Biopsych advanced information new

Question 1

what is an fMRI

Answer 1

Works by detecting the changes in blood oxygenation and blood flow that indicate increased neural activity. It is done while people complete a task and it is observed where brain activity is.

Question 2

What is the AO3 for fMRI

Answer 2

Safer-does not require radiation.

Expensive.

Question 3

What is an EEG

Answer 3

Records changes in electrical activity using electrodes attached to the scalp.

Question 4

What is the AO3 for EEG

Answer 4

Real world application-diagnosis of epilepsy.

Generalised information-does not show direct area of neural activity

Question 5

What is an ERP

Answer 5

Records changes in electrical activity using electrodes attached to the scalp but uses a specific stimulus to see where the activity takes place.

Question 6

What is the AO3 for ERP

Answer 6

Specificity to measurements-allows for widespread use in measuring cognitive functions-found p300 linked with working memory

Background material must be eliminated.

Question 7

What is a post-mortem examination

Answer 7

Examines abnormalities in the structure of the brain which then can be used to explain psychological abnormalities people have before death.

Question 8

What is the AO3 for post mortem examinations

Answer 8

Theoretical value- Key for people like Broca and Wernicke to study the brain before neuroimaging was a thing.

Informed consent-abnormal psychologically may not give informed consent-HM unable to form memories.

Question 9

What is the AO1 for lateralisation

Answer 9

Some mental processes are mainly specialised to the right or left hemisphere, they are functionally different.

Left hemisphere-language.
Right hemisphere-facial recognition.

Researched using split brain studies.

Question 10

What are the strengths of lateralisation

Answer 10

Increases neural capacity-hemispheres can engage in different tasks.

Evidence from split brain research.

Lateralisation changes with age. Bilateral when older. shows was lateralisation.

Question 11

What is the AO1 for localisation

Answer 11

Theory different parts of the brain are responsible for different things.

Motor cortex - frontal lobe, controls movement in opposite side of body, damage can lead to loss of fine movement.

Broca’s area- left frontal lobe, responsible for speech production, damage results in slow speech lacking fluency e.g tan.

Wernicke’s area- left temporal lobe, responsible for language comprehension, damage leads to nonsense words.

Visual cortex - located in occipital lobe, information from right field sent to left visual cortex.

Question 12

What is the AO3 of localisation

Answer 12

Case studies-Wearing had damage to hippocampus and lost memory- however case studies not representative-cannot generalise.

Neurosurgery-Dougherty 44 OCD patients had cingulate gyrus cut-1/3 had successful surgery no OCD.

Multiple areas of brain involved in memory.

Functional recovery-Other areas can take over function.

Question 13

What is a sensory neuron

Answer 13

Carries nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal chord and the brain.

Long dendrites and short axons.

Question 14

What is a relay neuron

Answer 14

Allows sensory and motor neurons to communicate.

Short dendrites and long axons.

Question 15

What is a motor neuron

Answer 15

Carries nerve impulses from the spinal cord to effectors.

Short dendrites and long axons.

Question 16

What is synaptic transmission

Answer 16

Information is passed down the axon of the neuron as an electrical impulse known as action potential. 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 to diffuse across the synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters then carry the signal across the synaptic cleft. They bind to receptor sites on the post-synaptic membrane. If the neurotransmitter is excitatory it increases the chance of the post synaptic neuron firing. If it is inhibitory it reduces the chance of the posy synaptic neuron firing.