Biopsychology Flashcards
What are the 2 components of the peripheral nervous system?
Somatic nervous system
Automonic nervous system
What is the Central Nervous System composed of?
the brain and spinal cord
What is the role of the brain in the central nervous system?
Responsible for coordinating sensation, intellectual and nervous activity -> concious decisions
What is the role of the spinal cord in the central nervous system?
Receives information from the senses and controls the body’s unconcious response
What is the somatic nervous system?
Responsible for carrying out sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system
What is the automonic nervous system?
Governs the brain’s involuntary activities (eg heartbeat, stress) and is self regulated
Define the central nervous system
a bundle of enclosed fibres which connects nearly all parts of the body with the brain
Define the nervous system
Network of nerve cells and fibres.
Helps all parts of the body communicate with each other
Define the peripheral nervous system
The part of the nervous system outside of the brain and spinal cord
What are the 2 components of the automonic nervous system?
Sympathetic
Parasympathetic
What is the sympathetic nervous system?
Involved in responses that help us deal with emergencies (fight or flight)
What is the parasympathetic nervous system?
Calms the body after an emergency state
Involved in energy conservation and digestion
What is the amygdala?
Brain region responsible for processing fear / pain
What is the hypothalamus?
brain region controlling homeostasis
What is the pituitary gland?
the ‘master gland’
controls other glands
What does ACTH do?
Starts production of adrenaline
What does CRF do?
starts production of cortisol
What is the function of the adrenal medulla?
to produce adrenaline
What is the function of the adrenal cortex?
to produce cortisol
What is the evidence for the negative correlation between stress and healing?
Sympathetic and parasympathetic cannot run together
long term stress means that the parasympathetic nervous system stops producing as many white blood cells
Explain the applications of the fight or flight response in healthcare
helps reduce stress in hospitals eg patients are discharged earlier as more likely to be calm at home
the knowledge of it can help people prevent chronic stress and improve health
good economic impact as it prevents future illness
Why does the fight or flight response lack internal validity?
ignores ‘tend and befriend’ stress response in females
ignores individual differences
doesn’t generalise -> no ecological validity
What is the process of chronic stress in the body?
Amygdala
Hypothalamus
Pituitary Gland
Release of CRF
adrenal cortex
cortisol released
feedback loop / HPA axis back to amygdala
What is the process of acute stress in the body?
Amygdala
hypothalamus
pituitary gland
release of ACTH or CRF
adrenal medulla or adrenal cortex
adrenaline or cortisol
cardiovascular response or energy response
parasympathetic nervous system
What does the HPA axis stand for?
Hypothalamus
Pituitary
Adrenal
What are the 3 types of neuron?
Sensory
Relay
Motor
What is the function of a sensory neuron?
to take information from the body to the CNS
What is the function of a relay neuron?
to carry signals
What is the function of a motor neuron?
To take information from the CNS to the body
Define action potential
the electric signal in neurons
Define a vesicle and give its function
a bubble of fat that encases a group of chemicals to either release them across a synapse or recycle them to make new chemicals
Define a cell membrane
phospholipid barrier
Define a neurotransmitter
chemical messenger
Define a synaptic gap
the gap between neurons (synapse)
Define a receptor
the site where neurotransmitters are received postsynaptic
Define postsynaptic
after chemicals are released across the synapse
Define presynaptic
before chemicals are released across the synapse
Define an exitatory neurotransmitter
a positively charged neurotransmitter that increases the activity of the neuron
Define an inhibitory neurotransmitter
a negatively charged neurotransmitter that decreases the activity of a neuron
What are the main structural features of an axon?
Nodes
Myelin sheath / schwann cell
motor / sensory neurons
Define a node and give its function
The gap between the schwann cells
Allows new connections
Allows chemicals to alter signal and diffuse into the cell
Define a schwann cell and give its function
The cell insulating the neurons in the axon
Made of a myelin sheath (fatty materials)
It protects the action potential
