Biological Aspects of Psychology

Question 1

Biological Pathway

Answer 1

Study of the cells and organs of the body, and the physical and chemical changes involved in behaviour and mental processes

Question 2

Nervous sytem

Answer 2

Cells that make up your brain, spinal cord and other nerve fibres. They tell you what is going on inside and otuside your body and allows you to make appropriate responses.

Function - input , processing and output info

Question 3

Structure of Neuron

Answer 3

• Dendrites - Receives information from other neurons and sends them to the cell body.
• Cell and nucleus
• Axon - carries signals away from the cell body
• Myelin Sheath - protects the signal with an insulated sheath. Allows for fast transmission.
• Nodes of Ranvier
• Terminal buttons - Signal is released into the synaptic gap through the terminal buttons.
• Cell sends an electric charge through the axon towards the presynaptic terminal.

Question 4

Electrical/chemical process in neural transmission

Answer 4

• Cell sends electrical charge through the axon towards to presynaptic terminal.
• The electrical charge stimulates the presynaptic terminal to release chemical messages
• Messages cross the synaptic gap and are taken up by the post synaptic terminal. and this produces an electrical charge.

Question 5

Action potential

Answer 5

• Membrane potential - difference in charge between inside and outside of the cell.
• -70mV - resting potential and polarised.
• Muscles are relaxed, there is a change . (your hand will drop or throw)

Question 6

Excitatory potentials

Answer 6

Excitatory depolarises the neuron and is more likely to generate an AP

Question 7

Inhibitory potential

Answer 7

Hyperpolarise the neuron and generates an AP.- Resting membrane potential - difference in charge between inside and outside of the cell.
- 70mV - “resting potential” , “polarised”

Question 8

Neurotransmitter release and reception

Answer 8

• Axonal conduction: Myelinated axons - nodes of Ranvier and saltatory conduction
• Velocity - depends on size of axon and myelination , human motor neurons.

Question 9

Nerve Cell communication

Answer 9

1. Action potential shoots down the axon, away from the cell body.
2. A neurotransmitter is released into the synapse, where the dendrites of neighbouring neurons detect it. See enlarged area.
3. If there is a receptor for this neurotransmitter on the dendrites, the neurotransmitter and receptor bind, creating an electrochemical signal.
4. If the signal is strong enough it spreads down the dendrites and across the cell body of the next neuron and begins another action potential.

Question 10

Serotonin - affect on thoughts and behaviour

Answer 10

mood appetite, impulsivity (malfunction = depression)

Question 11

Norepinephrine - affect on thoughts and behaviour

Answer 11

Mood, sleep, learning (depression)

Question 12

Dopamine affect on thoughts and behaviour

Answer 12

Movement, reward (Parkinsons, shizophrenia)

Question 13

GABA - affect on thoughts and behaviours

Answer 13

sleep movement (anxiety, Huntington’s disease, epilepsy)

Question 14

Acetylcholine affect on thoughts and behaviour

Answer 14

memory, movement (damage after cardiovascular accident.

Question 15

Message termination: Reuptake

Answer 15

Increases (serotonin) available in the system as action potential happens and neurotransmitters release into the synaptic gap and locks onto the receptors on the post synaptic cell and inhibit or excite a response.

Question 16

Message termination - enzymatic degradation

Answer 16

monoaminoxidase slows the rate of the neurotransmitter being broken down and it increases the amount of neurotransmitters in the synaptic gap.

Question 17

Drug and synaptic transmission

Answer 17

• Agonists - bind to post synaptic receptors and active
• Antagonist (receptor blockers) - bind to postsynaptic receptors but do not activate.

Question 18

Two systems

Answer 18

• Central Nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, which are encased in bone for protection and the CNS receives information, processes it, and determines a response.
• Peripheral Nervous System - Extends through out the body and, like an email or instant messaging service and relays information to and from the brain. Somatic - sensory and motor and Autonomic - sympathetic and parasympathetic

Question 19

Function of the Peripheral NS

Answer 19

• Peripheral: Autonomic Nervous system - controls basic life function - heart beat, respiratory, response to stress.
• Sympathetic - Used in emergency situations, Release adrenaline from adrenal glands, increased heart and breathing rate, reduced blood in the extremeties. fight, flighty, freeze
• Parasympathetic - Conserves and maintains the body’s resources. Regulates blood sugar levels. secretes saliva and removes waste.

Question 20

Central NS function

Answer 20

The spinal cord relays signals from the senses to the brain and then from the brain to the muscles, directs reflexes.

