Biopsychology Flashcards
What are the 2 main functions of the her vous system (2)
- Collect, process + respond to info in our environment
- Co-ordinate working of different organs + cells in body
What is the human nervous system briefly made up of (2)
1 peripheral nervous system
2. Central nervous system
Explain the components of the peripheral nervous system (2)
• made of the autonomic nervous system and somatic nervous system
. Autonomic nervous system made up sympathetic nervous system and parasympathetic nervous system
Describe the components of the central nervous system(2)
•Brain
• spinal cord
Describe the function of the peripheral nervous system (2)
• Made up of the neurons
- that control central nervous system to nest of body
Describe the function of the autonomic nervous system (2)
• Controls unconscious activities
- eg digestion
Describe the function of the somatic nervous system (3)
. Controls conscious activities
. Eg running
• carry sensory info from environment to brain
• Describe function of sympathetic nervous system (2)
- Gets body ready for action
- Fight or flight system
• Describe The function of the parasympathetic nervous system ( 2)
- Relaxes body returning it to normal rate
- rest and digest system
Describe the process of the fight or flight response (8)
• Controlled by sympathetic nervous system
• brain detects fear or stress
• sends nervous impulse to adrenal gland
• release adrenaline = increase mechanisms that increase oxygen supply to cells + tissue
- Eg increased heart rate, blood pressure t breathing rate
- suppresses less important functions he salvation and digestion
- Parasympathetic nervous system reduces heart rate,blood pressure and breathing
- speeds up previously slowed, down functions eg digestion
How is the sensory nervous system adapted for it’s function (2)
• Made up of sensory receptors that carry info to spinal cord + brain
. And motor pathways that allow brain to control movement
Give examples of what the autonomy nervous system can control (5)
• Breathing
• heart rate
Digestion
• sexual arousal
• stress responses
’ What is the ans made up of (1)
Only motor pathways
What are neurons (3)
• nerves cells
• that process and transmit messages
• through electrical and chemical signals
Describe the function and structure of sensory neurone (2)
• Carry messages from peripheral nervous system to central nervous system
• have long dendrites and short axons
What are the 3 types of neurons (3)
- Sensory
-Relay
-Motor
Describe the function and structure of motor nuvrons (2)
• Connects central nervous system to effectors like muscles and glands
• have short dendrites and long axons
Describe the function and structure of relay neurons (2)
• Transmit electrical impulses between sensory and motor neurons
- have short dendrites and short - axons
State the features that make up the generalstructure of a neuron (5)
- dendrites
- cell body
- axon
- Myelin sheath
- nodes of ranvier
What is the function of the cell body (1)
- Includes a nucleus which contains genetic materials of cells
Describe the function of dendrites (1)
• carry nerve impulses from neighbouring cells towards cell body
Describe the function of the axon (2)
• Carries impulses away from cell body
- down length of neuron
Describe the function of the myelin sheath (2)
• Protects axon
. Insulates axon to speed up nervous transmission
Describe the function of nodes of ranvier, and explain now it carries out its function
• speeds up transmission of impulse
- by forcing it to jump across gaps in axon
State the stages of the transmission of info to and from the central nervous system (5)
• Stimulus
• receptors
• central nervous system
• effectors
• response
• What are reflexes (3)
- Fast
- automatic responses
- to certain stimuli
How do reflexes help us avoid damage (3)
• They bypass your conscious brain completely
• instead they go through spinal cord or unconscious part of brown
• these rapid responses = avoid damage
What are neurotransmitters (1)
• chemicals released from synaptic knob
what is a synapse ? (2)
- junction between neuron and another neuron
- or between neuron + effector cell
describe the structure of a synapse (5)
- tiny gap between caells at synapse = synaptoic cleft
- neuron before synapse = presynaptic neuoron
- neuron after synapse = postsynaptic neuron
- presynaptic neuron has synaptic knob
- synaptic knob contains synaptic vesivles filled w neurotransmitters
describe the journey of an electrical impulse across a synapse (4)
- when electrical impulse reaches end of neuron neurotransmitters are released into synaptic cleft
- diffuse across postsynaptic memb
- bind to receptors = trigger an electrical impulse
- causing muscle contraction or hormone secretion
how is it ensured that the impulse can only travel in 1 direction (2)
- receptors are onky on postsynaptic memb
- synapse makes sure impulses = undirectional
explain how the synapse ensures that responses do not keep happening once they have occured once (3)
- neurotransmitters are removed from cleft
- eg taken back into presynatic neuron
- or broken down by enzymes
what are the 2 types of neurotransmitters (2)
- excitatory
- inhibitory
what are excitatory neurotransmitters (3)
- increase likelihood
- that electrical impulse will be triggered in postsynaptic neuron
- = increase likelihood of action potential
what are inhibitory neurotransmitters (3)
- decrease likelihood
- that electrical impuls will be triggered in postynaptic neurone
- = decrease likelihood of action potential
name 5 different neurotransmitters (5)
- acetylcholine
- dopamine
- noradrenaline
- serotonin
- GABA
what functions is acetylcholine involved in (4)
- voluntary movements
- memory
- learning
- sleep
what type of neurotransmitter is acetylcholine ?
