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psychology (Q) > biopsych year 13 > Flashcards

biopsych year 13 Flashcards

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1
Q

what are the functions of the two hemispheres of the brain

A

left hemisphere- language

right hemisphere- visual motor skills

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2
Q

what are the 4 lobes of the brain

A

frontal
parietal
occipital
temporal

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3
Q

what is the location of the motor cortex

A

both hemispheres
back of the frontal lobe

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4
Q

what is the location of the somatosensory cortex

A

both hemispheres
front of parietal lobe

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5
Q

what are the 4 main cortex

A

motor
somatosensory
visual centre
auditory centre

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6
Q

what is the location of the visual centre

A

both hemispheres
occipital lobe

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7
Q

what is the location of the auditory centre

A

both hemispheres
temporal lobe

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8
Q

what are the two language centres

A

brocas area
wernickes area

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9
Q

what is the location of broca’s area

A

left hemisphere
frontal lobe

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10
Q

what is the location of wernickes area

A

left hemisphere
back of temporal lobe

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11
Q

what is the function of the motor cortex

A

involved in voluntary muscle movement
L controls R
R controls L
damage results in loss of motor movement in body

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12
Q

what is the function of the somatosensory cortex

A

receives sensory info from body
eg. temp touch pain and pressure

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13
Q

what is the function of the visual centre

A

involved in visual info
eg. shape colour movement
L eye controlled by R hemisphere
R eye controlled by L hemisphere

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14
Q

what is the function of the auditory centre

A

involved in auditory info and processes it
eg. tempo pitch and volume
L ear processed by R
R ear processed by L

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15
Q

what is the function of broca’s area

A

speech production

identified by broca

damage- speech is slow, labourous and lacking fluency

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16
Q

what is the function of wenickes area

A

lang comprehension
understanding meaning of words

can speak but meaningless speech

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17
Q

what is the corpus callosum

A

connects the left and right side of the brain + allows for communication btween two

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18
Q

what is localisation of function

A

theory that specific areas of brain associated with specific functions

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19
Q

what are the strengths of localisation of function

A

• brain scans provided evidence- petersen- wernickes area active during listening task and Broca’s area active during a reading out loud task

• Aphasia studies- damage to Brocas and Wernickes results in diff types of aphasia
expressive aphasia- Brocas- impaired ability to produce lang
receptive aphasia- Wernickes- impaired ability to extract meaning

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20
Q

what are the weaknesses of localisation of function

A

• lashley research using rats- suggested that motor and sensory are localised but higher cognitive function are not- removed areas of cortex in rats learning a maze- 10-50% - no area proven to be more important

• lashley- equpotetiality theory
in case of injury can transfer memory of function from damaged area to un damaged area

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21
Q

what is hemispheric lateralisation

A

the idea that two halves of the brain are functionally different. Each hemisphere has functional specialisations

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22
Q

what is the key study in hemispheric lateralisation

A

split brain research- sperry

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23
Q

what was the aim or Sperrys study

A

to find the extent to which the two hemispheres had diff functions- testing hemispheric lateralisation

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24
Q

what was the method of Sperrys research

A

quasi experiment
iv- split brain is pre existing
11ppts
lab experiment- highly controlled
divided field technique
word image presented for 10th of a second to ensure only processed by one visual field

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25
Q

what were the findings of Sperrys research

A

describe what you see condition :
RVF- patient easily describe what is seen ( processed by left hemisphere)
LVF- patient says there is nothing there ( processed by right hemisphere)

messages received by RH normally would be relayed to LH via corpus callosum

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26
Q

what was Sperrys conclusion from his research

A

supports hemispheric lateralisation
superiority of LH in language production
RH in visual motor tasks

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27
Q

what are the strengths of the method of split brain research

A

highly controlled lab experiment
high reliability- internal val- standardised procedures
image projected for one tenth of a second to one visual field- only one eye

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28
Q

what are the limitations of the of the split brain research

A

• method- low realism- data and task very artificial
in real life can see out both eyes and can complete everyday tasks
doesn’t allow to understand split brain patients in real world

• limited sample size- atypical sample
individual differences
don’t know when surgery was ( may have more practice)
don’t know differences in surgery

•criticism in findings - many modern neuroscientists argue not clear cut- behaviours associated with one can be performed by other
sperry may be too simplistic
JW developed capacity to speak about info presented to left or right
equipotentiality

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29
Q

what are the advantages of the THEORY of hemispheric lateralisation

A

• research to support this e.g. Sperry

• pucetti- suggested that the two hemispheres are so functionally different that they represent a form of duality in brain- split brain patients only emphasise rather than create situation

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30
Q

what are the disadvantages of the theory of hemispheric lateralisation?