Question 21

Forebrain

Answer 21

limbic system, fighting, fleeing, feeding and faunicating. amygdala - detects harm, fear response and hippocampus. Basal ganglia - voluntary motor responses, damage causes movement abnormalities. Hypothalamus - regulates eating sleeping and sexual behaviour.

Question 22

Midbrain

Answer 22

basic auditory and visual functions, movement and arousal, orients body movement towards visual and auditory stimuli

Question 23

Hindbrain

Answer 23

pons: respiration, movement, sleep, wake - cerebellum - cognitive functions and sensorimotor, medulla - connects spinal cord and the brain, heartbeat, circulation - reticular formation basic survival mechanisms.

Question 24

Corpus Callosum

Answer 24

tract of myelinated axons that join the left and right sides of the brain.

Question 25

Thalamus

Answer 25

two lobed structure that receives input from sensors and relays information from senses to higher structures in the brain.

Question 26

Four lobes of cerebral cortex

Answer 26

decision making, problem solving, learning and voluntary movement. grey and white matter. - frontal, temporal, parietal and occipital

Question 27

Functional areas of the cerebral cortex

Answer 27

Motor cortex - movement , visual cortex - sight, auditory cortex- hearing. somatosensory cortex.

Question 28

Major brain imaging techniques

Answer 28

EEG, PET, MRI, FMRI

Question 29

differences between brain imagine techniques

Answer 29

EEG - cognitive activity, poor spatial resolution of activity, electrical activity of the brain with electrodes on head

PET - specific changes in neuronal activity, for research and uss low levels of radioactivity

MRI - exposes brain to magnetic field = high resolution image of brain anatomy, no radioactivity

FMRI - detects changes that are ongoing in neural activity. Combined advantages of PET and MRI.

Question 30

Functions of NS

Answer 30

• Pituitary gland - in the brain: releases several hormones that stimulate and regulate other endocrine glands.
• Hormones released: (adrenocorticotrophic hormone)ACTH. (thygroid stimulating hormone) TSH, ( growth hormone) GH

Question 31

Brain anatomy

Question 32

Neuron structure

Answer 32

https://cdn1.byjus.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/STRUCTURE-OF-NEURON.png

Question 33

Glial cells

Answer 33

Help neurons communicate by directing their growth, keeping their chemical environment stable, providing energy, and secreting chemicals to help restore damage.

No glial cells = no functioning neurons

Question 34

Neurotransmitters

Answer 34

Chemicals are stored in vesicles at the tops of axons. When an action potential, reaches the end of an axon, a neurotransmitter is released into the synapse, where it spreads to reach the next, or postsynaptic cell.

Question 35

Peripheral NS (somatic),

Answer 35

Sensory neurons bring info to the brain. Motor neurons carry info from the brain to direct motion.

Question 36

peripheral (autonomic) - sympathetic/parasympathetic

Answer 36

Carries messages back and forth between the CNS and the heart, lungs, and other organs and glands, and the message increases or decreases the activity of the organs and the glands= meet demands.

Question 37

Reticular formation

Answer 37

In the hindbrain and midbrain this network alters the activity of the rest of the brain. It is involved in arousal and attention. The fibers from the reticular system are disconnected from the rest of the brain

Question 38

Cerebellum

Answer 38

Involved in planning and execution of movements. It also is involved in things other than physical movmemtn including memory, impulse control, pain, emotion, language and other higher - order cognitive processes. It is important in timing.

Question 39

Structures of brain labelled

Answer 39

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQjfz4TrBIPFbf9E3C92jsfQ_qrIfNDbyYIPg&usqp=CAU

Question 40

Thalamus

Answer 40

Relays pain signals from the spinal cord, signals from the eyes and most other sense organs, to upper levels in the brain

Question 41

Hyperthalamus

Answer 41

Involed in regulating hunger, thirst and sex drive

Question 42

Hippo- and amygdala

Answer 42

Part of the limbic system. The amgydala in the forebrian, is involved in fear and reward learning.

Hippocampus - associated with formation of new memories.

Question 43

Cerebral Cortex

Answer 43

Outer surfaceof the brain and has cerebral hemispheres - left and right halves of the brain

Question 44

Parts of the cerebral cortex

Answer 44

Motor Cortex - neurons control voluntary movements in specific parts of the body

association cortex - receive informatin from one + sense or combine sensory and motor info = complex cognitive tasks

Prefrontal cortex - other areas in the front of the brain