- excitatory
describe the effect of too much and too little acetylcholine (2)
- too much = depression
- too little = dementia
describe the fucntion of noradrenaline (1)
- assosiated w fight or flight response
describe the effect of too much or too little noradrenaline (2)
- too much = schitz
- too little = depression
what does the neurotransmitter dopamine help with (3)
- movement
- attention
- learning
what effect can too much and too little dopamine have (3)
too much = schitz
too little = depression + parkinsons disease
what is serotonin involved in (4)
- emotion
- mood
- sleeping
- eating
what effect can too little serotonin have ? (1)
- depression
what type of neurotransmitter is GABA ? (1)
inhibitory
what effect can too little GABA have ? (1)
anxiety disorders
what is an action potential and when does it occur (2)
- explosion of electrical activity
- occurs when neuron sends info down axon from cell body
describe how an action potential is caused (2)
- neuron at resting state = -ively charged
- when neuron activated by stimuluys it breifly becomes +ive then back to -ive
- causing action pot
what type of neurotransmitter is adrenaline ?
- excitatory
what type of neurotransmitter is serotonin ?
inhibitory
what is summation ? (3)
- addition of +ively charged nd -ively charged post synaptic potentials
- if net effect on post synaptic neuron = inhibitory = reduced action potential
- if net effect = excitatory = increased action pot
what does normal brain function depend on ? (1)
- regulated balance between inhibitory + excitatory influences
what does the endocrine system involve ? (2)
- glands
- hormones
what is a gland ? (2)
- group of hormones
- specialised to secrete a useful substance eg hormone
what are hormones ? (2)
- chemical messengers
- many are proteins or peptides
when are hormones secreted ? (1)
when glands are stimulated
how can glands be stimulated ? (2)
- change in conc of specific substance
- or by electrical impulses
describe the journey of a hormone in the endocrine system (5)
- diffuse directly into blood
- taken around body by circulatory system
- diffuse out of blood all over body
- bind to specific receptor
- trigger response in target cell (effector)
describe the stages in the endocrine system (5)
- stimulus
- receptors
- hormone
- effectors
- response
using regulation of low blood glucose levels explain the specific stages of the endocrine system in this situation (5)
- stimulus - low blood gluc conc
- receptors - receptors on pancreas detect low blood gluc conc
- hormone - panc releases glucagon
- effectors - target cells in liver detect glucagon and convert glycogen into glucose
- response - glucose released so blood gluc conc increases
state bodily functions which the endocrine system is responsible for regulating (4)
- growth
- metabolism
- sleep
- reprouction
name some major glands (9)
- hypothalamus
- pituitary gland
- pineal gland
- thyroid gland
- parathyroid glands
- thymus gland
- adrenal glands
- pancreas
- gonads ( ovaries + testes)
describe the function of the hypothalamus (1)
produces hormones that controle pituitary gland
describe function opf the pituitary gland (1)
- releases hormones to control other glands in endocrine system
what is pituitary gland also known as ? (1)
master gland
describe the function of the pineal gland (2)
- responsible for production of melatonin
- plays role in control of sleep patterns
describe the role of the thyroid gland (4)
- produces hormone thyroxine
- controls bodies metabolic rate
- regulates growth
- and maturation
describe the function of the parathyroid glands (2)
- produces parathyroid hormone
- controls miniral levels in body
describe the function of the thymus gland (1)
- regulates immune system
describe the function of the adrenal glands (2)
- produce adrenaline
- responsible for fight or flight response
describe the function of the pancreas (2)
- realease insulin and glucagon
- which regulate blood sugar level
describe the function of the gonads (4)
- produce sex hormones ( eg testosterone + oestrogen)
- important in reproduction
- and development of sex organs
- and secondary sexual characteristics
what are gonads ? (1)
- ovaries and testes
compare chemical communication and electrical communication (2)
- hormones aret released directly onto target cell - must travelthrough blood = slower than electrical communication
- hormones arent broken as fast as neurotransmitters = hormone effect last longer
- hormones transported all over bod = response = widespread
what is chemical communication controlled by ? (1)
hormones
what is electrical communication controlled by ? (1)
- nerves
describe the activation of the fight or flight response (3)
- hypothalamus triggers activity in sympathetic branch or autonomic nervous system
- stimulating adrenal medulla in adrenal glands
- releasing adrenaline + noradrenaline into bloodstream
Label this synapse (6)
What happens one the threat has passes after the fight or flight response (3)
- parasympathetic nervous system returns body it’s normal resting state
- all function that we’re increased (eg HR) are decreased
- all functions that were decreased (eg digestion) are increased
explain how the hormones released during the activation of the fight or flight response affect the body (7)
- BP + HR increase - get blood quickly to areas it is needed in bod
- digestion decreases- all blood directed to brain + muscles
- muscles = more tense - body is physically responsive
- perspiration increases - body can cool down
- BR increases - more O2 sent to muscles
- puple size increases - more light enter eye = clearer vision
- salivation decreases - digestive system isnt needed