biopsych Flashcards
what does the nervous system do
does communication
collects, processes and responds to info in environment
coordinates cells and organs
central nervous system (what does it do)
brain+spinal cord
transfers messages to/from environment and brain
brain: centre of conscious awareness
SC: responsible for reflex actions, transmits signals between brain+body
peripheral nervous system (autonomic and somatic)
limbs+torso
sends messages to/from CNS
- autonomic nervous system: important for survival (breathing, heart rate, digestion, stress response)
- somatic nervous system: movement and sensory information from the skin
endocrine system is used to
maintain levels of hormones using glands (slower than nervous system)
hormones = chemicals that travel via blood and affect diff organs
pituitary gland = controls when other glands secrete hormones
adrenal gland
fight or flight response (facilitates release of adrenaline)
pineal gland
produces melatonin when it’s dark to induce sleep
fight or flight response
endocrine system and autonomic nervous system work together (part of the ANS is activated, and a hormone is released)
we perceive a stressor => adrenal gland secretes adrenaline into blood => sympathetic NS is activated
- causes physiological changes so body is prepared to fight challenge or run from it
- once threat has passed the parasympathetic NS brings body back to resting state
ANS: sympathetic system
heart and BP increases
respiration accelerates, blood sugar released from liver
adrenaline/noradrenaline released from adrenal gland
=> fight or flight
ANS: parasympathetic system
heartbeat slows
what is a neuron and what do they do
nerve cell that transfers info between the nervous systems
in a reflex arc, info doesn’t go to the brain, it passes through the 3 neurons
dendrites
branch like, carry impulse from other neurons to cell body (collect in)
axon
carries impluse away from cell body
myelin sheath
fatty, protects the neuron, speeds up transmission of impulse
nodes of ranvier
gaps in myelin sheath that help to speed up the transmission
terminal buttons
at the end of axons, where communication with the next neuron happens
function of 3 different types of neurons
sensory => carry messages from PNS to CNS
relay => connect sensory and motor
motor => connects CNS to effectors
synaptic transmission
neurons separated by synapse
impulse must be transferred chemically
= when the impulse (action potential) reaches the end of the neuron it triggers the release of a neurotransmitter from the synaptic vesicles
when on the other side (dendrite of next neuron) neurotransmitter is converted back to electrical impulse
neurotransmitters role - excitation
increasing +ve charge of a neuron which increases likelihood of the next neuron firing (adrenaline)
neurotransmitters role - inhibition
increases -ve charge of a neuron which decreases likelihood of next neuron firing (serotonin)
neurotransmitters role - summation
a neuron can receive both +ve and -ve potentials, which are then summed to see what effect will be had
localisation of function in the brain: localisation vs holism theory
early theories => all parts of the brain used in processing (holistic theory)
Broca and Wernicke studies suggest diff parts perform diff tasks
=> if a certain part is damaged, function associated with it is affected
cerebral cortex
outer layer of brain
3mm thick
grey and highly folded
very developed
the 4 lobes
frontal lobe
temporal
parietal
occipital
frontal lobe function
risk assessment and decision making
motor area
parietal lobe function
processes sensory info eg pain
occipital lobe function
processes visual information
temporal lobe function
auditory/acoustic info
motor area (location, function, damage)
at the back of the frontal lobe
controls voluntary movement in opposite side of body
damage => loss of control of movements
somatosensory area
in parietal lobe
separated from motor area by the central sulcus (a valley)
deals with sensory info from skin
(the amount of that area dedicated to each body part is related to sensitivity of that body part)
visual area
in occipital lobes
eyes send info to opposite hemisphere
damage => problems seeing / understanding what you see