A
  • JW had capacity to speak about information presented to left or right brain
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31
Q

what is brain plasticity?

A

The brains ability to modify its own structures as a result of an experience e.g. learning to drive a car revision or trauma

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32
Q

What is synaptic pruning?

A

plasticity reduces with age
Frequently use connections are strengthened

Rarely used connections are deleted

Fine tuning connections

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33
Q

why are infants more likely to have successful recovery to injury?

A

More plasticity around 1500 synaptic connections
Peak plasticity in childhood ability to modify to trauma

34
Q

what is the key study into brain plasticity?

A

Maguire - taxi driver study

35
Q

What were Maguires aims of the study into brain plasticity?

A

To examine whether structural changes could be detected in the brain of people with experience of spatial navigation

36
Q

What was Maguire’s method into research into plasticity?

A

structural MRI scans obtained
16 right-handed male London taxi driver

All had been driving for more than 1.5 years

Scans of 50 healthy right-handed males who did not drive taxis included for comparison

Mean age did not differ between two groups

High control

37
Q

what were Maguires findings in the taxi driver study?

A

Found increased grey matter in brains of taxi drivers compared with control in the right and left hippocampus

Also found the changes with navigation experiences and there was a correlation found between the amount of time spent as a taxi driver and the volume of Gray in posterior hippocampus

38
Q

What was the conclusion of Maguire study into brain plasticity?

A

evidence was provided for structural differences between the hippocampus of the taxi drivers and control participants

Suggesting extensive practice with spatial navigation affects hippocampus

39
Q

what is another example of research into brain plasticity?

A

kuhn et al - video game training

40
Q

what was Kuhns research into brain plasticity?

A

got participants to play Super Mario for at least 30 minutes per day over two months

Compared brain development to control group not playing video games over the two month period

Found significant differences in Gray matter of video gaming participants especially in the cortex hippocampus and cerebellum( involved in coordination movement)

41
Q

What is functional recovery?

A

an example of plasticity
The transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to an undamaged area

42
Q

How does functional recovery take place?

A

Through a method called neuronal unmasking

43
Q

What is neuronal unmasking?

A

When dormant signup says open connections and compensate for nearby damaged area of brain

Brain is able to rewire and re-organise itself forming new connections

Secondary neural pathways activate enabling function to continue

44
Q

what is recruitment of homologous areas?

A

This is the belief that on opposite hemisphere similar areas are recruited to do specific tasks e.g. Broca area moved to right side

45
Q

What are the strengths of plasticity and functional recovery?

A

• research to support the idea brain can modify its own structures- Maguire research- increased Gray of Taxi drivers with experience

• research from animal studies also provides evidence- compared rats in complex environment to basic cage, found that rats in the complex environment developed more neurons than basic cage, increased neurons in HIPAA campus( associated with navigation) - clear evidence of brains ability to change as a result of experience

• research into neural plasticity has contributed to field of neuron rehabilitation- understanding processes involved in plasticity- techniques including electrical stimulation to help stroke patients after stroke gain certain abilities back- contributes to development of healthcare services

46
Q

what are the weaknesses of plasticity and functional recovery of the brain?

A

• brain plasticity tends to reduce with age however some research shown evidence that contradict- maybe more complex- 40 to 60 year-old played 40 hours of golf compared to control- golfers all showed changes in motor cortex associated with golf- also stroke patients

• research has shown higher levels of education allows a better functional recovery of the brain after trauma- maybe other factors not just plasticity- degree level education is seven times more likely to be disability free a year after trauma
Cognitive factors are crucial in determining how well brain adapts after trauma

47
Q

what are the 4 ways of studying the brain

A

EEG( electroencephalogram)
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fmri)
event related potentials (ERP)
post mortem

