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Psychology AS > 6. Biopsychology > Flashcards

6. Biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

What are the parts of the nervous system?

A
  • CNS
  • Brain
  • Spinal cord
  • Peripheral nervous system
  • Somatic nervous system
  • Autonomic nervous system
  • Sympathetic nervous system
  • Parasympathetic nervous system
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2
Q

What is the nervous system?

A
  • Network of nerve cells and fibres

- Helps all parts of the body communicate with each other

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3
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?

A

The part of the nervous system that is outside of the brain and spinal cord

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4
Q

What makes up the CNS?

A
  • Brain

- Spinal chord

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5
Q

What is the role of the brain?

A

The part of the CNS responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous activity

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6
Q

What is the role of the Somatic Nervous System?

A

Responsible for carrying sensory/ motor neurons/ info to/from the CNS

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7
Q

What is the role of the Autonomic Nervous System?

A

Governs the brains involuntary activities (e.g. heartbeat, stress) and is self-regulating

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8
Q

What is the role of the Sympathetic Nervous System?

A

Involved in responses that help us deal with emergencies (fight or flight)

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9
Q

What is the role of the Parasympathetic Nervous System?

A

Calms the body after an emergency state. Involved in energy conservation + digestion

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10
Q

Can the Sympathetic Nervous System and the Parasympathetic Nervous System work at the same time?

A

No as they are opposites responses to each other, therefore they cannot work at the same time

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11
Q

What does the Amygdala do?

A

Brain region processing fear/pain

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12
Q

What does CRF do?

A

Starts production of cortisol

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13
Q

What does the hypothalamus do?

A

Brain region controlling homeostasis

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14
Q

What does the pituitary gland do?

A

“master gland”

controls other glands

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15
Q

What does ACTH do?

A

Starts production of adrenaline

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16
Q

What does the adrenal medulla do?

A

Produces (nor)adrenaline

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17
Q

What does the adrenal cortex do?

A

Produces cortisol

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18
Q

What does CFR stand for?

A

Corticotropin releasing factor

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19
Q

What does ACTH stand for?

A

Adrenocorticotropic hormone

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20
Q

What does the fight or flight response show?

A

How psychological + physiological factors are linked

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21
Q

Does modern psychology separate psychological and physiological factors?

A

No

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22
Q

What happens in the body when cortisol levels are high?

A
  • Fewer T-helper lymphocytes are produced

- More pro-inflammatory cytokines are produced

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23
Q

Because the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems cannot run together, what are they considered?

A

Antagonistic

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24
Q

What are the 3 stages in the brain during the fight or flight response?

A

Amygdala –> Hypothalamus –> Pituitary gland

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25
Q

State the acute fight or flight response.

A

Brain (Amygdala –> Hypothalamus –> Pituitary gland) –> ACTH –> Medulla –> Adrenaline

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26
Q

During the acute fight or flight response, what takes place in the adrenal glands?

A

ACTH –> Medulla –> Adrenaline

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27
Q

State the Chronic fight or flight response

A

Brain (Amygdala –> Hypothalamus –> Pituitary gland) –> CRF –> Cortex –> Cortisol (parasympathetic)

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28
Q

What is the Chronic fight or flight response considered?

A

Feedback

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29
Q

Increased heart rate is an example of which division of the autonomic nervous system?

A

Sympathetic

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30
Q

Which nervous system connects to the CNS and the senses?

A

The somatic nervous system

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31
Q

What types of matter are there in the brain?

A

White and Grey matter

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32
Q

What are the 3 types of neuron?

A
  • -> sensory
  • -> relay
  • -> motor
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33
Q

What are neurons considered

A

The “cables of the body”

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34
Q

What do neurons carry?

A

Electrical impulses

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35
Q

What receives the electrical impulses from the neurons?

A

Terminals and the dendrites

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36
Q

Which neuron carries info to the nucleus?

A

Sensory

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37
Q

Which neuron carries info away form the nucleus?

A

Motor

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38
Q

What is the site where communication between neurons happens called?

A

Synapse

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39
Q

What is translated at the synapse?

A

Electrical messages called action potential are translated into chemical messages called neurotransmitters

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40
Q

What happens at the synapse (6 stages)?

