A2 biopsychology Flashcards

Question

what is plastcicty

Answer 1

the brains ability to change and adapt as a response to new learning and experiences

Answer 2

in infancy the brain has rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections with 15,000 at 2-3 as children are constantly taking in new information which is twice as much as adult brain synaptic pruning: rarely used connections are deleted whereas frequently used connections are strengthened neural connections can change or be formed at any time in life

Answer 3

maguire et al studied the brains of london taxi drivers and found more volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than the matched control group this part of the brain is associated with development of spatial and navigational skills their brain adapted as a result of new learning

Answer 4

its may be a lifelong ability bezzola et al shows how 40hrs of golf training leads to changes in the neural representation of movement in participants age 40-60. Fmri showed increased activity in motor area than a control group. suggesting NP is lifelong however adults may find it harder to learn than children as albert et al suggests that general NP is much stronger in children (more synaptic connnections)

Answer 5

plasticity has maladaptive behavioural consequences. evidence has shown the brains adaptation to prolonged drug use leads to poorer cognitive functioning later in life as well as an increased risk of dementia. shows the brains ability to adapt to damge may not always be positive but still supports the fact that it can adapt.

Answer 6

a from of plasticity after damage the brain is able to redistribute functions that are usually performed by the damaged area to a non damaged area of the brain

Answer 7

after damage unaffected areas can adapt and compensate for damaged areas this can occur spontaneously then slow down after weeks or months the brain rewires and reorganises itself by forming new synaptic connections close to the area of damage. secondary neural pathways that wouldn't typically be used are activated to allow functioning to continue

Answer 8

brain deals with indirect physical effects of trauma e.g damaged blood vessels

Answer 9

the growth of new nerve endings which connect with undamaged nerve cells to form new pathways

Answer 10

areas on the opposite side of the brain carry out functions of the damaged area

Answer 11

individual differences like education level influence recovery. Schneider et al found that the more time people with brain damage spent in education the greater their chance of disability free recovery. 40% of people who achieved DFR had more than 16 years in education. not everyone benefits from functional recovery equally.

Answer 12

evidence to support from animal studies. Tajiri et al found stem cells given to rats after brain trauma show a clear development pf neuron like cells in the area of injury. shows the ability of the brain to form new connections. real life application in development of neuro rehabilitation. uses motor therapy and electrical stimulation to counter the deficits in motor and cognitive functions following accidents and strokes. e.g constraint induced movement therapy for strokes (practice using the affected part of the body whilst the other side is constrained)

Answer 13

the idea that two hemispheres of the brain are functionally different and certain mental processes are mainly controlled by hemisphere than the other

Answer 14

allows info received from one hemisphere to be sent to the other

Answer 15

image or word is shown to the right eye with left eye closed. and then the same image/word is shown to the left eye with the right eye closed. in the normal brain the corpus collosum would share any info between hemispheres in split brain patients info couldn't be conveyed from one hemisphere to another

Answer 16

when an image was shown to the right eye they could easily describe what was seen. when shown to the left eye they couldnt describe it. this is due to lack of language centres in the right hemisphere and no corpus collosum to relay information

Answer 17

differences in function may be overstated. Sperry says left =speech and right = recognition and drawing. however functional recovery suggests functions of the damaged area may be taken over by non specialised areas in the opposite hemisphere e.g lang controlled by right cant establish causal relationship w/ sperry. compared 11 split brain patients w epilepsy to neurotypical control group who had no epilepsy. having epilepsy is a confounding variable and any differences could be a result of this

Answer 18

research: in connected brains 2 hemispheres process info differently. fink et al pet scans to see what areas of the brain were active during a visual processing task. ptps w connected brains had to attend to global elements of an image(e.g a whole forest), regions of the right hemisphere were much more active. when focusing on finer details (individual trees)the specific areas of the left hemisphere dominated support from more split brain research. split brains performed better than connected controls on certain tasks e.g faster identifying the odd one out than controls. in a normal brain the left hemispheres better cognitive strategies were weakened by the inferior right hemisphere

Answer 19

patterns of behaviour that occur every 24 hours and is set and reset by environmental light levels

Answer 20

the sleep wake cycle core body temperature hormone production

Answer 21

circadian rhythms are driven by our body clocks and synchronised by the SCN in the hypothalamus.

Answer 22

light provides the primary input to this system, setting the body clock to the correct time which is photoentrainment. in mammals light sensitive cells in the eye act as brightness detectors and send messages about environmental light levels to the scn. the SCN uses this to coordinate activity of the whole circadian rhythm.

