biopsych Flashcards
what is plasticity
the ability of the brain to physically and functionally change to adapt to trauma
what is the London taxi study
study found that london taxi drivers had increased grey matter in the hippocampus.which is related to an increased spatial memory.
what is functional recovery
the ability of the brain to reallocate functions, that were carried out by now damaged areas, to different areas. allowing the brain to function normally despite damage
what are the negative evaluations of plasticity
there is a limit to plasticity and functional recovery. for example
what are biological rhythms
periodical fluctuations in an organism that correspond to and are influenced by changes in the environment. for example sleep wake cycle
what are exogenous zeitgebers
external changes in the environment that affect our biological rhythms.
what are endogenous pacemakers
our internal body clock that influences our bio rhythms. such as light
what is a circadian rhythm
a rhythm that occurs over a 24hr period. such as the sleep wake cycle
what research supports exogenous zeitgebergs
siffer descended into a cave without light for 2 months. without the exogenous zeitgebers his biological rhythms extended to 24hrs and 30 minuets, meaning he spent 24 days longer in the cave then he thought
what are the negative evaluations of this
. circadian rhythms are not the same between people. research has shown peoples biological rhythms can be anywhere from 24 - 25 hrs
. uses case studies and small studies so its not applicable to everyone.
. confounding effects of unnatural light. found artificial light can shift circadian rhythms by 6hrs
whats an infradian rhythm
biological rhythms that occur less then once every 24 hrs. for example the menstrual cycle
whats an ultradian cycle
a biological rhythm that occurs multiple times in a 24hr period such as the 90min sleep cycle
what are the stages of the sleep cycle
1 and 2. sleep escalators. the person is entering sleep and can be easily woken.
3 and 4. entering deep sleep and slower delta waves.
5. REM sleep. rapid eye movement where dreaming occurs
what is the central nervous system made up of
the brain and spinal cord
what is the periphery nervous system made up of
sensory neurons that interact with the environment
what are the 2 subdivisions of the periphery nervous system
autonomic nervous system. which is in charge of involuntary functions, such as heartbeat and breathing
somatic nervous system which is inn charge of feeling the 5 senses through motor neurons
what are the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
sympathetic nervous system is in charge of increasing heart rate, breathing ect in response to stress. parasympathetic is the opposite and rests the body after stress has subsided
describe the fight or flight response
1 the person becomes aware of a stressor
2 a signal is sent to the thalimus which in turn increases activity in the SNS
3 Adrenalin is produced by the adrenal gland
4 results in increased breathing, heart rate, pupils dilate ect
5 once the threat is no longer present the parasympathetic nervous system works to bring the body to rest