A
  1. Action potential or neurotransmitters arrives at terminal from axon
  2. NT is packaged in vesicles
  3. Vesicles fuse with cell membrane
  4. NT diffuses across synaptic gap
  5. NT binds to receptors
  6. Surplus NT is broken down or recycled by retakup channels
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41
Q

What is the first thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. Action potential or neurotransmitters arrives at terminal from axon
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42
Q

What is the second thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. NT is packaged in vesicles
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43
Q

What is the third thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. Vesicles fuse with cell membrane
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44
Q

What is the fourth thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. NT diffuses across synaptic gap
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45
Q

What is the fifth thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. NT binds to receptors
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46
Q

What is the last thing that happens at the synapse?

A
  1. Surplus NT is broken down or recycled by retakup channels
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47
Q

What does EPSP stand for?

A

Excitatory Postsynaptic Potential

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48
Q

What does IPSP stand for?

A

Inhibitory Postsynaptic Potential

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49
Q

What are the two types of messages that hormones can carry?

A

Excitatory or Inhibitory

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50
Q

What is an example of an EPSP?

A

Adrenaline

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51
Q

What is an example of a IPSP?

A

GABA

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52
Q

The message passed on after the synapse is called a …..

A

“postsynaptic potential”

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53
Q

What is summation?

A

Where signals are added up, most powerful signal wins

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54
Q

What are the two types of summation?

A

Temporal or Spatial

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55
Q

What is temporal summation?

A

Very quick firing of one presynaptic neuron

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56
Q

What is spatial summation?

A

Lots of small signals happening at different synapses

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57
Q

What charge do cells have?

A

Negative

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58
Q

What is the main function of the spinal cord?

A

To relay info between the brain and the rest of the body

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59
Q

What does the spinal cord allow the brain to do?

A

To monitor and regulate bodily processes i.e. digestion, breathing and to coordinate voluntary movements

60
Q

How is the spinal cord connected to the body?

A

By spinal nerves, which connect with specific muscles and glands

61
Q

Spinal nerves which branch from the thoracic region of the spinal cord carry messages to and from where?

A

The chest and parts of the abdomen

62
Q

What does the spinal cord contain that allows simple reflexes?

A

Circuits of nerve cells

63
Q

What do the circuits of nerve cells in the spinal chords allow?

A

To perform simple reflexes without direct involvement of the brain - i.e. pulling your hand away from something hot

64
Q

What happens if the spinal cord is damaged?

A

Areas supplied by spinal nerves below the damaged site will be cut off from the brain and will stop functioning

65
Q

What are the 4 main of the areas of the brain?

A
  • Cerebrum
  • Cerebellum
  • Diencephalon
  • Brain stem
66
Q

Which part of the brain is the largest?

A

The Cerebrum

67
Q

What are the 4 parts which the Cerebrum is divided into?

A
  • Frontal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
  • 2 Cerebral hemispheres
68
Q

How do the two Cerebral hemispheres communicate?

A

Through the corpus callosum

69
Q

What is the role of the Frontal lobe?

A

Thought and the production of speech

70
Q

What is the role of the Occipital lobe?

A

The processing of visual images

71
Q

What is the role of the two two Cerebral hemispheres?

A

Each hemisphere is specialised for particular behaviours and they are connected by the Corpus Callosum

72
Q

Where is the Cerebellum positioned in the brain?

A

It sits beneath the back of the Cerebrum

73
Q

What is the role of the Cerebellum?

A

Controlling a person’s motor skills and balance, coordinating the muscles to allow precise movements

74
Q

What can abnormalities in the Cerebellum result in?

A

A number of problems:

  • Speech and motor problems
  • Epilepsy
75
Q

Where is the Diencephalon positioned in the brain?

A

It lies beneath the Cerebrum and on top of the brain stem

76
Q

What are the two structures within the Diencephalon?

A

The thalamus and hypothalamus

77
Q

What is the role of the thalamus?

A

Acts as a relay station for nerve impulses coming from the senses - it routes them to the correct part of the brain where they can be processed

78
Q

What is the role of the hypothalamus?

A
  • Regulation of body temp, hunger and thirst

- Link between the endocrine and nervous systems –> controlling the release of hormones from the pituitary gland

79
Q

What is the role of the Brain stem?

