Biopsychology

Question 1

What are the two main components of the nervous system?

Answer 1

Central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS)

The CNS consists of the brain and spinal cord, while the PNS sends information to and from the CNS.

Question 2

What is the function of the central nervous system (CNS)?

Answer 2

Origin of all complex commands and decisions

The CNS includes the brain and spinal cord.

Question 3

What role does the peripheral nervous system (PNS) play?

Answer 3

Sends information to the CNS from the outside world and transmits messages from the CNS to muscles and glands

The PNS connects the CNS to the rest of the body.

Question 4

What is the somatic nervous system responsible for?

Answer 4

Transmits information from receptor cells in the sense organs to the CNS and directs muscles to act

It is part of the PNS.

Question 5

What does the autonomic nervous system do?

Answer 5

Transmits information to and from internal bodily organs and operates involuntarily

It has two divisions: sympathetic and parasympathetic.

Question 6

Define endocrine system.

Answer 6

One of the body’s major information systems that instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream

Hormones are carried towards target organs in the body.

Question 7

What is a gland?

Answer 7

An organ in the body that synthesizes substances such as hormones

Glands play a crucial role in the endocrine system.

Question 8

What are hormones?

Answer 8

Chemical substances that circulate in the bloodstream and affect target organs

They are produced in large quantities but disappear quickly.

Question 9

What is the fight or flight response?

Answer 9

The way an animal responds when stressed, becoming physiologically aroused to fight or flee

It prepares the body for immediate action.

Question 10

What is adrenaline?

Answer 10

A hormone produced by the adrenal glands involved in the body’s immediate stress response

It stimulates heart rate, contracts blood vessels, and dilates air passages.

Question 11

Define neuron.

Answer 11

The basic building blocks of the nervous system, processing and transmitting messages through electrical and chemical signals

Neurons are essential for communication within the nervous system.

Question 12

What are sensory neurons?

Answer 12

Carry messages from the PNS to the CNS and have long dendrites and short axons

They are responsible for transmitting sensory information.

Question 13

What is the role of relay neurons?

Answer 13

Connect sensory neurons to motor or other relay neurons with short dendrites and short axons

They facilitate communication between different types of neurons.

Question 14

Define motor neurons.

Answer 14

Connect the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands, characterized by short dendrites and long axons

They are crucial for initiating movement.

Question 15

What is synaptic transmission?

Answer 15

The process by which neighbouring neurons communicate by sending chemical messages across the synapses

It is essential for neuron-to-neuron communication.

Question 16

What are neurotransmitters?

Answer 16

Brain chemicals released from synaptic vesicles that relay signals across the synapse

They can have excitatory or inhibitory functions.

Question 17

What does excitation refer to in neurotransmission?

Answer 17

When a neurotransmitter increases the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron

This increases the likelihood that the neuron will fire.

Question 18

What is inhibition in the context of neurotransmission?

Answer 18

When a neurotransmitter increases the negative charge of the postsynaptic neuron

This decreases the likelihood that the neuron will fire.

Question 19

Define localisation of function.

Answer 19

The theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours and processes

It emphasizes the specialization of brain regions.

Question 20

What is the motor area of the brain responsible for?

Answer 20

Regulating movement

It is located in the frontal lobe.

Question 21

What does the somatosensory area process?

Answer 21

Sensory information such as touch

It is located in the parietal lobe.

Question 22

What is the function of the visual area?

Answer 22

Receives and processes visual information

It is located in the occipital lobe.

Question 23

What does the auditory area analyze?

Answer 23

Speech-based information

It is located in the temporal lobe.

Question 24

What is Broca’s area responsible for?

Answer 24

Speech production

It is located in the frontal lobe of the left hemisphere in most people.

Question 25

What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?

Answer 25

Language comprehension

It is located in the temporal lobe of the left hemisphere in most people.

Question 26

Define plasticity in the context of the brain.

Answer 26

The brain’s tendency to change and adapt due to experience and new learning

This can involve functional and physical changes.

Question 27

What is functional recovery?

Answer 27

The brain’s ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by damaged areas to undamaged areas

It is a form of neuroplasticity.

Question 28

What is hemispheric lateralisation?

Answer 28

The idea that the two halves of the brain are functionally different

Certain processes are mainly controlled by one hemisphere.

Question 29

What is split-brain research?

Answer 29

Studies involving epileptic patients who had their brain hemispheres surgically separated

This research investigates the extent of brain function lateralisation.

Question 30

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

Answer 30

A method used to measure brain activity while performing a task using MRI technology

It detects regions of the brain rich in oxygen.

Question 31

What does an electroencephalogram (EEG) record?

Answer 31

Tiny electrical impulses produced by the brain’s activity

It helps diagnose certain brain conditions.

Question 32

What are event-related potentials (ERPs)?

Answer 32

The brain’s electrophysiological response to specific events isolated through EEG data analysis

They provide insight into cognitive processes.

Question 33

What are post-mortem examinations?

Answer 33

Analysis of the brain after death to link observed behaviours to brain abnormalities

They help in understanding the relationship between brain structure and function.

Question 34

Define biological rhythms.

Answer 34

Distinct patterns of change in body activity that conform to cyclical periods

They are influenced by internal body clocks and environmental changes.

Question 35

What is a circadian rhythm?

Answer 35

A type of biological rhythm with a 24-hour cycle regulating processes like the sleep/wake cycle

It is an important aspect of biological rhythms.

Question 36

What is an infradian rhythm?

Answer 36

A biological rhythm with a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours

Examples include menstruation and seasonal affective disorder.

Question 37

What is an ultradian rhythm?

Answer 37

A biological rhythm with a frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours

An example is the stages of sleep.

Question 38

What are endogenous pacemakers?

Answer 38

Internal body clocks that regulate biological rhythms

The suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) influences the sleep/wake cycle.

Question 39

What are exogenous zeitgebers?

Answer 39

External cues that affect biological rhythms

Light is a significant exogenous zeitgeber influencing the sleep/wake cycle.

Question 40

Fill in the blank: The sleep/wake cycle is a daily cycle of biological activity based on a _______.

Answer 40

24-hour period

It is influenced by environmental variations, such as night and day.