brain chemicals that diffuse across a synapse to the next neuron
direction of travel is one way
has a specific molecular structure
have specific functions
define excitation
caused by adrenaline
postsynaptic neuron becomes positively charged and is more likely to fire
define inhibition
caused by serotonin
postsynaptic neuron becomes negatively charged
less likely to fire
what is summation
determines the firing of a neuron
excitatory and inhibitory influences are summed: if the net effect on the postsynaptic neuron is inhibitory then the postsynaptic neuron is less likely to fire. if net effect is excitatory it is more likely to fire once the electrical impulse is created it travels down the neuron. therefore, the action potential of the postsynaptic neuron is only triggered if the sum of the excitatory and inhibitory signals at any one time reaches the threshold.
define localisation of function
different parts of the brain perform different tasks
define lateralisation
some of our physical and physiological functions are controlled or dominated by a particular hemisphere
what is divided into two hemispheres
the cerebrum - the largest part of your brain
define contralateral wiring
activity on the left-hand side of your body is controlled by the right hemisphere, whereas activity on the right-hand side of your body is controlled by the left hemisphere
what is the cerebral cortex
the outer layer of both hemispheres, which is subdivided into four lobes
name the four lobes
frontal lobe
parietal lobe
occipital lobe
temporal lobe
name the two cortex’s
motor cortex
sensory cortex
what is the role of the motor area
controls voluntary movements in the opposite side of the body
what is the role of the somatosensory area
sensory information, such as from the skin, is represented
what is the role of the visual area
each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and from the left visual field to the right visual cortex
what is the role of the auditory area
analyses speech based information
in which hemisphere are the language centres
the left hemisphere
name the two language centres
brocha’s area
wernicke’s area
what is the function of broca’s area
responsible for speech function
what is the consequence of damage to broca’s area
broca’s aphasia
symptoms: slow and laborious speech
CASE EXAMPLE - TAN
what is the function of wernicke’s area
responsible for speech comprehension
what is the consequence of damage to wernicke’s area
wernicke’s aphasia
symptoms: produce meaningless words
where is broca’s area located
the frontal lobe
where is wernicke’s area located
the temporal lobe
what is the result of damage to the motor area
loss of control over movements
what is the result of damage to the somatosensory area
amount of somatosensory area devoted to a particular body part denotes its sensitivity, i.e. receptors for our face and hands occupy over half of the somatosensory are
what is the result of damage to the visual area
damage to the left hemisphere can cause blindness in part of the right visual field of both eyes
what is the result of damage to the auditory area
may produce partial hearing loss, the more extensive the damage the more extensive the loss
where is the somatosensory area located
the parietal lobe
where is the motor area located
the frontal lobe
where is the auditory area located
the temporal lobe
where is the visual area located
the occipital lobe
where is information from the right visual field sent
the left visual cortex
outline the role of adrenaline in a fight or flight response
brings about the appropriate physiological changes necessary, which could include pupil dilation, increased heart rate and breathing etc
define the term gland
an organ that produces hormones
give an example of a gland
pituitary gland
thyroid
adrenal gland
pineal gland
pancreas
testes
ovaries
define the term hormone
a substance which circulates in the blood but only affects target organs
give an example of a hormone
ACTH
LH
FSH
thyroxine
cortisol
adrenaline
noradrenaline
melatonin
insulin
testosterone
progesterone
oestrogen
why is the nervous system so fast acting
both electrical and chemical transmission
define the function of the myelin sheath
protects the axon and speeds up transmission
define the function of a node of ranvier
speeds up transmission by forcing the impulse to jump across gaps
where does electrical transmission occur
within the neuron
where does chemical transmission occur
between neurons
define the function of dendrites
receive information from other neurons, called pre-synaptic neurons, or from the environment
define the function of the axon
carries electrical impulses
define the function of schwann cells
maintaining the peripheral nervous system
ao3: describe dougherty et al’s study and findings
reported on 44 people with ocd who had undergone cingulotomy
at 32 weeks, 30% had met the success criteria, 14% for partial response
ao3: describe petersen et al’s study
used brain scans to demonstrate how wernickes area was active during a listening task and how brocas area was active during a reading task
ao3: describe tulving et al’s study
revealed that semantic and episodic memories reside in different parts of the prefrontal cortex using brain scans
ao3: describe lashley’s study and findings
removed areas of the cortex in rats learning the route through a maze
no area was proven to be more important than any other area in terms of the ability to learn to the route, the process of learning seemed to require all parts of the cortex rather than being confined to a particular area
ao3: describe dick and tremblay’s findings
found that only 2% of modern researchers truly believe that language is strictly controlled by wernicke’s and broca’s areas
define hemispheric lateralisation
the idea that the two hemispheres are functionally different and certain mental processes and behaviours are mainly controlled by a certain hemisphere
give an example of a process which is lateralised
language
facial recognition
give an example of a process which is contralaterally wired
the motor area
define ipsilateral wiring
situated or appearing on or affecting the same side of the body
how is vision wired in the brain
both contralateral and ipsilateral
describe how vision is wired in the brain
the LVF of both eyes is connected to the RH and the RVF of both eyes is connected to the LH
what happens in a split brain operation
involves severing the connection between the RH and the LH, mainly the corpus callosum
this is a surgical procedure to reduce epilepsy