Biopsychology Flashcards
What are the two main functions of the Central Nervous System (CNS)?
The CNS controls behaviour and regulates the body’s physiological processes.
What four major areas is the brain divided into?
The cerebrum, cerebellum, diencephalon, and brain stem.
What is the function of the cerebellum?
It is responsible for motor skills, balance, and coordinating muscles for precise movements.
What two structures are found in the diencephalon and what do they regulate?
The thalamus (consciousness, sleep, alertness) and the hypothalamus (body temperature, stress response, hunger).
What does the brain stem regulate?
Breathing and heart rate.
How does the spinal cord contribute to bodily regulation?
It relays information between the brain and the rest of the body and is involved in digestion, breathing, and voluntary movement coordination.
What two main systems make up the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?
The somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.
What is the main function of the somatic nervous system?
Transmitting information from sense organs to the CNS and from the CNS to effectors, controlling voluntary movements.
What are the characteristics of the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?
It is involuntary, only has motor pathways, and controls smooth muscles, internal organs, and glands.
What triggers the sympathetic nervous system and what are its effects?
It is triggered by stress and results in increased heart/breathing rate, inhibited digestion, reduced salivation, and dilated pupils.
What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?
It returns the body to resting state by lowering heart/breathing rate, increasing digestion and salivation, and constricting pupils.
What is the purpose of the myelin sheath?
To insulate the axon and speed up the transmission of electrical impulses.
What are the roles of the nodes of Ranvier?
They are gaps in the myelin sheath that speed up electrical impulse transmission along the axon.
How do sensory neurons function?
They carry electrical impulses from sensory receptors to the CNS and convert stimuli into sensations like heat or pain
What do motor neurons do when stimulated?
They release neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on muscles to trigger movement.
What is the function of relay neurons?
Found in the CNS, they connect sensory and motor neurons and facilitate reflexes without involving the brain.
What happens during synaptic transmission when an action potential reaches the presynaptic terminal?
Neurotransmitters are released from vesicles through exocytosis and diffuse across the synaptic cleft.
What determines whether a postsynaptic neuron fires?
The summation of excitatory and inhibitory inputs; if the net effect is excitatory, it fires.
Why is synaptic transmission unidirectional?
Vesicles are only in the presynaptic membrane and receptors only in the postsynaptic membrane; diffusion goes from high to low concentration.
How do SSRIs and pain medications affect synaptic transmission?
SSRIs alter neurotransmitter transmission; some pain meds mimic inhibitory neurotransmitters to reduce neural activity and pain.
What is the role of the endocrine system?
It communicates chemically via the bloodstream through hormones to regulate many bodily functions.
What are target cells in the endocrine system?
Cells that have receptors for a specific hormone and react when those receptors are stimulated
Where is the pituitary gland located and what controls it?
It’s located in the brain and is controlled by the hypothalamus.
What hormone does the anterior pituitary release and what does it do?
It releases ACTH, which stimulates the production of cortisol from the adrenal glands.
