Biopsychology Flashcards
Process of synaptic transmission
- While rested, neuron is negatively charged. When the impulse is received (through dendrites) it becomes positively charged. This creates the electrical impulse (Action potential)
- The AP travels through the cell body, along the axon to the axon terminal.
- Once there, it triggers vesticles (small sacks) full of neurotransmitters to release into the synapse.
- The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse towards the receiving neuron.
- Then bind with receptor sites on the dendrites of the postsynaptic neuron. (This can either cause an excitatory or inhibitory response.)
- Finally, neurotransmitters are either broken down into enzymes or taken back into the pre synaptic neuron (reuptake)
Excitatory vs Inhibitory Neuron
Excitatory: Causes the receiving neuron to be activated by producing a new action potential in the postsynaptic neuron.
Inhibitory: Reduces the chances of the receiving neuron to be activated by enhancing the postsynaptic neuron’s negative charge.
Process of Fight/Flight response
- Amygdala and the hypothalamus interpret a threat.
- Hypothalamus activated the sympathetic branch of the autonomic NS.
- This sends a message to the adrenal glands.
- This gland secrete adrenaline.
- Adrenaline circles the bloodstream, immediately resulting in a number of physiological changes. (HR increase, Increased breathing rate, Slow/Stop digestion)
Brain plasticity def
- Brains ability to adapt/change/develop over time.
- Occurs by reorganising existing neural pathways or by establishing new ones
Functional recovery def
- Brains ability to regain/recover lost cognitive abilities and mental processes which have been compromised/damaged as a result of brain injury or disease.
- Due to brains plasticity, it’s possible to transfer/relocate affected cognitive functions from the damaged area to a new, undamaged area.
fMRI def + S + L
Def: Records blood oxygenation levels in different parts of the brain to see which is activating
Strength: Non invasive + Produced a high spatial resolution image
Limitation: Not a direct measure of neural activity, not truly accurate
EEGs def + S + L
Def: Detects electrical activity in the brain through the patient wearing a cap. Used to detect anomalies that would indicate diseases such as alzheimer’s, epilepsy etc.
Strength: Provides a recording in real time. High temporal (time) resolution (No delay). Can use tasks to detect anomalies and diagnose.
Limitation: Low spatial resolution - no precise location of activity.
ERPs def + S + L
Def: Reflects brain activity related to a specific task or event. Performed using the procedures of an EEG. Instead of 1 presentation to the task, many are taken.
Strength: More useful application of raw the EEG data as the ERP provide a continuous measurement of processing in response to a particular stimulus.
Limitation: Requires a large number of trials to eradicate background distractions and outside stimuli.
Post Mortem def + S + L
Def: Physical examination of brain after someone has died. Used to identify damaged areas in people who had mental illnesses/disorders in their lives.
Strength: Allow for a very detailed examination of anatomical and neurochemical aspects of the brain.
Also played a crucial part is helping to understand origins of certain conditions
Limitation: Difficult to saw whether the condition caused damage in the brain or something else (trauma/decay).
Also ethical concerns, hard to gain informed consent from individuals with rare conditions, meaning they maybe become a research subject against their wishes.
Structure of the Nervous system
Central Nervous system(CNS)
- Brain: Analyses and stores info and directs action of the body
- Spinal cord: Relays info to and from the brain, also controls reflex actions
Peripheral Nervous system (PNS)
Branch one:
Autonomic Nervous system (ANS): Regulates automatic functions (breathing, homeostasis), Breaks up into 2:
- Sympathetic Branch of ANS: Readies the body for action - controls fight/flight response
- Parasympathetic Branch of ANS: Calms the body down after action - REST AND DIGEST
Branch Two:
- Somatic Nervous System(SNS): Controls voluntary movements, allowing us to respond to sensory info.
Structure of a neuron (Left to right)
Dendrites: Receive impulses from other neurons
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Cell body(Soma)
- (Within the cell body) Nucleus: All genetic Info is stored here
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Axon: Carries impulses from cell body to axon terminal
- Covering the Axon: Myelin sheath - protects axon
- Gaps between Myelin sheaths: Nodes of Ranvier: helps speed up transmission
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Axon terminal: End of neuron, connect to next neuron across the synapse.
