Biopsychology Flashcards
what is attached to the nervous system?
brain and spinal cord
what are the 2 subdivisions in the nervous system?
peripheral nervous system (PNS)
central nervous system (CNS)
what is the PNS responsible for?
relays messages from the environment to the CNS via sensory neurons
what is the CNS responsible for?
relaying messages from the PNS to the effectors via motor neurons
what are the 2 subdivisions in the PNS?
autonomic nervous system (ANS)
somatic nervous system (SoNS)
what is the ANS?
controls the involuntary, vital functions of the body such as breathing and heart rates
what is the SoNS?
receives information for sensory receptors and results in effectors being stimulated by the CNS via motor neurons
what are the 2 subdivisions of the ANS?
sympathetic (SymNS) and parasympathetic( PSNS)
what do the sympathetic and the parasympathetic branches work as?
work as a pair during the ‘rest and digest’ response and are crucial in producing the physiological arousal needed to maintain the fight or flight response
what does the (SymNS) do?
increases heart rates, breathing rate etc
what does the (PSNS) do?
decreases heart rate, breathing rate etc (relaxes you)
what is the endocrine system?
main chemical messenger system of the body
where hormones are secreted into the bloodstream from glands and then are transported towards target cells in the blood with complementary receptors
what are the 3 glands in the endocrine system?
pituitary gland
thyroid gland
adrenal gland
what does the pituitary gland do?
controls the release of hormones from all the other glands in the body
‘master gland’
what does the thyroid gland do?
releases thyroxine which increases heart rate and then rate of growth
what does the adrenal gland do?
releases adrenaline
what