Answer 23

an endogenous (internal) pacemaker in the hypothalamus of each hemisphere of mammals, acts as a master clock

Answer 24

he spent time underground to study his bio rhythms he was deprived of exposure to natural light and sound but had access to food and drink. he resurfaced in mid September and believed it was mid august. a decade after he spent 6 months in the cave again. his free running bio rhythms was just beyond 24 hrs he fell asleep and woke up on a regular schedule. this suggests we need external factors like light

Answer 25

practical application shift work and the adverse affects. reduced concentration in the morning and more mistakes. poorer health e.g 3x more likely heart disease. economic implications PA: education, shift in the timing of the school day. researchers recommended school day start later as its harder for hormonal teens to get sleep theyre sleepier in skl. schools aiming to improve performance will take circadian rhythms into account used to improve medical treatments. CR coordinate a number of the bodys basic processes like heart rate. they rise and fall during the day so treatments are administered to fit a bio rhythm. E.g asprin for heart issues is best taken at night as heart problems occur in the morning so this timing matters

Answer 26

external cues that may affect or entrain our biological rhytms such as the influence of light on the sleep cycle

Answer 27

the internal body clocks that regulate our biological rhythms such as the influence of the SCN on the sleep cycle

Answer 28

the SCN receives info on light levels via the optic nerve. the SCN signals to the pineal gland to increase production of melatonin at night and decrease it as light levels increase in the morning

Answer 29

by inhibiting the brain mechanisms that promote wakefulness

Answer 30

the free running biological clock that conrols the sleep cycle continues to tick in a distinct cyclical pattern, its then brought into line in environmental cues

Answer 31

light - it can reset the SCN and plays a role in the maintenance of sleep cycle social cues - all babies start with a random sleep cycle, schedules are then imposed by people like meal times and bed times

Answer 32

influence of exogenous zeitgebers is overstated. miles studied man blind from birth who had an abnormal circadian rhythm of 24.9 though hes exposed to social cues like sleep and meal times. exogenous zeitgebers dont have the same effect in all environments. people in the arctic circle have similar sleep patterns all year round. though they spend 6 months in total darkness. sleep cycle is controlled by endogenous p that override exz

Answer 33

research to support exogenous zeitgebers on sleep wake. Campbell and murphy found lights detected by skin receptor sites. had 15 ptps woken at diff times and light shone on the back of knees. produced deviation in ptps usual sleep cycle of up to 3 hrs. Light is a powerful zeitgeber on not j eyes. research to support animal studies. DeCoursey destroyed SCN in brains of chipmunks and put them back in the wild, observed for 80 days. their sleep cycle dissapeared so they were killed by predators. SCN is important. No SCN = no sleep cycle. HWVR unethical do findings outweigh procedure?

Answer 34

type of biological rhythm w a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours e.g menstruation and seasonal affective disorder

Answer 35

type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more that one cycle in 24 hours e.g stages of sleep

Answer 36

Its an endogenous system thats governed by the monthly changes in the hormone levels typical cycle takes 28 days to complete

Answer 37

diet stress

Answer 38

It is a depressive disorder which has a seasonal pattern of onset. persistent low mood and lack of activity and interest in life

Answer 39

SAD is triggered during winter where theres less daylight hours. during winter lack of light in morning and evenings means secretion of melatonin is extended which has a knock on effect on the production of serotonin in the brain.

Answer 40

SAD has practical application in creating light therapy. light box shines light in the morning and evening to reset melatonin levels in people w SAD, works in 60%. shows external cues affect melatonin which affects sleep wake. HWVER, higher relapse rate than those recieving CBT. Menstrual cycle can be explained by natural selection. synchronisation of cycles has an evolutionary value. in ancestors time it may have been good for women to menstruate together because babies who lost the mother in childbirth can access milk and survive.

Answer 41

studies support the menstrual cycle is influenced by exogenous factors like synchronisation. confounding variables like diet and stress affect the cycle. weakness as synchronisation may have been due to chance.no causal relationship

Answer 42

light sleep, easily awoken, brain wave patterns are slower

Answer 43

deep sleep or slow wave sleep, more difficult to rouse someone at this point.

Answer 44

body is paralysed but brain activity speeds up. rapid eye movement which is associated with dreaming

Answer 45

improved understanding of age related changes in sleep. sleep scientists have observed slow wave sleep(when growth hormone is produced) reduces with age. sleep deficit explains issues with old age like reduced alertness. this led to the use of relaxation medication

Answer 46

significant variations between research. Tucker found big differences between ptps in terms of duration of each sleep stage specifically 3 and 4 which are possibly biologically determined suggesting its difficult to describe 'normal sleep' in a meaningful way.