Biopsych Flashcards
somatic nervous system
connects central nervous system to sensory receptors and skeletal muscles
autonomic nervous system
connects central nervous system to bodily organs, glands and smooth muscle
central nervous system
consists of the brain and spinal cord, it receives information from the senses and controls that bodies responses
sympathetic nervous system
primarily involved with responses that help us deal with emergencies (fight/flight)
peripheral nervous system
connects the central nervous system to the rest of the body
sends information to central nervous system from the body and outside world and transmits messages from central nervous system to muscles and glands
parasympathetic nervous system
involved with calming the body (rest and digest system)
main functions of the nervous system
collect, process and respond to information from the environment
to co-ordinate the working of different internal organs and cells in the body
central nervous system
brain
diencephalon
contains 2 important structures
thalamus
hypothalamus
CNS-brain
diencephalon
thalamus
acts as a relay station for never impulses coming from senses, routing them to the appropriate part if the brain to be processed
CNS-brain
diencephalon
hypothalamus
one functions is to act as a link between the nervous system and the endocrine system, controlling the release of hormones from the pituitary gland
CNS-brain stem
responsible for regulating the autonomic functions essential for life e.g. breathing
CNS-spinal cord
relay information between brain and the rest of the body
contains circuits of nerve cells that enable us to perform simple reflexes without direct involvement of brain
if areas are damaged spinal nerves will but cut off from brain and will stop functioning
endocrine system
information system which instructs the glands to release hormones into the blood stream. these hormones are then carried directly towards to the target organs
glands in the endocrine system
hypothalamus pituitary thyroid parathyroid adrenals pancreas ovaries testes
function of the hypothalamus endocrine system
connects the CNS and endocrine system together
function of the pituitary gland endocrine system
master gland
produces critical hormones, which are chemical substances that control various bodily functions.
function of the thyroid gland endocrine system
uses iodine from the foods you eat to make two main hormones: Triiodothyronine (T3) Thyroxine (T4)
function of the parathyroid gland endocrine system
controls the bodies calcium levels
produce a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH).
function of the adrenals gland endocrine system
produce hormones that help the body control blood sugar, burn protein and fat, react to stressors
Two of the most important adrenal hormones are cortisol and adrenaline
function of the pancreas endocrine system
secretes the hormones insulin and glucagon to control blood sugar levels throughout the day.
function of the ovaries endocrine system
female reproductive system
function of the testes endocrine system
male reproductive system
sensory neuron
carry messages from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system
long dendrites and short axons
motor neurons
connect the central nervous system to effectors such as muscles and glands
short dendrites and short axon
relay neurons
connect sensory neurons to motor neurons or other relay neurons
short dendrites and long axons
structure of a neuron
cell body includes a nucleus which contains information about the cell dendrites(branch like structures) the protrude the cell body transporting impulses from other cells. the axon carries the impulses away from the cell and is covered in myelin sheath that protects the axon and speeds up electrical transmission. the myelin sheath is separated by nodes of ranvier that speeds up the impulses by forcing them to jump along the axon. terminal buttons are at the end of the axon that communicate with the next neuron across a gap(synapse)
electrical transmission
when a neuron is in a resting state inside the cell is negatively charged. when a neuron is activated by a stimulus the inside of the cell become positively charged causing an action potential creating an electrical impulse which is carried down the axon
synaptic transmission
Once the action potential reaches the end of the axon it needs to be transferred to another neuron or tissue. It must cross over the synaptic gap between the presynaptic neuron and post-synaptic neuron. At the end of the neuron (in the axon terminal) are the synaptic vesicles, which contain chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters. When the electrical impulse (action potential) reaches these synaptic vesicles, they release their contents of neurotransmitters. Neurotransmitters then carry the signal across the synaptic gap. They bind to receptor sites on the post-synaptic cell, thereby completing the process of synaptic transmission.
Acetylcholine (ACh)
found at each point where a motor neuron meets a muscle
two effects neurotransmitters have on the neighbouring neuron
inhibitory
excitatory
effects neurotransmitters have on the neighbouring neuron
inhibitory
makes the neuron negatively charged therefore less likely to fire
serotonin
effects neurotransmitters have on the neighbouring neuron
excitatory
makes the neuron positively charged, therefore more likely to fire
adrenaline
fight or flight
when a stressful stimuli is perceived the hypothalamus triggers activity in the autonomic nervous system this then changes from parasympathetic to sympathetic. adrenaline is produced and trigger physiological changes once the stressor has gone the body returns to parasympathetic
ways of investigating the brain
fMRI(functioning magnetic resonance imaging)
EEG(electroencephalogram)
ERP(event-related potentials)
post-mortems
investigating the brain
fMRI
detects the change in blood oxygenation and flow that occurs as a result of neural activity
3D images
investigating the brain
EEG
measures electrical activity in the brain via electrodes that are fixed to a skull cape
recording represents the brainwave patterns
used a diagnostic tool as unusual arrhythmic patterns of activity may indicate neurological abnormalities
investigating the brain
ERPs
using statistical averaging technique all extraneous brain activity from the EEG is filtered out leaving only those responses that relate to the performance of the specific task
investigating the brain
post-mortems
analysis of the brain after death usually those with rare condition areas of damage examined establish possible cause of death comparison with neuro-typical brain is common
investigating the brain
strengths of fMRI
doesn’t rely on radiation
risk free
non-invasive
high spatial resolution
investigating the brain
strengths of EEG
effective in diagnosing conditions
high temporal resolution
contributed to understanding sleep
investigating the brain
ERP
more specific
good temporal resolution
investigating the brain
strengths of post mortems
contributed to early psychology
generate future hypothesis
investigating the brain
weaknesses of fMRI
expensive
poor temporal resolution
difficult to tell what kind of brain activity
investigating the brain
weaknesses if EEG
cant pinpoint source of neural activity
hard to distinguish between activity
investigating the brain
weaknesses of ERP
lack of standardisation between findings
extraneous variables
investigating the brain
weaknesses of post mortem
only distinguish causation
ethical issues
biological rhythms
distinct changes in body activity the conform the clinical time periods. Biological rhythms are influenced by endogenous pacemakers and exogenous zeitgebers
endogenous pacemakers
internal body clocks that regulate many biological rhythms
endogenous pacemakers
surpachiasmatic nucleus
nerve cells located in the hypothalamus
primary endogenous pacemakers
influential in maintaining circadian rhythms
located behind the eyes it receives information and light and dark even when eyes are closed
endogenous pacemakers
surpachiasmatic nucleus
DeCoursey et al
destroyed the SCN of 30 chipmunks and released them back into their habitat and observed for 80 days
the sleep/wake cycle had disappeared and a significant portion had been killed
SCN and melatonin
the SCN passes information about day and night onto the pineal gland that produces melatonin which induces sleep