48
Q

how do EEGs work

A

electrode cap on head

measures neuronal activity not blood

activity presented on EEG waves

small electrical charges detected by electrode and graphed over a period of time

4 types of EEG waves

used to detect disorders like sleep disorders and epilepsy

49
Q

how do FMRIs work

A

measures blood flow when a person does a task (eg tap finger)

works on assumption that incr blood flow means neural activity

oxygenated blood and non have diff magnetic qualities

lights up - 3d map of brain

50
Q

how do ERPs work

A

same as EEG- electrode cap
stimulus is presented and it looks at how you respond

stimulus is presented 100x and average is taken
still no pic of brain

51
Q

how do post mortem work

A

physical examination of the brain
conducted after death

correlates structural abnormalities

useful for understanding disorders

eg. Tan - when alive presented an abnormality - lesion in left frontal lobe in post mortem

52
Q

what is the evaluation of EEGs

A

high temporal resolution (1-10 milliseconds)

poor spatial resolution
( can’t pinpoint where it occurred and specific region )

non invasive - risk free no harm

can not establish cause and effect - difficult to pinpoint

cheap - widely available
larger sample sizes

53
Q

what is the evaluation of fMRIs

A

poor temporal resolution- 1-4 second lag

high spatial resolution- 1-2mm of accuracy measures specific areas with great accuracy

non invasive- no risk no harm nothing inserted

can not establish cause and effect - correlational- measures changes in blood not neurons

expensive- not widely available - requires lots of training so not large sample sizes

54
Q

what is the evaluation of ERPs

A

high temporal resolution- 1-10 milliseconds

poor spatial resolution- can’t pinpoint where

not invasive- risk free, no harm

can establish cause and effect- measure specific brain changes in relation to a stimuli over and over

cheap- large sample sizes

55
Q

what is the evaluation of post mortem

A

patient is deceased- retrospective so not in real time

can allow researcher to examine deeper anatomical structures eg hypothalamus

correlational- deficit patient displays in lifetime may not be linked to deficits found in the brain after death

neural changes occurs during the process of death

need consent of either patient or family members- smaller samples

56
Q

what is a circadian rhythm

A

a pattern or behaviour that occurs every 24 hours
which is reset by light - entrainment

eg sleep wake cycle, body temp

57
Q

what is the sleep wake cycle and how does it work

A

dictates when you should be awake or asleep

light is an external cue for the sleep wake and provides a primary input - external zeitgeber

light is detected by ligjt sensitive cells in the eyes which send a message about the level of light to the suprachaismatic nuclei- in the hypothalamus

the SCN uses info to co ordinare the activity of the circadian system
ie- pineal gland to either inhibit or release melatonin

58
Q

what are the two sleep drive “dips” in the day

A

between 2-4 am
between 1-3 am

59
Q

what is the case study for circadian rhythms

A

Siffre cave study

60
Q

what was siffres study

A

spent several extended periods underground to study the effects on biological rhythms

deprived exposure to light and sound but access to food and drink

resurfaced in sep thinking it was august

in each case his free running bio rhythm settled to 25 hours

61
Q

how did siffres study support or criticise circadian rhythms

A

circadian rhythms is free running in the absence of an external queue EG light. Internal clock extended to around 25 hours causing him to misjudge time significantly.

Study demonstrates the importance of both

Misenlightment of internal clock shows endogenous pacemakers are crucial for maintaining

Exogenous zeitgeber are equally vital to entrain the rhythm

62
Q

What is the strength of circadian rhythm research?

A

siffre- cave study

Application - by understanding circadian rhythms and their impacts on Health can determine when the best time to administer drug treatments- risk of heart attack drug can be taken at night, this means there is peak times for administration of variety of drugs to treat disorders such as cancer epilepsy

Support from Case study- siffre spent two months in caves terminating that his circadian rhythm remained between 24 and 25 hours- bodies internal clock is set 24 to 25 hours in the absence of external queues

63
Q

What are weaknesses of study into circadian rhythms?

A

issues with case evidence- siffre study was only one individual, impossible to generalise these results to the whole world as maybe individual differences in research sample that makes these participants respond to changes in sleep cycle in atypical ways, age may play apart. Suggest the results cannot be generalised from the small samples.

Poor control in studies - in cave studies the exposure to artificial lights such as torches and phones was not controlled,v it was assumed that only natural light had an influence however research found that dim artificial lighting could adjust circadian rhythm to, means that these original studies may lack validity and impact on artificial lighting on our circadian rhythms. Also has practical applications when it comes to using iPhones a different times of the day.

64
Q

What are endogenous pacemakers?

A

internal biological clocks
E.g. SCN

65
Q

what are exogenous zeitgeber?

