Biopsychology

Question 1

What are the components of the nervous system?

Answer 1

CNS = spinal cord + brain + brain stem
PNS = Somatic nervous system + Autonomic nervous system (sympathetic NS + parasympathetic NS)

Question 2

What is the CNS?

Answer 2

Central nervous system, it is the primary internal communication system, and consists of the brain, brain stem and spinal cord

Question 3

What are the two key components of the forebrain?

Answer 3

• Diencephalon

- Cerebral Hemispheres

Question 4

What are the components of the Diencephalon?

Answer 4

• Thalamus = relays sensory information

- Hypothalamus = controls thirst, hunger, etc with the pituitary gland

Question 5

What are the components of the Cerebral Hemispheres?

Answer 5

• Limbic system = controls learning and memory
• Basal ganglia = controls movement and motor activity
• Neo/Cerebral-cortex = controls personality, consciousness and problem solving

Question 6

What is the spinal cord?

Answer 6

The spinal cord is an extension of the brain which is responsible for reflex actions and allows the brain to monitor involuntary actions like breathing alongside voluntary actions

Question 7

What is the hindbrain and what is its key component?

Answer 7

The hindbrain is the brain stem, it is made up of sensory and motor neurons. The hindbrain contains the cerebellum, which controls movement and motor coordination

Question 8

What is the PNS and what is its role?

Answer 8

The Peripheral nervous system is responsible for connecting the CNS with the rest of the body through the CNS’s 31 spinal nerves.

Question 9

What is the role of the Somatic nervous system?

Answer 9

The Somatic nervous system controls reflexes, it is composed of sensory nerve pathways between receptors and the CNS and motor nerve pathways to muscles, in order to enable a reflex to take place

Question 10

What is the role of the Autonomic nervous system?

Answer 10

The Autonomic nervous system is responsible for maintaining homeostasis and the fight/flight response

Question 11

What is the role of the Sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 11

Promotes the fight/flight response by increasing heart rate, blood pressure, and pupil dilation. Alongside slowing non-important activities during fight/flight such as digestion

Question 12

What is the role of the Parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 12

Relaxes the body in order to return to homeostasis after the fight/flight response is engaged. It decreases heart rate, and blood pressure. It also increases actions more commonplace in bodily function such as digestion

Question 13

What are the types of neuron and their role?

Answer 13

Sensory - convey sensory information (sight, taste, etc)
Relay - acts as connectors between parts of the PNS
Motor - convey instructions for physical activity (muscle movement or hormone secretion)

Question 14

What is synaptic transmission?

Answer 14

The transfer of an action potential (electrical info) from one neurone to the next. This takes place over the synaptic cleft, which is the gap between two neurones

Question 15

What is the process of synaptic transmission?

Answer 15

• Action potential triggers the pre-synaptic neuron to release neurotransmitters from its vesicles
• The neurotransmitters then diffuse across the synaptic cleft and reach the neuron the other side
• The neurotransmitters then bind to specialised receptor sites on the post-synaptic neuron, the action potential is then continued or stopped depending on whether the neurotransmitter is excitatory or inhibitory

Question 16

What are Excitatory and Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Answer 16

• Excitatory = more likely to trigger the action potential, e.g. serotonin or dopamine
• Inhibitory = less likely to trigger the action potential, e.g. GABA

Question 17

What is Localisation of function?

Answer 17

The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities

Question 18

Define the role of the motor cortex

Answer 18

Responsible for voluntary movement, the left half control the right half of the body and vice versa

Question 19

Define the role of the visual centre

Answer 19

Controls all visual information transmitted from the optic nerve to the brain

Question 20

Define the role of the auditory centre?

Answer 20

Controls all auditory information which is transferred to an electrical impulse from soundwaves via the cochlea

Question 21

What are the two language centres and what are their roles?

Answer 21

Broca’s area - responsible for speech production, is found in the left hemisphere

Wernicke’s area - responsible for speech comprehension, is also found in the left hemisphere

Question 22

Localisation of function AO3

Answer 22

• Phineas Gage - a metal rod going through his head caused him being unable to efficiently make decisions. However, his memory and other cognitive functions were in-tact, which supports the idea of localisation of function
• Equipotential theory - outlined by Lashley’s research into rats. Which proved how undamaged areas of the brain were still able to the functions of damaged areas. Suggesting that multiple components of the brain can do the same task

Question 23

Define hemispheric lateralisation

Answer 23

The theory that the two hemispheres of the brain are responsible for different things. Such the left being responsible for speech, while the right hemisphere controls motor tasks

Question 24

What is the corpus callosum?

