Biopsychology Flashcards
Sensory neurons
Carry information from senses to the central nervous system
What is a neurone?
Ar neurone is a nerve cell, which send and recieve electrical information or nerve impulses from other neurone or cells.
Motor neurons
Transmits messages from central nervous system to the muscles
Interneurons
Connect neurons to other neurons (connector neurons)
What are neurotransmitters?
Neurotransmitters are brain chemicals that affect cognitive processes and behaviour
Acetylcholine
Found at synapses between motor neurons and muscle cells and is responsible for movement
Dopamine
Affects arousal pleasure and voluntary movement too much dopamine is thought to be responsible for schizophrenia
Serotonin
Governs sleep, aggression and mood. low levels of serotonin are associated with depression
Central nervous system
It is made up of brain and spinal-cord
- The spinal-cord with you and passes messages to and from the brain and connects to nerves in the peripheral nervous system
Peripheral nervous system
Consist of neurons that send information to and from the Central nervous system
Somatic nervous system
Transmits information received by the senses to the Central nervous system and sends the messages from the central nervous system to the muscles
Autonomic nervous system
- Divided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
- links the central nervous system to the internal organs and controls the basic functions suach as breathing and digestions
- involuntary
What are the three parts of the brain?
Brain stem, cerebellum amd cerebral hemisphere
Function of the cerebral hemisphere
Performs higher functions concerned with vision and memory
Function of brainstem
Control of basic functions like sleeping and waking up and bodily functions such as breathing and heart rate
Function of the cerebellum
- Regulates movement and sense of balance
- coordinating muscles so that movement is smooth and precise
- damage would cause clumsiness, awkwardness and poor coordination
Sympathetic nervous system
- whenquick action is needed
- flight or fight system
- generally increases bodily activity
Parasympathetic nervous system
- Does not require immediate action
- rest and digests system
- generally maintains or decreases bodily activity
What is the endocrine system made up off?
Number of glands
What do glands do?
They screte hormones which travel through the bloodstream and effect different body organs
Pituitary gland
Deep in the middle of the brain and it is often called a master gland as it regulates other gland to screte hormones
Where does the interaction between the endocrine system and the central nervous system of occur?
Hypothalamus
Hypothalamus
Controls the pituitary gland and hence the whole of the endocrine system
Where is the adrenal gland located? Function?
- Located immediately above the kidney.
- Scretes number of hormones, including adrenalin.
- Prepares the body in an emergency for fight or flight
The motor area
Located in the frontal lobe.
responsible for control of voluntary movement
Somatosensory area
- Located in the Perietal lobe
- sensation of the skin
Auditory area
- Located in the Temporal lobe
- responsible for the analysis of speech based information
Visual area
- Located in the occipital lobe
- main function is vision
Broca’s area
- An area of the left frontal lobe
- Damage to this area causes a particular type of language disorder
- Speech is typically slow labourious and lacking in fluency
Wernicke’s Area
- Area of the left temporal lobe
- responsible for speech comprehension or recognition of spoken words
- language is fluent but does not make sense
