Biopsychology Flashcards
What is the role of the nervous system?
To communicate messages through networks of nerve cells in our brain and body called neurons.
What are the two divisions of the nervous system?
Central and peripheral
What is the role of the Central Nervous System?
Uses the brain and spinal cord to receive, process and store information and then directs the actions of the body.
What is the role of the Peripheral Nervous System?
Acts as a two-way communication highway to the CNS. It sends sensory messages picked up from the environment to the CNS and transmits messages from the CNS to the muscles and glands.
What are the two divisions of the PNS?
Somatic nervous system and Autonomic nervous system.
What is the role of the Somatic nervous system?
Controls voluntary muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors.
What is the role of the Autonomic nervous system?
Controls automatic, vital functions in the body, such as breathing, heart rate and digestion.
What are the two divisions of the Autonomic nervous system?
Sympathetic nervous system and Parasympathetic nervous system.
What is the role of the Sympathetic nervous system?
Prepares the body for ‘fight or flight’ response.
Increases heart rate, increases breathing rate, dilates pupils, inhibits digestion and inhibits saliva production.
What is the role of the Parasympathetic nervous system?
Restores the body to ‘normal resting’ state after fight or flight response.
Decreases heart rate, decreases breathing rate, constricts pupils, stimulates digestion and stimulates saliva production.
What is a neuron?
A nerve cell that is the basic building block of the nervous system. They communicate through electrical and chemical messages to enable us to move, think, feel and direct organs.
What is the function of the nucleus?
The control centre of the neuron which contains DNA.
What is the function of the dendrites?
Receives signals from other neurons.
What is the function of the Node of Ranvier?
Speeds up transmission by making them jump.
What is the function of the axon?
Conducts electrical impulses away from the neuron’s cell body.
What is the function of the axon terminal?
Makes connections with other dendrites of other neurons or muscle (effector).
What is the function of Schwann cells?
Produce the myelin sheath.
What is the function of myelin sheath?
Fatty layer that insulates the neuron and speeds up electrical impulses.
What is action potential?
An electrical signal that passes along the neuron. It only travels in one direction, from the dendrites, along the axon to the axon terminal.
What are the three types of neuron?
Sensory neuron
Relay neuron
Motor neuron
What is the role of the sensory neuron?
Carries messages from the Peripheral nervous system to the Central nervous system. Receives a message from the stimulus.
Long dendrites and short axons.
What is the role of the relay neuron?
Connects the sensory neurons to the motor neurons or other relay neurons. These are only found in the CNS.
Short dendrites and short axons.
What is the role of the motor neuron?
Connects the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands to bring about an action.
Short dendrites and long axons.
What is the process of a reflex arc?
Stimulus. Pain receptor stimulated. Signal sent along sensory neuron. Signal passed along relay neuron. Signal sent along motor neuron. Effector muscle contracts.
What is the endocrine system?
A communication system in the body responsible for vital functions. It is made up of glands in the body that produce and release hormones into the bloodstream.
What is a gland?
An organ in the body that secretes a particular hormone for use in the body.
What is a hormone?
Chemicals that affect the activity of a part of the body.
What hormone does the hypothalamus produce and what is its function?
Anti-diuretic hormone
Regulates homeostasis
What hormone does the pituitary gland produce and what is its function?
ACTH - adrenocorticotropic
Starts the process of the fight or flight response by controlling the release of hormones.
What hormone does the adrenal cortex produce and what is its function?
Cortisol
Stimulates the release of glucose to provide the body with a burst of energy during the fight or flight response.
What hormone does the adrenal medulla produce and what is its function?
Adrenaline
Triggers physiological changes in the body needed for the fight or flight response.
What hormone does the pineal produce and what is its function?
Melatonin
Controls cycle of sleep and wake, and acts to make us sleepy.
What hormone does the thyroid produce and what is its function?
Thyroxine
Affects heart rate and metabolic rate which affects long-term growth rates.
What hormones do the ovaries produce and what are its functions?
Oestrogen and progesterone
Regulates the female reproductive cycle. Oestrogen builds the lining of the uterus and progesterone maintains the lining of the uterus.
What hormones does the testes produce and what is its function?
Testosterone
Develops the male reproductive tissues and increases muscle and bone mass.
What changes does adrenaline make to the body during fight or flight response?
Faster heart rate to pump blood faster around the body.
Dilates air passages in the lungs so more oxygen is more available.
Reduces the digestive activity including salivation.
Pupils dilate to allow more light into the eye.
What changes does cortisol make to the body during fight or flight response?
A quick burst of energy
Heightened memory function
A burst of increases immunity
Reduced sensitivity of pain
What is a synapse?
The junction between an axon terminal of one neuron and the dendrite of another neuron.
What is a neurotransmitter?
A chemical released at a synapse.
Excitatory neurotransmitters increase the chance the neuron will fire. This happens by increasing the positive charge at the post synaptic neuron.
Inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease the chance the neuron will fire by decreasing the charge at the post synaptic neuron.
What is the synaptic transmission process?
An action potential travels down dendrites, along the axon to the axon terminals.
The action potential causes the synaptic vesicles to fuse with the cell membrane and release the contents of the neurotransmitters to diffuse across the synaptic cleft. The electrical signal is transferred into a chemical message.
The neurotransmitters bind with the receptors on the dendrites of the receiving neuron and pass on the meassge.
What is summation?
Whether there are more excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters. If there are more excitatory, the signal will transmit and start an action potential in the next neuron. If there are more inhibitory, the post synaptic neuron will not fire.
What are the areas of the left hemisphere of the brain?
- Cerebral cortex
- Corpus callosum
- Limbic system
- Brain stem
- Cerebellum
What is the cerebral cortex?
Outer layer of the cerebrum, covers the hemispheres of the brain.
Folds increase the surface area.
Home to ‘higher’ functions - reasoning, language, morals.
Appears grey because of cell bodies ‘grey-matter’.
What is the corpus callosum?
Bundles of millions of connective fibres (axons) join the left and right hemispheres of the cerebrum. These axons form the ‘white matter’ of the brain.
What is the limbic system?
Includes amygdala, hypothalamus, hippocampus and other areas.
Involved in many of our emotions and motivations, particularly those that are related to survival such as fear, anger and sexual behaviour.