A

Responsible for regulating the automatic functions that are essential for life:

  • Breathing
  • Heartbeat
  • Swallowing
80
Q

What passes through the Brain stem?

A

Motor and sensory neurons, allowing impulses to pass between the brain and spinal chord

81
Q

All the nerves outside the CNS make up the ___a___

A

Peripheral nervous system

82
Q

What is the function of the Peripheral nervous system?

A

To relay nerve impulses from the CNS to the rest of the body and from the body back to the CNS

83
Q

What are the two main divisions of the Peripheral nervous system?

A
  • Somatic nervous system

- Autonomic nervous system

84
Q

What is the Somatic made up of?

A

12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves

These both have sensory and motor neurons

85
Q

Where do sensory neurons relay messages to?

A

The CNS

86
Q

Where do motor neurons relay messages to?

A

From the CNS to other areas of the body

87
Q

Which other system is also involved in reflex actions?

A

The somatic systems - this allows the reflex to happen very quickly

88
Q

Is the autonomic nervous system voluntary or involuntary?

A

Involuntary

89
Q

What is the autonomic nervous system?

A

Governs brains involuntary activities and is self-regulating

It is divided into they sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch

90
Q

What is the brain?

A

The part of the central nervous system that is responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous activity

91
Q

What is the central nervous system?

A

Comprises of the brain and spinal cord

It receives info from the senses and controls the body’s responses

92
Q

What is the peripheral nervous system?

A

The part of the nervous system that is outside the brain and the spinal cord

93
Q

What is the somatic nervous system?

A

The part of the peripheral nervous system responsible for carrying sensory & motor info to and from the CNS

94
Q

What is the spinal cord?

A

A bundle of nerve fibres enclosed within the spinal column & which connects nearly all parts of the body with the brain

95
Q

Why is the autonomic nervous system necessary?

A

Vital bodily functions such as heartbeat & digestion would not work so efficiently if you had to think about them

96
Q

What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A
  • Sympathetic nervous system

- Parasympathetic nervous system

97
Q

Which neurotransmitter does the sympathetic nervous system use?

A

Noradrenaline - it has stimulating effects

98
Q

Which neurotransmitter does the parasympathetic nervous system use?

A

Acetylcholine - it has inhibiting effects

99
Q

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

A

It is primarily involved in responses that help us to deal with emergencies

100
Q

GIve some examples of what the sympathetic nervous system changes?

A
  • Increases HR
  • Blood pressure
  • Dilating blood vessels in the muscles
101
Q

Where do neurons from the sympathetic nervous system travel to?

A

Virtually every organ and gland in the body

This prepares the body for the rapid action necessary when the individual is under threat

102
Q

Which bodily processes does the SNS cause?

A
  • Release stored energy
  • Pupils to dilate
  • Hair to stand on end
103
Q

Which bodily processes does the SNS slow?

A

.Less important ones in emergencies such as:

  • Digestion
  • Urination
104
Q

What does the Parasympathetic Nervous System do?

A

It relaxes the nervous system once the emergency has passed

105
Q

What does the Parasympathetic Nervous System change in the body?

A
  • Slows the heartbeat
  • Reduces blood pressure
  • Digestion begins
106
Q

What is the parasympathetic nervous system also referred to as?

A

The body’s rest and digest system

107
Q

What are motor neurons?

A

Form synapses with muscles & control their contractions

108
Q

What are neurotransmitters?

A

Chemical substances that play an important part in the working of the nervous system by transmitting nerve impulses across a synapse

109
Q

What are relay neurons?

A

These neurons are the most common in the CNS

They allow sensory & motor neurons to communicate with each other

110
Q

What are sensory neurons?

A

Carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal cord & brain

111
Q

What is a synapse?

A

The conjunction of the end of the axon of one neuron and the dendrite or cell body of another

112
Q

What is synaptic transmission?

A

Refers to the process by which a nerve impulse passes across the synaptic cleft from one neuron to another

113
Q

What is most of the bain made up of?

A

cells called glial cells and astrocytes

114
Q

On average, how many neurons are in the average human brain?

A

100 billion

On avg. each neuron is connected to 1,000 others

115
Q

What are neurons?

