Biopsychology Flashcards
Action Potential
when a neurone is activated by a stimulus, the inside of the cell becomes positive charged for a short time, known as action potential
Adoption Studies
involve comparing a trait or characteristic between adopted children and their biological or adoptive parents
Adrenal Cortex
the outer portion of the adrenal gland that produces steroid hormones, which regulate carbohydrate and fat metabolism, and mineralocorticoid hormones, which regulate salt and water balance in the body
Adrenal Gland
triangle-shaped glands that sit on top of the kidneys and regulate stress response through the synthesis of hormones, including adrenaline and cortisol
Adrenal Medulla
releases adrenaline and noradrenaline, they key hormone in the fight or flight response
Adrenaline
a hormone that triggers the body’s fight-or-flight response and is produced by the adrenal medulla in the adrenal glands as well as some of the central nervous system’s neurones
ACTH
Adrenocorticotropin
a hormone produced by the anterior pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal cortex
Agenesis of the Corpus Callosum
absence of the corpus callosum
Alpha Waves
rhythmical, relaxed alpha waves occur when a person is awake and decrease as a person moves from light to deep sleep
Amygdala
part of the limbic system which is regarded as the older region of the brain in the evolutionary sense, therefore many of the structures within the limbic system are seen to have some sort of survival benefit; the amygdala in particular has been identified as a structure with links to emotional regulation and aggression
Antagonistic
where systems work usefully in opposition to each other, and therefore cannot work at the same time, such as the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Auditory Cortex
part of the temporal lobe that processes auditory information
Autonomic Nervous System
transmits and receives messages to the organs and it is divided further into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
Axon
an extension of the neuron that carries the impulse away from the cell body and is carried in a myelin sheath
Axonal Sprouting
growth of new nerve endings that connect with other undamaged nerve cells to form new neural pathways
Beta Waves
found during REM
Biochemistry
the branch of science concerned with the chemical and physio-chemical processes and substances that occur within living organisms
BRAC
Basic Rest Activity Cycle
alertness, then fatigue in a ninety minute rhythm that repeats in the sleep cycle
Brain
maintains life and involves higher functions and psychological processes
Brain Stem
regulates our most primitive and involuntary behaviours such as breathing, sleeping or sneezing, also known as the central core
Broca’s Aphasia
characterised by partial loss of speech ability, but does not affect comprehension, caused by issues with Broca’s area
Broca’s Area
region of the brain that contains neurons involved in speech function
Campbell and Murphy
they shone light onto the back of knees of fifteen participants when they woke them at various points in the night and managed to vary their sleep cycle by up to three hours
Cell Body
contains the nucleus which contains the chromosomes
Central Nervous System
consists of the brain and spinal cord, relaying messages to and from an individual’s environment in order to maintain life
Central Core
regulates our most primitive and involuntary behaviours, such as breathing, sleeping or sneezing, also known as the brain stem and includes structures such as the hypothalamus, regulating eating, drinking, the endocrine system and homeostasis
Cerebellum
the largest part of the brain, divided into four lobes
Cerebral Cortex
the outermost layer of the cerebrum and each of our sensory systems send messages to and from the cerebral cortex
Cerebrum
regulates our higher intellectual processes
Chromosomes
a threadlike structure of nucleic acids and protein found in the nucleus of most living cells, carrying genetic information in the form of genes
Cingulate Gyrus
forms a major part of the limbic system
Circadian Rhythm
a type of biological rhythm that operates along a 24-hour cycle, regulating a number of bodily processes such as core body temperature
Commissurotomy
this is where the corpus callosum is severed so the two hemispheres are separated and don’t communicate with each other and was done to control frequent and severe epileptic fits
Concordance Rates
refers to the extent to which a pair of twins share similar traits or characteristics
Corpus Callosotomy
a procedure involved in treating epilepsy that involves severing the corpus callosum to stop seizures bouncing between the two hemispheres
Corpus Callosum
a bundle of approximately 200 million nerves that pass between the two hemispheres, enables messages to enter the right hemisphere and be conveyed to the left hemisphere and vice versa
Cortical Reorganisation
the process by which an existing cortical map is affected by a stimulus resulting in the creation of a new cortical map
CRH
Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone
this is produced by the hypothalamus and triggers ACTH to be produced by the pituitary gland
Cortisol
a hormone produced by the adrenal gland that is involved in the chronic stress response and increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels
Delta Waves
occur during deep sleep
Dement and Kleitman (1957)
monitored brainwave activity of nine participants using an EEG and found that REM activity highly correlated with dreaming and replications have found similar findings
Dendrites
extend from the cell body and carry electrical impulses from other neurones towards the cell body
Diurnal
the opposite of nocturnal
Dizygotic
twins formed from two separate eggs that both become fertilised with different sperm, hare 50% of their DNA, the same as normal siblings or parents
Dormant Plasticity
synapses which have not received enough input to be active
