Biopsychology

Question 1

Process of synaptic transmission

Answer 1

1. While rested, neuron is negatively charged. When the impulse is received (through dendrites) it becomes positively charged. This creates the electrical impulse (Action potential)
2. The AP travels through the cell body, along the axon to the axon terminal.
3. Once there, it triggers vesticles (small sacks) full of neurotransmitters to release into the synapse.
4. The neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse towards the receiving neuron.
5. Then bind with receptor sites on the dendrites of the postsynaptic neuron. (This can either cause an excitatory or inhibitory response.)
6. Finally, neurotransmitters are either broken down into enzymes or taken back into the pre synaptic neuron (reuptake)

Question 2

Excitatory vs Inhibitory Neuron

Answer 2

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.

Question 3

Process of Fight/Flight response

Answer 3

1. Amygdala and the hypothalamus interpret a threat.
2. Hypothalamus activated the sympathetic branch of the autonomic NS.
3. This sends a message to the adrenal glands.
4. This gland secrete adrenaline.
5. Adrenaline circles the bloodstream, immediately resulting in a number of physiological changes. (HR increase, Increased breathing rate, Slow/Stop digestion)

Question 4

Brain plasticity def

Answer 4

• Brains ability to adapt/change/develop over time.
• Occurs by reorganising existing neural pathways or by establishing new ones

Question 5

Functional recovery def

Answer 5

• 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.

Question 6

fMRI def + S + L

Answer 6

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

Question 7

EEGs def + S + L

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

ERPs def + S + L

Answer 8

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.

Question 9

Post Mortem def + S + L

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Structure of the Nervous system

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Structure of a neuron (Left to right)

Answer 11

Dendrites: Receive impulses from other neurons
|
Cell body(Soma)

• (Within the cell body) Nucleus: All genetic Info is stored here

|

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

|

Axon terminal: End of neuron, connect to next neuron across the synapse.

Question 12

Functions of Sensory, Relay and Motor neurons

Answer 12

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

Question 13

Definition + Function of the Endocrine System

Answer 13

Def: A network of glands which secrete hormones.

Function: Regulates the activity of cells and organs in the body using hormones.

Question 14

Pituitary Gland’s Hormone and Function

Answer 14

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

Question 15

Ovaries ’s Hormone and Function

Answer 15

Hormone: Oestrogen

Function: Regulates menstrual cycle

Question 16

Testes’s Hormone and Function

Answer 16

Hormone: Testosterone

Function: Development of internal + external male genetalia. Muscle growth

Question 17

Pineal Gland’s Hormone and Function

Answer 17

Hormone: Melatonin

Function: Regulates sleep-wake cycle

Question 18

Adrenal Gland’s Hormone and Function

Answer 18

Hormone: Adrenaline

Function: Produces Fight or Flight response

Question 19

Pancreas’ Hormone and Function

Answer 19

Hormone: Insulin + Glucagon

Function: Regulates blood sugar levels

Question 20

Difference between Broca’s and Wernicke’s area

Answer 20

Broca: Speech production - in frontal lobe

Wernicke: Understanding speech - in temporal lobe

Question 21

Contralateral brain meaning

Answer 21

Where the right side (hemisphere) deals with the left hand side of the body and vice versa.

Question 22

Hemispheric lateralisation meaning

Answer 22

The idea that certain functions and mental processes mainly/solely controlled by one hemisphere and that the two hemispheres are functionally different.

Question 23

Corpus collosum def

Answer 23

large bundle of nerve fibres that connect the two hemispheres.

Bonus - This is what is cut in split brain research.

Question 24

List of all 4 Lobes + Location

Answer 24

1. Frontal lobe - Front
2. Parietal lobe - Kind-of middle top
3. Occipital lobe - Back
4. Temporal lobe - Left side (Behind ear)

Question 25

Frontal lobe Function

Answer 25

Speech, thought and learning, decision making

Also includes:

• Brocca’s area: Speech production

Question 26

Parietal Function

Answer 26

Processes sensory information such as touch, temperature and pain, movement, numbers.

Question 27

Occipital lobe function

Answer 27

Process visual info

Question 28

Temporal lobe function

Answer 28

Hearing, language and memory

Also includes:

• Wenicke’s area: Speech comprehension (Understanding)

Question 29

Motor Cortex location and function

Answer 29

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.

Question 30

Somatosensory cortex location and function

Answer 30

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.

Question 31

Visual cortex location and function

Answer 31

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.

Question 32

Auditory cortex location and function

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Evaluation for Localisation of Function (2 strengths + 1 weaknesses)

Answer 33

Strengths:

1. 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

2. 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:

1. 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.