A

External cues affecting our biological rhythms

E.g. light and social queues

66
Q

what did aschoff and weber study and what did they find

A

studied participants living in a bunker no windows only artificial light
Participants were free to turn on and off as they pleased
Found that participants settled into longer sleep wake cycles of 25 to 27 hours
Suggest that humans use natural light to regulate 24 hour circadian sleep week cycle showing importance of light

67
Q

what did morgan research and what were their findings

A

bread hamsters so they had circadian rhythms of 20 hours rather than 24- SCN neurons from these abnormal hamsters were transplanted into brains of normal hamsters

They displayed the same abnormal rhythm of 20 hours

Suggest that the transplanted SCN had imposed its pattern onto hamster - showing significance of endogenous pacemakers and how important they are

68
Q

what did duffy study and what were their findings

A

found that morning people prefer to rise and go to bed early - 6 am and 10 pm
Evening people prefer to wake up and go to bed later - 10 pm and 1 am
Demonstrates there may be an individual differences in circadian rhythms
This shows that research should focus on individual differences during investigations

69
Q

What are infradian rhythms?

A

A biological rhythm that has a duration of over 24 hours

70
Q

what is an example of an infradian rhythm?

A

Menstrual cycle

71
Q

what is an ultradian rhythm?

A

A cycle that lasts less than 24 hours and it occurs more than once in a 24 hour period

72
Q

What is an example of an ultradian rhythm?

A

Sleep stages 90 mins

73
Q

how many stages of sleep are there and what are they?

A

There are five stages of sleep approximately 90 minutes long each- each level of brainwave activity is different

Stage one and stage two - light sleep brain patterns becomes slower and muscle activity slows down

Stage three and four - deep Delta waves difficult to wake up

Stage five - rapid eye movement dreaming occurs body is paralysed brain waves are desynchronised

74
Q

what does Kleitmsn - basic rest activity cycle explain

A

how our body naturally moves through periods of high activity and rest roughly 90 minutes

Alertness and tiredness throughout the day similar to the stages of sleep

We need to rest and take a break managing energy and productivity

75
Q

what are the strengths of ultradian rhythms?

A

Can now test or trade rhythms scientifically through the use of EEG
Research is monitored sleep patterns of nine participants in a sleep lab , found evidence for five stages

Said that REM activity correlated with the dreaming , participants woke up during dreaming and accurately recall dreams

HOWEVER
POOR EXTERNAL VALIDITY - sleep labs artificial only nine participants not generalisable

Poor internal as cannot recall how do you know if it’s accurate?

76
Q

what are the weaknesses of ultradian rhythms?

A

There are significant individual differences in sleep stages

Variation between people that research does not take into account
Found large differences between participants, especially the duration of stages three and four

Differences are likely to be biologically determined, e.g. elderly spend less time in three and four

Difficult to define normal
Sleep

Stress, caffeine and alcohol all have an affect too

77
Q

What is the menstrual cycle and how does it work?

A

monthly female menstrual cycle

Typical cycle takes 28 days to complete

Regulated by hormones, either promote ovulation or stimulate the uterus for fertilisation

Ovulation occurs halfway through the cycle when oestrogen levels are high

Progesterone levels increase after ovulation which helps womb lining to grow and thicken and prepare for pregnancy

78
Q

what is the research into infradian rhythms?

A

russell et all

Found that female menstrual cycle became synchronised with other females through Odur exposure

Been one sweat samples from one group of women were rubbed onto upper lip of another group

Despite the fact the two groups were separate Changes in cycle which brought them closer to the cycle of their odour donor

Suggest can be affected by pheromones exogenous zeitgeber not just own hormones

79
Q

What is the strength of infradian rhythms?

A

research into menstrual cycle has evolutionary value-
Maybe explained by natural selection
Synchronisation of menstrual cycle provides an evolutionary advantage
When females menstruate are pregnant at the same time it would allow babies who lost mothers during childbirth to have access to breast milk

Sink is an adaptive strategy higher chance of survival

80
Q

what are the weaknesses of infradian rhythms?

A

However, validity of evolutionary perspective has been questioned- too much competition too many female cycling together would produce competition for highest quality males
Lowers the fitness for potential offspring

Issues with research into menstrual cycle synchronisation - individual differences in length of cycle length of period and day of ovulation
Factors that influence include diet exercise medication and stress

psychology (Q) (5 decks)

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