Functions of Sensory, Relay and Motor neurons
Sensory: Receive impulses and carry them from the sense organs to the spinal cord or brain (CNS)
Relay: Connect sensory and motor neurons and interpret the impulse. Only found in brain and spinal cord.
Motor: Carry impulses from the brain + spinal cord (CNS) to muscles or glands
Definition + Function of the Endocrine System
Def: A network of glands which secrete hormones.
Function: Regulates the activity of cells and organs in the body using hormones.
Pituitary Gland’s Hormone and Function
Hormone: LH and FSH, Oxytocin
Function:
- LH + FSH: Stimulates testes to produce testosterone and Ovaries to produce oestrogen
- Oxytocin: Stimulates labour and plays a role in bonding/sexual arousal
Ovaries ’s Hormone and Function
Hormone: Oestrogen
Function: Regulates menstrual cycle
Testes’s Hormone and Function
Hormone: Testosterone
Function: Development of internal + external male genetalia. Muscle growth
Pineal Gland’s Hormone and Function
Hormone: Melatonin
Function: Regulates sleep-wake cycle
Adrenal Gland’s Hormone and Function
Hormone: Adrenaline
Function: Produces Fight or Flight response
Pancreas’ Hormone and Function
Hormone: Insulin + Glucagon
Function: Regulates blood sugar levels
Difference between Broca’s and Wernicke’s area
Broca: Speech production - in frontal lobe
Wernicke: Understanding speech - in temporal lobe
Contralateral brain meaning
Where the right side (hemisphere) deals with the left hand side of the body and vice versa.
Hemispheric lateralisation meaning
The idea that certain functions and mental processes mainly/solely controlled by one hemisphere and that the two hemispheres are functionally different.
Corpus collosum def
large bundle of nerve fibres that connect the two hemispheres.
Bonus - This is what is cut in split brain research.
List of all 4 Lobes + Location
- Frontal lobe - Front
- Parietal lobe - Kind-of middle top
- Occipital lobe - Back
- Temporal lobe - Left side (Behind ear)
Frontal lobe Function
Speech, thought and learning, decision making
Also includes:
- Brocca’s area: Speech production
Parietal Function
Processes sensory information such as touch, temperature and pain, movement, numbers.
Occipital lobe function
Process visual info
Temporal lobe function
Hearing, language and memory
Also includes:
- Wenicke’s area: Speech comprehension (Understanding)
Motor Cortex location and function
Found in both left AND right hemisphere at the back of the frontal lobe.
Responsible for planning and executing voluntary movements on the opposite side of the body.
Somatosensory cortex location and function
Found in both left and right hemispheres at the front of the parietal lobe
Responsible for processing sensory information.
Sense info detected on the left side of the body is processed by the right somatosensory cortex and vice versa.
Visual cortex location and function
Both left and right hemispheres at the back of the occipital lobe.
The right visual cortex receives its info from the left visual field (LVF) and the left visual correct receives its info from the right visual field (RVF).
Think: Crossing arrows
Processes visual info such as shapes, colours.
Auditory cortex location and function
Found in both left and right hemispheres in the temporal lobe.
Info from the right ear goes to the left hemisphere and info from the left ear goes to the right hemisphere.
It is responsible for processing acoustic info
Evaluation for Localisation of Function (2 strengths + 1 weaknesses)
Strengths:
- Supporting evidence from Broca - Case study of Patient Tan.
- ‘Patient tan’ lost the ability to speak, apart form the word ‘tan’.
- On a post-mortem Broca found a significant lesion on Tans left frontal lobe (now known as broca’s area).
- Therefore inferred that this location was responsible for speech production
- Other supporting evidence - Brain scan studies
- Scans, such as fMRIs, can show different areas of the brain light up when performing different cognitive tasks.
Limitations:
- The holistic theory
- This theory states that the brain works all together (holistically) to perform a function.
- Study of rat brains and their ‘memory’ found its located in several different regions, questioning the validity of LAF.
- However, questionable study as it’s on rats and not humans, hard to generalise.
