Biopsychology Flashcards
What is the localisation of function in the brain.
The theory that different parts of the brain are responsible for different activities, behaviour and processes
Motor centre
- Controls voluntary movement
- located at the back of the frontal lobe.
-If damaged, results in inability to control fine motor movements.
Somatosensory centre
- Processes sensory information
- located at the front of both parietal lobes.
Visual centre
- Processes visual information
- located in the occipital lobes.
Auditory centre
- Analyses speech based information
- located in the temporal lobes
- if damaged, it results in loss of hearing.
Where are language centres located and what do they consist of?
- Language centres are only located in the left side of the brain
- they include brocas area and wernickes area.
Brocas area.
- Located in frontal lobe
- responsible for speech production
- if damaged, known as brocas aphasia , non fluent speech
Wernickes area
- Located in the temporal lobe
- responsible for language comprehension.
- if damaged, known as wernickes aphasia, fluent speaking but doesn’t make sense
How is the brain split?
- The brain is split into 2 symmetrical halves or hemispheres
- the cortex or grey matter is each is split into 4 lobes
- frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe and temporal lobe
Strength of localisation of function in the brain.
- There is a wealth of brain scan evidence to support the theory of localisation of function in the brain.
- e.g. Tulving whilst studying LTM found that episodic and semantic memories reside in different parts of the prefrontal cortex
Weakness of localisation of function in the brain.
- It is largely incorrect according to the holistic theory of brain function
- Ashley found that no area of the brain was more important than any other in rats ability to learn a maze and this suggests that higher cognitive functions are distributed in a holistic way in the brain rather than a localised manner.
Hemispheric lateralisation
-Refers to the fact that the left and right hemispheres have centres that are specifically associated with different brain activities.
Split brain research
- Involves the study of epileptic patients who have experienced a surgical separation of the hemispheres in the brain.
- the research began in the 1960’s and is still ongoing.
- sperry conducted a series of experiments on patients who had undergone a commisurotomy in which the corpus callosum is removed
Outline the nervous system
- Divided into the CNS and PNS
- PNS made up of the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
- nervous system is our primary internal communication system as compromised of a specialised network of cells
-Its two main functions are:
Coordinate working o 7 different cells and organs
Collect process and respond to information in the environment - the CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord.
- the brain is the origin of commands and decisions and the spinal cord transfers messages from brain to PNS
Structure and function of sensory relay and motor
Sensory-
- carry messages from PNS to the CNS
- long dendrites and short axons
Relay -
- connect sensory neurones to motor neurones and other neurones
- short dendrites and axons.
Motor -
- connect CNS to muscles and glands
- short dendrites long axons.
- the genetic material of the cell is contained within nucleus which is found in the cel body
- dendrites which protrude from the cell body and carry neural impulses from neighbouring cells towards the cell body.
- the axon carries the impulse away from the cell body.
It is covered by a myelin sheath which speeds up transmission of the impulse. - in order to speed up the electrical impulse the myelin sheath has gaps called nodes of ranvier which the impulse jumps across.
Law of equipotentiality
the brains ability to reorganise itself and use other parts of the brain, following damage in order to recover lost function may result in no localisation.
Plasticity
The brains ability to change and adapt both functionally and physically as a result of learning and experience.
Synaptic pruning
Deleting rarely used connections and strengthening frequently used ones.
Functional recovery of the brain after trauma
Type of plasticity which refers to the brains ability to transfer or redistribute functions from damaged to undamaged areas.
3 structural brain changes that support plasticity
- Axonal sprouting
- reformation of blood vessels
- recruitment of homologous areas on opposite sides ot the brain.
Why may experienced golfers show reduced motor cortex activity
As learning, motor cortex becomes more efficient and activity is reduced.
Phantom limb syndrome
The sensation that an amputated limb is still attached
Endocrine system
- Instructs glands to release hormones into the bloodstream which are carried towards target organs
- the endocrine system is one ot the body’s major info systems
- hormones are chemical substances which only affect target organs and circulate in bloodstream.
