Biopsychology Flashcards
What is the Central Nervous System?
Compromises of the brain and spinal cord and controls the bodies responses to external stimuli.
What is the Peripheral Nervous System?
Part of the nervous system outside of the brain and the spinal cord.
What is the Somatic Nervous System?
Part of the PNS responsible for carrying sensory and motor information to and from the CNS.
What is the Autonomic Nervous System?
Governs the brains involuntary activities and is self-regulating.
What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?
Division of the Autonomic Nervous System that deals with the fight or flight response; prepares the body for rapid action when under threat (increasing heartbeat).
What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?
Division of the Autonomic Nervous System that relaxes the body after the fight or flight response by reducing heart beat and turning back on systems such as digestion.
What is a Sensory Neuron?
Carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal cord and the brain.
What is a Relay Neuron?
Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate with each other.
What are Motor Neurons?
Form synapses with muscles and control their contractions.
What is a Synapse?
Conjunction at the arson of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron.
Explain Synaptic Transmission.
Once action potential is at the terminal button on the end of the axon, it must cross gap between presynaptic neuron and postsynaptic neuron. At the end of the axon there are synaptic vesicles which contain neurotransmitters. When action potential reaches the vesicles, they release there contents (exocytosis). The neurotransmitter diffuses across the gap where it binds to specialised receptors on the cell, which are activated and produce either an excitatory or inhibitory response.
Difference between Excitatory and Inhibitory Neurotransmitters?
- excitatory = nervous system’s ‘on switches’ and increase the likelihood of an excitatory signal being released to postsynaptic cell, which is then more likely to fire.
- inhibitory = nervous system’s ‘off switch’ and decrease the likelihood of a neuron firing: usually used in calming mind.
What is the Endocrine System?
A network of glands throughout the body that manufacture and secrete chemical messengers known as hormones.
What are Hormones?
The body’s chemical messengers.
What are the Major Glands of the Endocrine System?
- pituitary gland, adrenal glands and reproductive organs.
How does the Endocrine System Regulate Hormone Levels?
Signal is sent from hypothalamus to pituitary gland in form of ‘releasing hormone.’
Causes pituitary to secrete ‘stimulating hormone’ into bloodstream.
This hormone then signals the target gland to secrete its hormone.
As levels of this hormone increases, hypothalamus shuts down secretion of the releasing hormone, pituitary gland then shuts down secretion of stimulating hormone, slowing down the target glands secretion.
What does the Pituitary Gland do?
It’s primary function is to influence the release of hormones from other glands, regulating many of the body’s functions.
It’s controlled by the Hypothalamus.
Where are the Adrenal Glands located?
Sit on top of the kidneys.
What are the parts of the Adrenal Glands?
Outer part is called Adrenal Cortex.
Inner part is called Adrenal Medulla.
What does the Adrenal Cortex do?
Produces cortisol.
It’s production is increased in response to stress.
Low cortisol levels cause low blood pressure, poor immune function and inability to deal with stress.
Also produces aldosterone which maintains blood volume and pressure.
What does the Adrenal Medulla do?
Releases adrenaline and noradrenaline.
What does Adrenaline do?
Helps the body respond to stressful situations by increasing heart rate and blood flow to muscles and brain and helping with the conversion between glycogen to glucose to provide energy.
What does Noradrenaline do?
Constricts the blood vessels, causing blood pressure to increase.
What is the Function of the Endocrine System?
To regulate activity of cells or organs within the body.