Answer 24

The bundle of nerve fibres which connects the two hemispheres of the brain. Forms of treatment for severe epilepsy involve severing the corpus callosum in order to reduce the frequency of seizures

Question 25

What was the aim, procedure and finding of research conducted by Sperry in 1968?

Answer 25

Aim - too asses how the ‘split brain’ works

Process - a small sample of individuals with split brains were shown a computer which would flash dots on the left and the right of the screen. The participants observed these randomized flashes multiple times while they had their right and left eyes covered individually

Findings - when the light flashed on the left, but the participants right eye was covered, they could not say where the light was. Despite claiming to not see a light flash, the participants could however point to exactly where the light flashed. Sperry believed that this took place due to the participants left eye being connected to their right hemisphere. As a result, the left hemisphere of the brain could not describe where the light was as it could not communicate with the right hemisphere which actually saw the light. But as the right hemisphere is responsible for motor actions, the participant could still point to where the light was

Question 26

Sperry AO3

Answer 26

Non-generalisable - only a small group of people with a very rare condition took part. As a result, the results of this study are not representative of humans as a whole

JW case - even after split brain surgery, he could still “talk” with his right hemisphere. (the right hemisphere could communicate with the left hemisphere as if he had not had the surgery) Which questions Sperry’s research

Question 27

Define plasticity

Answer 27

The ways in which the brain is able to adapt to new learning and new experience

Question 28

Outline research into plasticity

Answer 28

Boyke (2008) - 60+ year olds showed increased growth in the visual cortex after learning juggling

Kuhn (2014) - found that regularly playing video games leads to a larger cortex, hippocampus and cerebellum

Kemperman (1998) - found that rats living in complex environments had an increased amount of neurones in the brain compared to rats in a cage

Question 29

Define Functional recovery

Answer 29

The theory that after trauma, unaffected areas of the brain are able to adapt in order to compensate for the damaged area

Question 30

What are the two forms of functional recovery?

Answer 30

Dormant synapses - discovered by Wall in 1977, they are synapses which serve no purpose until the brain is damaged, in which they become active in a process called “neuronal unmasking”

Stem cells - unspecialised cells which will aid the brain in the event of trauma

Question 31

What are the four ways of studying the brain?

Answer 31

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (FMRI)
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
• Event related potentials (ERP)
• Post mortem examination

Question 32

Define FMRI and what are its pros and cons?

Answer 32

Functional magnetic resonance imaging consists of using a brain scan to measure the inflow of blood to the brain. Producing 3D images of localisation of function

Strengths:

• non-invasive
• provides high detail, 3D imaging

Weaknesses:

• only measures blood flow, not electrical current
• FMRI machines are very expensive

Question 33

Define EEG and what are its pros and cons?

Answer 33

Electroencephalograms measure the electrical activity of the brain using electrodes attached the the patients head. It can be used to detect Alzheimer’s and epilepsy

Strengths:

• non-invasive
• the equipment used is very cheap
• can record data over time

Weaknesses:

• only produces very basic imaging of the brain
• not very accurate
• only monitors activity in the outer layers of the brain

Question 34

Define ERP and what are its pros and cons?

Answer 34

Event related potentials use EEG equipment to measure tiny changes in voltage within the brain in response to a stimuli

Strengths:

• non-invasive
• provides continuous data over time

Weaknesses:

• only measures tiny signals which may be irrelevant to the stimulus
• there is a lack of standardisation between tests

Question 35

Define Post mortem examination and what are its pros and cons?

Answer 35

When the brains of abnormal people are dissected and assessed in person after their death

Strengths:

• allows for very detailed examination of the brain
• results of these examinations are highly applicable

Weaknesses:

• Ethical concern, as a person is being dissected
• Cause and effect (a physical abnormality in the person’s brain may not be the cause of their mental abnormality)