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psychology paper 2 > biopsychology > Flashcards

biopsychology Flashcards

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1
Q

what is the nervous system?

A
  • the nervous system is a specialised network of cells and our primary communication system that is based on electrical and chemical signal
  • the nervous system has 2 main functions:
  • to collect, process and respond to information in the environment
  • to co-ordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body
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2
Q

what is the structure of the central nervous system?

A
  • the central nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord
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3
Q

what is the structure and function of the brain?

A
  • the brain is the centre of conscious awareness
  • the outer layer of the brain, the cerebral cortex, covers the brain
  • the brain is divided into 2 hemispheres
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4
Q

what is the structure and function of the spinal cord?

A
  • the spinal cord is an extension of the brain and is responsible for reflex actions
  • it passes messages to and from the brain and connects the nerves to the peripheral nervous system
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5
Q

what is the structure and function of the peripheral nervous system?

A
  • the PNS transmits messages, via millions of neurons, to and from the nervous system
  • it is further divided into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system
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6
Q

what is the autonomic nervous system?

A
  • governs vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual arousal and stress responses
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7
Q

what is the somatic nervous system?

A
  • governs muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
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8
Q

what is the human nervous system split into?

A
  • the human nervous system is split into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
  • the central nervous system is split into the brain and the spinal cord
  • the peripheral nervous system is split into the autonomic nervous system and the somatic nervous system
  • the autonomic nervous system is split into the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system
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9
Q

what is the endocrine system?

A
  • the endocrine system works alongside the nervous system to control vital functions in the body through the action of hormones and acts more slowly than the NS
  • the key gland is the pituitary gland located in the brain, and it controls the release of hormones
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10
Q

what is a gland?

A
  • glands are organs in the body that produce hormones and there are various glands in the body e.g. adrenal gland produces adrenaline, thyroid produces thyroxine, pancreas produces insulin and the ovaries produce oestrogen and progesterone
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11
Q

what is a hormone?

A
  • hormones are secreted in the bloodstream and affect any cell in the body that has a receptor for that particular hormone
  • e.g. thyroxine produced by the thyroid gland affects cells in the heart and also cells throughout the body which increase metabolic rate, which in turn affects growth rate
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12
Q

how do the endocrine system and the nervous system work together, for example in the flight or fight response?

A
  • the stressor is perceived by the hypothalamus which activates the pituitary gland and triggers activity in the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system where you become psychologically aroused
  • adrenaline ( the stress hormone ) is released from the adrenal medulla into the bloodstream and delivers the aroused state causing changes in the target organs e.g. increases heart rate, dilation of pupils, decreased production of saliva, this is called the fight or flight
  • once the stressor has passed the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to a resting state, decreasing everything that was increased by the actions in the sympathetic state
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13
Q

what happens during the sympathetic state ( fight or flight )?

A
  • increased heart rate
  • increased breathing rate
  • dilates pupils
  • inhibits digestion
  • inhibits saliva production
  • contracts rectum
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14
Q

what happens during the parasympathetic state ( normal state / rest and digestion )?

A
  • decreases heart rate
  • decreases breathing rate
  • constricts pupils
  • stimulates digestion
  • stimulates saliva production
  • relaxes rectum
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15
Q

what is the function of a neuron?

A
  • there are 100 billion nerve cells (neurons) in the human nervous system, 80% of which are located in the brain
    -by transmitting signals electrically and chemically, these provide the nervous system with it’s primary means of communication
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16
Q

what is the structure of the neuron?

A

cell body- includes a nucleus which contains the genetic material of the cell
dendrites- branchlike structures that protrude from the cell body, these carry nerve impulses from neighbouring neurons towards the cell body
axon- a long slender fibre that carries nerve impulses in the form of an electrical signal known as action potential, away from the cell body towards the axon terminal (the end of the axon)
- it is covered in a fatty layer of myelin sheath that protects the axon and insulates it so that the electrical impulses travel faster along the axon
gaps in the axon / myelin sheath called ‘nodes of Ranvier’ also speed up the transmission of the impulse

17
Q

what is the structure and function of the sensory neuron?

