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biopsychology Flashcards

1
Q

the nervous system

A

the main system that controls the mind and body. It takes in information from the environment and elsewhere in the body and coordinates a range of conscious and unconscious functions

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2
Q

Central nervous system

A

the main control system of the body. consisting of the brain and the spinal cord

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3
Q

brain

A

centre of all conscious awareness, controlling physiological processes and its divided into two hemispheres

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4
Q

spinal cord

A

transmits information to and from the brain.
responsible for some unconscious movements such as reflexes

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5
Q

peripheral nervous system

A

it goes beyond the central nervous system to connect it with the rest of the body and the external world

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6
Q

somatic

A

responsible for voluntary movements, is under conscious control and it transmits information between the central nervous system and the senses

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7
Q

autonomic

A

responsible for involuntary movement and not under conscious control. it transmits information between the central nervous system and internal oragans

can be divided into two categories: sympathetic and parasympathetic

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8
Q

sympathetic

A

increases bodily activity to prepare for action.
increases heart rate and decreases stomach acid and digestion

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9
Q

parasympathetic

A

decreases bodily activity to conserve energy
e.g. decreases heart rate and increases stomach acid and digestion

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10
Q

neurons

A

the main components of the nervous system.

they are how information is electrically transmitted from one part of the nervous system to another

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11
Q

synaptic transmission

A

the process of sending information from one neuron to another (transmitted chemically)

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12
Q

excitation and inhibition

A

increases the likelihood of the neuron firing

decreases the likelihood of the neuron firing

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13
Q

sensory neurons

A

transmits information from the senses (e.g. eyes and fingertips) to the central nervous system

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14
Q

motor neurons

A

transmit information between the central nervous system and the organs and muscles

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15
Q

relay neurons

A

connects neurons to other neurons and transmits information with the central nervous system

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16
Q

the endocrine system

A

a system of glands responsible for the release of hormones.

Transmits information chemically

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17
Q

pituitary gland

A

the master gland

linked to the nervous system via the hypothalamus which coordinates and regulates the release of hormones from glands

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18
Q

hormones

A

chemicals that communicate information throughout the body

different hormones are produced and released by different glands in the body

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19
Q

holistic approach to brain

A

all areas of the brain are used for all functions

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20
Q

localised approach

A

different areas of the brain appear to be responsible for different functions and damaging these areas affects those functions

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21
Q

hemispheric lateralisation

A

the idea that the two halves of the brain are functionally different and each hemisphere has functional specialisations

22
Q

left hemsiphere

A

tends to be more involved in language processing
e.g. damage to the auditory cortex in the left hemisphere will damage a person’s hearing in the right ear (contralateral)

23
Q

right hemisphere

A

more involved in processing spatial relationships

e.g. damage to the motor cortex in the right hemisphere will affect the persons ability to move their left side (contralateral)

24
Q

localisation of function

A

identifying specific areas of the brain that correspond to specific functions e.g. damage to the auditory cortex can damage hearing whereas damage to the motor cortex may reduce a person’s ability to move

25
motor cortex (frontal lobe)
responsible for voluntary movement and is located in the frontal lobe of each hemisphere damage to the motor cortex may limit a person's motor skills
26
somatosensory cortex (parietal lobe)
responsible for sensing physical sensations of the skin like pressure and heat. The number of neurons in this cortex differs according to body parts Found in parietal lobe
27
visual cortex (occipital lobe)
responsible for processing visual information from the eyes located in the occipital lobes of each hemisphere
28
auditory cortex (temporal)
part of the brain responsible for processing sound. (contralateral) located in the temporal lobes of each hemisphere
29
brocas area
the main area where speech is produced. located in the frontal lobes of the left hemisphere damage to brocas area causes brocas aphasia a condition characterised by slow speech and lack of fluency
30
wernickes area
responsible for speech comprehension located in the temporal lobe of the left hemisphere damage causes wernickes aphasia, where patients speech lacks meaning
31
functional recovery
the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to other undamaged areas
32
brain plasticity
brains ability to change and adapt in response to experiences and environmental factors such as learning, injury or disease with this ability allowing the brain to reorganise its neural connections and functions
33
axonal sprouting
damage to the axon of a neuron can breaks its connections to neighbouring neurons When this happens the neighbouring intact neurons may grow extra nerve endings to reconnect the damaged neurons
34
FMRI
a form of brain scanning that uses magnetic fields to measure blood flow and oxygenation in the brain enables researchers to identify which areas of the brain are activated during certain tasks
35
EEGs
measures electrical activity within the brain via electrodes that are fixed to an individuals scalp using a skull cap brainwave patterns are recorded so an overall account of brain activity is provided
36
ERPS
the brains electrophysical response to a specific sensory, cognitive or motor events can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data
37
post mortem
a physical examination of the brain after a person dies which allows us to compare it to neurotypical brains and cross-referrencing this with the persons behaviour in life the examiner can learn more about the causes of behaviour
38
biological rhythms
distinct patterns of changes in body activity that conform to cyclical time periods controlled by exogenous and endogenous pacemakers
39
endogenous pacemakers
internal body clocks such as the SCN
40
exogenous zeitgebers
external changes to the environment (such as social cues and light)
41
circadian rhythms
a type of biological rhythm, subject to a 24 hour cycle, which regulates a number of bodily processes, such as the sleep wake cycle
42
infradian rhythm
a type of biological rhythm with a frequency of less than one in 24 hours such as menstruation and SAD
43
SAD
a depressive disorder which has a seasonal pattern of onset consisting of a persistent low mood alongside a general lack of activity and interest in life
44
melatonin (SAD)
during the night the pineal gland secretes melatonin until dawn when there is an increase in light. Secretion process continues for longer due to lack of light which is thought to have a knock on effect on the production of serotonin in the brain
45
stage 1 and 2
light sleep where the person may be easily woken so the beginning of sleep-brainwave patterns become slower and rhythmic (alpha to theta waves)
46
stages 3 and 4
it is difficult to rouse someone at this point as delta waves are slower and have a greater amplitude than earlier wave patterns
47
stage 5 (REM)
body is paralysed yet brain activity speeds up significantly in a manner that resembles the awake brain Rapid eye movement- fast jerky activities if the eyes under the eyelids at this point Highly correlated with dreaming
48
ultradian rhythm
a type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours such as the stages of sleep and the SCN
49
light
can reset the bodys main endogenous pacemaker, the SCN and plays a role in the maintenance of the sleep-wake cycle has an indirect influence on key processes in the body that controls such functions as hormone secretion and blood circulation
50
social cues
infants are often on the same sleep/wake cycle as the rest of the family this is due to entrainment of circadian rhythms schedules imposed by parents are a key influence on mealtimes and bedtimes
51
SCN
a tiny bundle of nerves located in the hypothalamus in each hemisphere of the brain. It is influential in maintaining circadian rhythms such as sleep wake cycle It lies just above the optic chiasm and recieves information about light directly from this structure

year 2 (4 decks)

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