Biopsychology - 1) The Nervous System Flashcards
What is the nervous system?
A complex network of nerve cells that carry messages to and from the brain and spinal chord to different parts of the body
What does the nervous system help to do?
Coordinate different organs and cells in the body
How is the nervous system divided?
Into the Central Nervous System (CNS) and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)
What does the CNS consist of?
The brain and spinal chord
What takes place in the CNS?
Complex processing of information and decision making
What does the peripheral nervous system do?
- Brings information from senses to the CNS.
- Then transmits information from CNS to muscles and glands
Why do we have more abilities than any other animal?
Because the cortex of our brain is more developed in humans
What is the brain the centre of?
Awareness
What is the brain divided into?
Two hemispheres
What is the spinal chord an extension of?
The brain
What does the spinal chord transport?
Messages to and from the brain to the PNS
What is the spinal chord responsible for?
Reflexes
What are the two main functions of the CNS?
Control of behaviour
Regulation of body’s physiological processes
Where does the brain receive information from?
Sensory receptors
Where does the brain send messages to?
Muscle glands in the body
Example of how the brain works
- It gets a message from your eyes to say the sun is bright
- It coordinates your arms and hands to put on sunglasses
What does the peripheral nervous system consist of?
All other nerves which are not part of CNS
Where does the peripheral nervous system reach out to?
Other parts of the body all the way down to the tips of your toes as well as internal organs
What does the peripheral nervous system relay?
Information via nerve impulses from the rest of the body to the CNS
What is the peripheral nervous system further divided into?
Somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
What do peripheral nerves surround?
All the organs, muscles and tissues
What do outside nerves do?
Receive messages from the brain and control the heartbeat, blood pressure, breathing and all of the bodily functions
SNS
Somatic nervous system
What does the somatic nervous system connect?
Connects external sensory organs through the brain to the muscles
What does the somatic nervous system control?
Skeletal muscles and movement
How is the somatic nervous system voluntary?
It’s under conscious control
What does the somatic nervous system receive information from?
Senses and transits it to CNS
What pathways does the somatic nervous system have?
Sensory and motor pathways
ANS
Autonomic nervous system
What is the autonomic nervous system responsible for?
Vital functions (e.g. heartbeat, breathing and digestion)
What does the autonomic nervous system transmit information to and from?
Internal organs
How is the autonomic nervous system involuntary?
It’s operated automatically
What does the autonomic nervous system control?
Smooth muscles and glands
What does the autonomic nervous system generally form?
Supporting tissue of blood vessels and hollow internal organs
Where are the controls of the autonomic nervous system?
In the brain stem
What sections is the autonomic nervous system divided into?
Sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous symptom
What does the sympathetic nervous system get us ready for?
Emergencies (involved in fight or flight response)
What does the parasympathetic nervous system restore?
Natural order, relaxing us after an emergency
What does the fight or flight response help us deal with?
Short term problems by fighting or fleeing
What does the amygdala send to the hypothalamus during the fight or flight response?
Hypothalamus which recognises the stress is small so it activates the SAM
What does the amygdala associate sensory signals with?
Emotions associated with fight or flight
What are sensory signals?
What we see, hear or smell
What puts us into the fight or flight response?
Release of adrenaline
Where is adrenaline released from?
Adrenal medulla in stressful situations
What does the release of adrenaline trigger?
Sympathetic activity
What does sympathetic activity increase?
Heart rate which increases blood flow and blood pressure which increases blood to brain and skeletal muscles for physical response
What physically happens during the release of adrenaline?
Digestion is stopped, saliva inhibited and pupils dilate
What does adrenaline prepare body for?
Fight or flight
What does adrenaline do once threat it over?
Adrenaline levels return to normal
