bioPsych Flashcards
brain anatomy - outline the current approaches for looking at the brain
neuroscience - study nervous systems
biopsych, psychophysiology
psychopharmacology - effects of drugs
neuropsychology - psych tests to asses functional consequences of brain damage - maps behaviour changes in brain damage. i.e., phineas gage
brain anatomy - what is biopsych
studies influence of biological systems of behaviour
primary focus is on the CNS.
behaviour is anything involving an action in response to a stimulus.
brain anatomy - is the biopsych approach reductionist
YES
- it solely aims to look at physiological factors but ignores social-psychological reasons which determine behaviour.
brain anatomy - outline the brain & mind
brain - physical being and location
mind - deemed a figure of the thoughts you have, not without the brain.
brain anatomy - outline the history of the brain and mind
- Aristotle thought the mind and thus thoughts resided in the heart.
- Hippocrates identified the brain as the source of human thought and actions, debunking Aristotles theory.
brain anatomy - discuss a physician Galen
- found that through observation that damaged hearts in gladiators they survived, damage or pressure to their brains found many died.
brain anatomy - outline phernology
the process of feeling the skull to determine someones psychological attributes
brain anatomy - outline what dorsal means
known as superior, upper section of the brain, coolest to top of head.
brain anatomy - outline what ventral means
AKA inferior.
this is the lower section of the brain closest to the neck.
brain anatomy - outline what rostral means
AKA anterior.
this is the frontal section of the brain closet to the face and facial features
brain anatomy - outline what caudal means
AKA posterior.
the rear section of the brain and the back of the head.
brain anatomy - outline some of the anatomical terms.
(dorsolateral, midsagittal, ventrolateral)
dorsolateral -> top-edge of the brain
midsagittal -> like a cross section through the middle of a brain
ventrolateral -> lower section of the brain.
brain anatomy - outline brain sections as seen on MRI scans.
slices of the brain.
coronal - plane passing through two ears parallel
sagittal - plane passing through the nose and bump at lower back of the head
horizontal - parallel to the floor when standing, transverse section.
brain anatomy - outline the hindbrain
posterior section of the brain, included the medulla, pons, and cerebellum
functions:
- balance, equilibrium, co-ordination, sensory info and autonomic control.
brain anatomy - outline the midbrain
the smallest section of the brain, acts as a relay station for auditory and visual info.
major structures -> tectum, tegmentum, superior colliculus, inferior colliculus.
brain anatomy - outline the forebrain
major section of the brain containing 2 hemispheres.
the outer section is cerebral cortex.
important structures is thalamus, hypothalamus, limbic system and basal ganglia.
brain anatomy - what is the thalamus
lies under the cerebral cortex and acts as a relay station
brain anatomy - what is the hypothalamus
is a small area ventral to the thalamus, regulates feeding, drinking and sexual behaviour, temperature.
brain anatomy - what is the basal ganglia
sub-cortical structures which form important connections in the brain.
involved in movement, attention, learning and remembering.
brain anatomy - what is the hippocampus
sea horse shaped structure between the thalamus and cerebral cortex.
main function is memory and forming associations.
brain anatomy - what is the pons and medulla
forms the brain stem
the pons connects the medulla oblongata to the midbrain and forms connections to the spinal cord.
brain anatomy - outline what the cerebral cortex is
it is a layer of grey matter covering the entire surface of the cerebral hemisphere.
it accommodates an enormous number of neurones.
brain anatomy - the lobes - frontal lobe & prefrontal cortex
situated at the front of the brain before the central sulcus.
contains motor cortex and prefrontal cortex.
the prefrontal cortex is a higher order of functions.
brain anatomy - the lobes - frontal lobe and executive functions.
includes autonomic actions and controlled actions.
a) focusing attentions on relevant info and inhibit irrelevant.
b) scheduling complex tasks
c) planning sequence of subtasks
d) monitoring contents for tasks
e) coding
brain anatomy - the lobes - the parietal lobe
(inc. superior and inferior)
this is situated between the occipital lobe and central cortex, the post central gyrus receives signals from touch.
superior parietal lobe integrates sensory info.
inferior parietal lobe contains angular gyrus which understands metaphors and maths.
brain anatomy - the lobes - the occipital lobe
receives visual info, the primary visual area is called the striate area.
damage can lead to cortical blindness.
brain anatomy - the lobes - the temporal lobe
primary cortical target for auditory information, and is associated to perception of movement and facial recognition.
brain anatomy - what are the 3 areas of functional localisation in the cerebral cortex
sensory, association nd motor.
brain anatomy - functional localisation - sensory area
primary area, and secondary sensory area
brain anatomy - functional localisation - motor area
primary motor area, secondary motor area and contains the supplementary motor area
brain anatomy - functional localisation - association area
parietal, occipital and temporal cortex - conceptual elaboration of sensory data.
prefrontal cortex - judgement and foresight.
neurones and neurotransmitters - why are neurones important
they are the mechanisms behind psychological disorders, drugs work through them, how our brain and body communicate with each other.
neurones and neurotransmitters - outline some disorders of the nervous system
parkisnons, huntingtons, multiple sclerosis and alzheimers