Biopsychology Flashcards
divisions of the nervous system
central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
division of the central nervous system
spinal cord and brain stem
divisions of the peripheral nervous system
somatic nervous system (voluntary) and autonomic nervous system (involuntary)
divisions of the autonomic nervous system
sympathetic (fight or flight) and parasympathetic (rest and digest)
role of the sensory neuron
carry information from the environment to the relay neuron (receptors)
role of the relay neuron
passes electrical signals from the sensory to the motor neuron
role of the motor neuron
receive signal from relay neuron so the muscle acts accordingly
where are sensory, relay and motor neurons found
sensory and motor in the peripheral nervous system, relay in the central nervous system
describe the path of the reflex arc
stimulus -> receptor -> coordinator -> effector -> response
what is the difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters
excitatory increase the likelihood of a message being sent, inhibitory decrease the likelihood
what effect do excitatory neurotransmitters have on the post synaptic neuron
increase the neuron’s positive charge (depolarisation) and increase the number of action potentials being sent
what effect do inhibitory neurotransmitters have on the post synaptic neuron
results in the neuron becoming negatively charged (hyperpolarisation) and decreases the number of action potentials being sent- when a message no longer needs to be sent or the neuron ‘calmed’
describe the process of synaptic transmission
action potential at presynaptic terminal -> release of calcium ions, creation of neurotransmitters, vesicles fuse to presynaptic membrane -> vesicles release neurotransmitter into synaptic cleft -> neurotransmitter diffuse across synapse, bind to receptor sites -> new action potential created if threshold reached -> action potential down next neuron -> neurotransmitter released from receptor site -> remaining neurotransmitter either diffuses or is reuptaken, broken down and recycled by enzymes
define summation
synaptic firing is determined by adding up the excitatory and inhibitory input
describe spatial summation
large epsp/ipsp made by many different synapses
describe temporal summation
large epsp/ipsp made by one synapse firing at a higher/lower firing rate
what is the purpose of the endocrine system
to control and regulate the hormones in our bodies in order to communicate messages chemically
describe the significance of the thyroid, pituitary, adrenal glands, the pancreas and the ovaries
thyroid gland - thyroxin - metabolism
pituitary gland - LH, FSH, ACTH - master gland, hormones which affect other glands
adrenal gland - adrenaline - fight or flight
pancreas - insulin - regulating blood sugar
ovaries - oestrogen, progesterone - female sex hormones, menstruation
what is the function of the adrenal cortex
necessary for life, produces cortisol, low cortisol = low blood pressure, low immune system, inability to deal with stress
what is the function of the adrenal medulla
not necessary for life, releases adrenaline and noradrenaline (fight or flight), helps respond to stress
describe how an acute stressor acts on the brain
acute stressor -> acts on hypothalamus -> activates sympathetic branch -> stimulates adrenal medulla -> releases adrenaline -> increases heart rate, blood pressure
describe how a chronic stressor acts on the brain
chronic stressor acts on hypothalamus -> activates pituitary gland -> releases ACTH -> stimulates adrenal cortex -> releases corticosteroids -> suppresses immune system
weakness of the fight/flight response (1)
incomplete, gray suggested the freeze response, hyper vigilance, beneficial, allows us to make decisions and think rationally, fight/flight reductionist without freeze response
weakness of the fight/flight response (2)
gender biased, taylor et al suggested females ‘tend and befriend’, females have oestrogen and higher levels of oxytocin than males, these reduce cortisol and create a sense of bonding, males may fight/flight due to testosterone and less oxytocin, androcentric to assume we all fight/flight