A

They are cells that are specialised to carry neural info throughout the body

116
Q

What do neurons typically consist of?

A
  • A cell body
  • Dendrites
  • Axon
117
Q

What do dendrites do?

A

They are at one end of the neuron & receive signals from other neurons or from sensory receptors

118
Q

Where are dendrites located?

A

They are connected to the cell body, the control centre of the neuron

119
Q

What is the layer that forms around the axon of a neuron?

A

Myelin sheath

It is found in nerves in the brain + spinal cord

120
Q

What does the myelin sheath allow?

A

It allows nerve impulses to transmit more rapidly along the axon

121
Q

What happens if the myelin sheath is damaged?

A

The impulses transmitted along the axon slow down

122
Q

What is the range in length of a neuron?

A

It can vary from a few millimetres up to one metre

123
Q

Where are sensory receptors found?

A
  • Eyes
  • Ears
  • Tongue
  • Skin
124
Q

What do sensory neurons do to the info they receive from sensory receptors?

A

The sensory neurons convert the info into neural impulses

125
Q

What is the fight-or-flight response?

A

A sequence of activity within the body that is triggered when the body prepares itself for defending or attacking (fight) or running away to safety (flight)

This involves changes in the nerous system & the secretion of hormones that are necessary to sustain arousal

126
Q

What is the HPA axis?

A

Describes the sequence of bodily activity in response to stress that involves the hypothalamus, pituitary and adrenal cortex

127
Q

What are the components of the fight-or-flight response?

A
  • Amygdala, hypothalamus & pituitary gland
  • The SNS and PNS
  • Adrenal medulla, adrenal cortex
  • Feedback system
128
Q

What does the amygdala do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Associates sensory signals with emotions such as anger or fear and sends a ‘distress signal’ to the hypothalamus

129
Q

What does the hypothalamus do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

In response to the continued threat, releases CRH into the bloodstream

130
Q

What does the pituitary gland do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Releases ACTH into the bloodstream, and from there to its target sites

131
Q

Draw the fight-or-flight response on some paper

A

Check if its correct

132
Q

What does the SNS do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Prepares the body for the rapid action associated with fight or flight

133
Q

What does the PNS do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

It dampens down the stress response once the threat has passed

134
Q

What does the adrenal medulla do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Releases adrenaline into the bloodstream, causing physiological changes such as increased heart rate and release of blood sugar

135
Q

What does the adrenal cortex do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Releases stress hormones, including cortisol, in response to stress

136
Q

What does the feedback system do in the fight-or-flight response?

A

Cortisol levels are monitored so that CRH & ACTH production is inhibited if cortisol is too high

137
Q

What does EEG stand for?

A

Electroencephalogram

138
Q

What is an EEG?

A

A method of recording changes in the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached to the scalp

139
Q

What does ERP stand for?

A

Event-related potential

140
Q

What is an ERP?

A

A technique that takes raw EEG data & uses it to investigate cognititve processing of a specific event

It achieves this by taking multiple readings & averaging them in order to filter out all brain activity that is not related to the apperance of the stimulus

141
Q

What does fMRI?

A

Functional magnetic resonance imaging

142
Q

What is an fMRI?

A

A technique for measuring brain activity

Works by detecting changes in blood oxygenation & flow that indicate increased neural activity

143
Q

What is a post-mortem examination?

A

Ways of examining the brains of people who have shown particular psychological abnormalities prior to death in an attempt to establish possibe neurobiological cause for this behaviour

144
Q

What is “magnetic resonance”?

A

Different radio wave frequencies affected different atoms

145
Q

How did chemists discover they could track activity in the brain?

A

Noticed that atoms behaved diiferently in strong magnetic fields

Combined magnetic field with pulses of radio waves caused atoms (e.g. hydrogen) to “flip”

This is called magneice resonance

146
Q

How does an fMRI work?

A
  • Ppt performs task in electromagnet tunnel
  • Magnetic field aligns hydrogen nuclei (abundant in blood)
  • Radio pulse “flips” nuclei, when they re-align, they release energy
  • Energy differences mapped using a coil
  • Then mapped onto a computer-generated fram to produce images
147
Q

What is the mapping technique used in fMRI’s called?

A

Called BOLD

Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent activity

Psychology AS (9 decks)

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