Biopsychology Flashcards
Central Nervous System
consists of the brain and the spinal cord
Brain
involved in psychological processes and life functions
Spinal Cord
facilitates the transferral of messages to and from the brain to the PNS
Peripheral Nervous System **
trasmits messages to the whole body from the brain
has two divisions which are the SNS and ANS
Autonomic Nervous System ***
regulates body processes
has two divisions which are the SNS and the PNS
Somatic Nervous System
carries sensory information from sensory organs to the CNS and commands reflex actions
Sympathetic Nervous System
prepares the body for the fight or flight response
Parasympathetic Nervous System
calms the body and helps it to conserve energy
Hypothalmus **
controls basic functions like thirst, hunger and sexual behaviour
controls the pituitary gland
Sensory Neurons **
convey information about sensory stimuli towards the brain
Motor Neurons**
convey instructions for physical operations
Relay Neurons ***
connect different parts of the CNS
Thyroid Gland
releases the hormone Thyroxine which regulates metabolic rate and protein synthesis
Adrenal Medulla
releases the hormones Adrenaline and noradrenaline for the fight or flight response
Adrenal Cortex **
releases corticosteroids which release glucose and fats for energy and suppress the immune system
Testes
releases testosterone which deals with puberty and muscle mass
Ovaries
releases oestrogen and progesterone which deals with menstruation and pregnancy
Pineal Gland ***
releases melatonin which deals with the sleep-wake cycle
Mortor Cortex ***
controls voluntary movements
Functional magnetic resonance imaging
measures blood flow to brain sites when individuals are asked to perform cognitive or physical tasks
Evaluation of fMRI
+ non-evasive technique
- does not measure neural activity
- may overlook interconnectivity between brain sites
Electroencephalogram eeg
measures electrical activity in the brain using electrodes which are put on the scalp
Evaluation of EEG
+ can monitor changes as a person switches from task to task
+ have medical applications in diagnosing disorders like epilepsy and Alzheimers
Event-related potentials
measures small voltages of electrical activity when a stimulus is presented
Evaluation of ERP
+ provide a continuous measure of neural activity in response to a stimulus
- only monitors electrical activity in outer layers so cannot reveal electrical activity in deeper brain sites
Hindbrain
consists of pons, medulla and cerebellum
continuation of the spinal cord
composed of sensory and motor neurons
bridges brain to the cerebellum
controls all things we want to do without thinking about it