A
  • carries messages from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system
  • it carries the message from sensory receptors to the brain which are translated to sensations such as vision, hearing taste etc
  • they have long dendrites and short axons
  • located in the peripheral nervous system in a cluster known as ganglia
18
Q

what is the structure and function of the relay neuron?

A
  • connects the sensory neurons to the motor or other relay neurons
  • it assists the brain to complete functions such as learning and decision making
  • it consists of short dendrites and short axons
  • it makes up 97% of all neurons and most of them are in the brain
19
Q

what is the structure and function of the motor neuron?

A
  • connects the central nervous system to the muscles, glands and organs
  • touching a hot surface is received by the sensory neurons but moving the hand away is done by the motor neuron
  • it consists of short dendrites and long axons
  • it is found in the central nervous system but the long axons form parts of the peripheral nervous system
20
Q

what is meant by electrical transmission and what happens during the process?

A
  • this is the firing of a neuron
  • when a neuron is in a resting state the inside of the cell is negatively charged compared to the outside
  • when a neuron is activated, the inside of the cell becomes positively charged for a split second causing an action potential to occur
  • this creates an electrical impulse that travels down the axon towards the end of the neuron
21
Q

what are neurotransmitters?

A
  • chemicals that diffuse across the synapse to the next neuron in the chain
22
Q

what is a synapse?

A
  • a tiny gap in between two neurons that separates them
23
Q

what is chemical / synaptic transmission?

A
  • this is when signals within neurons are transmitted electrically, but signals between neurons are transmitted chemically across the synapse
24
Q

what are the events that occur at the synapse?

A
  • electrical impulses, also known as action potential, reach the end of the pre-synaptic terminal
  • these electrical impulses then trigger the release of neurotransmitters from tiny sacs called the synaptic vesicles
  • once the neurotransmitters diffuse across the synapse, it is taken up by the post-synaptic receptor site on the next neuron, so the impulse only ever travels in one direction
  • stimulation of the post-synaptic receptors by the neurotransmitters the chemical message is converted back into an electrical impulse and the process of electrical transmission begins
25
Q

why can neurons only transmit information in one direction at a synapse?

A
  • neurons will only travel in one direction as the synaptic vesicles containing the neurotransmitter are only present and released from the presynaptic cell
  • the receptors for the neurotransmitters can only be found on the postsynaptic cell, so the diffusion of neurotransmitters is only from high to low concentration
26
Q

what is SSRIs?

A
  • e.g. people with depression have lower levels of serotonin
  • SSRIs ( selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors ) block the re uptake of serotonin
27
Q

when does excitation and inhibition occur?

A
  • this is when neurotransmitters have either an excitatory or inhibitory effect on the neighbouring post-synaptic neuron
28
Q

what is an excitatory neurotransmitter?

A
  • this increases the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron, making it more likely to fire ( a new action potential ) e.g. adrenaline
29
Q

what is an inhibitory neurotransmitter?

A
  • this increases the negative charge of the postsynaptic neuron, making it less likely the postsynaptic neuron will fire ( a new action potential is less likely ) e.g. serotonin
30
Q

what is meant by summation?

A
  • whether a postsynaptic neuron fires is decided by summation, it is the combined effect of all the excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters
  • if the sum is excitatory, a threshold is reached and more likely to fire and action potential of the postsynaptic neuron is triggered
  • if the sum is inhibitory, neurotransmitters make them less likely to fire
31
Q

explain the whole process of synaptic transmission.

A

1) information is passed down the axon of the neuron as an electrical impulse known as action potential
2) in the presynaptic neuron are the synaptic vesicles which contains chemical messengers, known as neurotransmitters, so when the electrical impulse reaches these synaptic vesicles, they release their contents of neurotransmitters into the synaptic cleft
3) they then bind to receptor sites on the postsynaptic neuron that then become activated, after diffusing across
- once the receptors have been activated, they either produce excitatory or inhibitory effect on the post-synaptic cell
4) some neurotransmitters are excitatory and some are inhibitory

psychology paper 2 (4 decks)

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