Dragonski et al (2006)
medical students had brain images taken three months before and after their final exams. Learning-induced changes were seen to have occurred in the posterior hippocampus and the parietal cortex, presumably as a result of studying for exams
EEG
Electroencephalogram
measures activity in the brain using electrodes placed on the scalp that detect small electrical charges resulting from brain cell activity, and when electrical signals form the different electrodes are graphed over a period of time, the resulting impression is the EEG, which can be used to diagnose brain injury, disease and disorder such as epilepsy and Alzheimer’s
Effectors
muscles or glands
Endocrine System
maintains levels of hormones, controlling vital functioning but works slower than the nervous system because hormones travel through the blood but is more effective than the nervous system with more powerful widespread effects, this is all done via glands in the body that use hormones as chemical messages in the bloodstreams
Endogenous Pacemakers
internal body clocks that regulate biological rhythms
Entrainment
the process by which the biological clock is reset each day by cues in the environment
Ericsson (1993)
found that the best violinist tended to practise for three sessions throughout the course of the day, each for no longer than ninety minutes with a break in between to recharge
ERPS
Event Related Potentials
types of brainwaves triggered by particular events, can be studied when neural responses isolated with specific sensory, cognitive or motor events are isolated using a statistical averaging technique where all extraneous brain activity from an EEG is filtered out
Evolution
a biological force that shapes behaviour through adaptation via natural selection
Exogenous Zeitgeber
external cues that influence our biological rhythms
Family Studies
where psychologists study families in order to investigate the genetic basis of behaviour
Fight or Flight Response
the way all animals, including humans, respond to stress as it becomes physiologically aroused to fight an aggressor or run away
fMRI Scans
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scans
scans that produce images related to the levels of oxygen in the blood and therefore to metabolic function, and hence, localised brain activity. These scanners produce images related to the water molecule’s hydrogen nuclei and therefore to anatomical structure. These are expensive and are mainly used for experimental research
Frontal Lobe
each of the paired lobes of the brain lying immediately behind the forehead, including areas concerned with behaviour, learning, personality, and voluntary movement
Functional Recovery
the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to other undamaged areas
Francis Galton (1869)
stated that all abilities are inherited, a very simplistic viewpoint, but later had to agree that any resemblance between family relatives could be a result of both genes and the shared environment
FSH
Follicle-Stimulating Hormone
hormone that causes an egg to mature and stimulates ovaries to produce oestrogen
Ganglion
mass of grey matter within the central nervous system
Gazzaniga (1998)
suggests that some of the early discoveries from split-brain research have been disconfirmed by recent studies, because case studies have demonstrated that people can develop the capacity to speak out of the right hemisphere
Genes
basic units of hereditary, function in pairs and the recombination of genes from parents to offspring provides the basis for genetic variability. Genes only determine the potential for characteristics and the observable characteristics of an individual depend on the interaction of genetic and environmental factors
Genetic Material
made up of DNA, which, for sexually reproducible organism, are given by the sperm and egg of the parents
Genotype
the genetic make up of an individual
Ghrelin
the hormone that is produced when someone is hungry
Glands
produce and secrete hormones that the body uses for a wide range of functions; these control many different bodily functions including respiration, metabolism, reproduction, sensory perception, movement, sexual development and growth
Glucose
the product of digesting starch, a sugar found in the body
Glycogen
glucose that is stored in the liver and muscles when carbohydrates are consumed
Grey Matter
the cell bodies in the cerebral cortex, which causes the cerebral cortex to look grey
Growth Hormone
a substance that controls growth, including muscle mass and decreasing body fat
Gross and Rolls (2008)
found that the SCN probably coordinates the behaviour of other body cells by sending neural signals or releasing neurohormones
Hemispherectomy
where one hemisphere is completely removed
Hemispherical Specialisation
where on hemisphere dominates for a specific task
Hippocampal Volume
how large someone’s hippocampus is
Homeostasis
the body’s natural ability to maintain a stable and balanced internal environment despite external circumstances
Hormones
made by the endocrine glands, these are chemical messengers that travel in the bloodstream to tissues or organs, and affect many processes, including growth, metabolism, sexual function, reproduction and mood
Hubel and Wiesel (1963)
involved sewing one eye of a kitten shut and analysing the brain’s cortical responses. It was found that the area of the visual cortex associated with the shut eye was not idle as had bee predicted but continued to process information from the open eye
Hypothalamus
coordinates both the autonomic nervous system and the activity of the pituitary, controlling body temperature, thirst, hunger, and other homeostatic systems, and involved in sleep and emotional activity
Lateral Hypothalamus
regulates food intake and sleep
Ventromedial Hypothalamus
the centre of the hypothalamus, involved in terminating hunger, fear, thermoregulation, and sexual activity