biopsychology Flashcards
central nervous system
- made from the brain and spinal chord
- processes information
peripheral nervous system
- transmits messages via neurones to and from the CNS
- split into ANS and SNS
autonomic nervous system
- in charge of vital functions like breathing, digestion, stress response
- split into parasympathetic and sympathetic
somatic nervous system
controls muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
pituitary gland
- influences the release of hormones from other glands
- its controlled by the hypothalamus
adrenal glands
- they sit on each kidney
- made from the adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla
adrenal cortex
produces cortisol which regulates bodily functions and is a response to stress
adrenal medulla
releases adrenaline and noradrenaline which prepares the body for fight or flight
gonads
- ovaries produce eggs and female sex hormones
- testes produce testosterone which causes male characteristics
fight or flight steps
- hypothalamus recognises a threat
- the adrenal gland and adrenal medulla are alerted
- adrenaline is released into the endocrine system and noradrenaline is released to the brain
- physical changes are triggered like increased heart rate, faster breathing et
frontal lobe
responsible for cognitive functions and control of voluntary movement
temporal lobe
processes memories, integrating them with sensations
parietal lobe
processes information about touch and movement
occipital lobe
concerned with vision and the visual cortex
somatosensory cortex
- located in the parietal lobe of both hemispheres
- detects sensory events
- produces sensations of pressure, pain and temperature
motor cortex
- located in the frontal lobe of both hemispheres
- controls muscles and movement
Broca’s area
found on the lefthand side of the frontal lobe and is the language area responsible for speech and expression
Wernicke’s area
found in the left temporal lobe and is the opposite to Broca’s area, as language could be expressed but not understood
myotor neurones
- connect to the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands
- short dendrites and long axons
relay neurones
- connect the sensory neurones to the motor neurones
- short dendrites and long axons
sensory neurones
- carry messages from the PNS to the CNS
- long dendrites and short axons
cell body
includes a nucleus which contains the genetic material of the cell
dendrites
branch like structures that come from the cell body and carry nerve impulses from neurones
axon
carries impulses away from the cell body down the neurone
mylein sheath
covers the axon and speeds up electrical transmission of the neurone
nodes of ranvier
speed up the transmission of the impulse by forcing it to jump across the gaps along the axon
circadian rhythm
- cira = about
- diem = day
- the sleep wake cycle (24 hours)
ultradian rhythm
occurs many times a day and less 24 hours long (sleep)
infradian rhythm
occurs about once a day (menstrual cycle)
circannual rhythm
takes a lot much longer than day to occur (SAD)
exogenous zeitgebers
environmental events that are responsible for changing the biological rhythms (light is the most important)
the sleep/wake cycle
governed by the suprachiasmatic nucleus which lies about the optic chiasm and receives information about light from this structure
Siffre
- spent 6 months in the 70’s in a dark place
- to test his free running circadian rhythm
- his rhythm settled down consistently to 24 hours
Aschoff and Wever (1976)
- participants spent in 4 weeks in a ww2 bunker
- all but one displayed a 24 hour circadian rhythm
endogenous pacemakers
internal mechanisms and biological clocks that affect rhythms, but can be affected by the environment
Folkard (1985)
- 12 people lived in a cave for 3 weeks
- went to bed at 11:45pm and woke at 7:45am
- researcher sped up the clock so it was a 22 hour day
- only 1 participant adjusted to the new day
- circadian rhythm has a minimum
Stern and McClintok (1998)
- studied 29 women with irregular periods
- 9 women wore pads for 8 hours to collect pheromones
- then rubbed on the upper lip of the other participants
- 68% of women experienced changes that brought their cycle closer to their sweat donors
SAD
- form of depression that comes along in winter months
- circannual as it’s yearly
- circadian as it could be due to sunrise and sunset in winter disrupting sleep/wake cycle
stages 1 and 2 of sleep
‘light sleep’ stages
brain wave patterns become slower and more rhythmic, starting with alpha waves progressing to theta waves
stages 3 and 4 of sleep
‘deep sleep’ stages
difficult to wake someone up and is associated with slower delta waves
stage 5 of sleep
is REM (rapid eye movement) or dream sleep where the body is paralysed but the brain activity resembles that of an awake person
ways of studying the brain
- post mortem
- fMRI
- EEG
- ERP
post-mortem examination
used to establish a cause of death or to compare brains to find a definition of neurotypical
fMRI
- detects changes in blood flow and oxygenation in certain areas
- see which parts of the brain become active when thinking about different things
EEG
- measures electrical activity in the areas of the brain closest to the surface
- uses a tight cap fitted with electrodes and gel to maximise conductivity
- gives a good general but bad specific idea
ERP
- what’s left after all the signals are cleaned from the EEG
- uses specific electrodes on at certain times to discover certain stimulus
- normally linked to perception and attention
superchiasmatic nucleus
- main endogenous pacemaker of the body
- receives light information and tells the pineal gland what hormones to produce
Baraldo (2008)
we know that there are peak times of the day and night when drugs will be more effective e.g. for sleeping, digestion and pain
Phineas Gage
a tamping pole went straight through his eye and frontal lobe which lead to a complete personality change (lobotomy)
