Biopsychology: Big Example

Question 1

The human Brian

Answer 1

Made up of many parts
Functions - speech perception/ production, colour processing, face recognition
Each Brian is unique
At its centre lies a cluster of modules known as limbic system
Powerhouse of Brian - appetites, urges , emotions
Our conscious thoughts merely moderate these biological forces that emerge from unconscious
If thought conflict with emotion - emotion will win
Changing moods generated by chemicals that turn these modules on and off
It’s activities are controlled by currents and chemicals
It’s components are interdependent & interactive
It’s a dynamic system of systems - that does millions of things parallel

Question 2

Human Brian Examples

Answer 2

Experience necessary to develop face recognition- early deprivation of vial input to right hemisphere impaired development of expert processing

Korsakoff syndrome, severe memory loss B1 deficiency, but the damage is accelerated by alcohol

Question 3

Focal hand Dystonia

Answer 3

Conditions is a result of extensive reorganisation of the sensory thalamus & cortex so that touch responses to one finger overlap those of another

Question 4

PKU

Answer 4

Through single gene mutation suffers lack of conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine therefore dopamine levels are low , PKu only develops with genetic and environmental reaction

Question 5

Acetylcholine

Answer 5

Controls activities in the Brian areas connected with attention, learning and memory. People with Alzhemiers disease typically have low levels in the cerebral cortex, and drugs boost its actions may improve memory in such patients

Question 6

Dopamine

Answer 6

Controls arousal levels in many parts of the brain and it’s vital for giving physical motivation. When levels are depleted as in Parkinson’s disease, people may find it impossible to move forward voluntarily. Low dopamine may also be implicated in mental statsis. Overly high levels to be implicated in schizophrenia and maybe hallucinations

Question 7

Serotonin

Answer 7

Neurotransmitter that is enhanced by Prozac and has become the feel good chemical. Serotonin certainly has a profound effect on mood and aniexty- high levels are associated with serenity and optimism. Low levels to depression OCD and suicide

Question 8

Norepinephrine

Answer 8

Mainly an excitatory chemical that induces physical and mental arousal and heightens mood. Production is centred in an area of the brain called the locus coeruleus , suggested to be the Brian pleasure centre- linked to stress

Question 9

Endorphins

Answer 9

Endogenous opioids that, like the drugs , modulate pain, reduce stress and promote a sensation of calm. Also depress physical function like breathing

Question 10

Glutamate

Answer 10

The brains major excitatory neurotransmitter , vital for forging the links between neurons that are the basis of leaning and long term memory, linked to motor neurone disease

Question 11

Human Brian Examples

Answer 11

Experience necessary to develop face recognition- early deprivation of vial input to right hemisphere impaired development of expert processing

Korsakoff syndrome, severe memory loss B1 deficiency, but the damage is accelerated by alcohol

Question 12

Focal hand Dystonia

Answer 12

Conditions is a result of extensive reorganisation of the sensory thalamus & cortex so that touch responses to one finger overlap those of another

Question 13

PKU

Answer 13

Through single gene mutation suffers lack of conversion of phenylalanine to tyrosine therefore dopamine levels are low , PKu only develops with genetic and environmental reaction

Question 14

Human Brian Pt2

Answer 14

It’s activities are controlled by currents and chemicals
It’s components are interdependent & interactive
It’s a dynamic system of systems - that does millions of things parallel

Question 15

Acetylcholine

Answer 15

Controls activities in the Brian areas connected with attention, learning and memory. People with Alzhemiers disease typically have low levels in the cerebral cortex, and drugs boost its actions may improve memory in such patients

Question 16

Dopamine

Answer 16

Controls arousal levels in many parts of the brain and it’s vital for giving physical motivation. When levels are depleted as in Parkinson’s disease, people may find it impossible to move forward voluntarily. Low dopamine may also be implicated in mental statsis. Overly high levels to be implicated in schizophrenia and maybe hallucinations

Question 17

Serotonin

Answer 17

Neurotransmitter that is enhanced by Prozac and has become the feel good chemical. Serotonin certainly has a profound effect on mood and aniexty- high levels are associated with serenity and optimism. Low levels to depression OCD and suicide

Question 18

Norepinephrine

Answer 18

Mainly an excitatory chemical that induces physical and mental arousal and heightens mood. Production is centred in an area of the brain called the locus coeruleus , suggested to be the Brian pleasure centre- linked to stress

Question 19

Endorphins

Answer 19

Endogenous opioids that, like the drugs , modulate pain, reduce stress and promote a sensation of calm. Also depress physical function like breathing

Question 20

Glutamate

Answer 20

The brains major excitatory neurotransmitter , vital for forging the links between neurons that are the basis of leaning and long term memory, linked to motor neurone disease

Question 21

Examples Part 2

Answer 21

Sensory systems are characterised by multiple specialised areas, at Multiple levels all interconnected by Multiple parallel pathways
Each area of the Visual system is specialised for perceiving specific aspects of Visual scenes - shape , colour and movement

Question 22

A Marriage of two minds

Answer 22

Hemispheres of the Brian are physical mirror images of each other
Bound by corpus callosum
When separated differences are apparent

Question 23

Example Memory

Answer 23

Two hemispheres engage different types of memory processing
LH attempts to place it’s experience in larger context
RH attends strictly to the gestalt perceptual characterise of stimulus

Question 24

Example: Language

Answer 24

Language is the most lateralised f all abilities left hemisphere is better than right at language related skills
However the right hemisphere is able to understand single written and spoken words
Right hemisphere better at tasks involving spatial ability, emotional stimuli and musical tasks

Question 25

Factory with many products

Answer 25

Information is the Brian’s raw materials - length of light waves hitting the retina, the duration of a sound wave pulsing in the ear
From this that the sensory areas of brain create an idea of what’s going on
But basic perception is not the brains finished product
Rather the finished mental construct is a perch ion that is embedded in meaning
But sometimes the transformation these transformed are misleading

Question 26

Example: Vision

Answer 26

Agnosia is a fundamental lack of recognition- a condition that sometimes affects stroke patients or marks the early stages of dementia
Brought about by a fault somewhere along the line and the pint at which the daily occurs dictates the type of Agnosia that results

Question 27

Two types of Agnosia

Answer 27

Apperceptive Agnosia resulting from damage fairly on in the recognition assembly line , perception not properly constructed & trouble matching to what is already known

Associative Agnosia
Resulting from a fault in the later of recognition. Here the perception may be perfect but the memories associated with recognising it are lost or cannot be retrieved

Question 28

Fregolis delusion:

Answer 28

is a condition in which patients constantly mistake strangers for people they know , even though they look like nothing the people know;recognition is so strong they find it easier to think they are in disguise than their own recogniton system is false

Question 29

Capgras delusion

Answer 29

The emotional recognition system is under - rather than over active. These patients can see that people look like themselves. But they don’t not feel
Emotionally right

Question 30

States of mind

Answer 30

Hold millions of impressions, some fleetingly some for a life time
Involving sensory info broken down and rebuilt for perception broken down as they pass into memory
Each is sent off to storage in a different part of our internal library
Each reply etches deeper into Our neural structure
Memories and the person that holds them are effectively the same

Question 31

Lost in time

Answer 31

A man know as HM , who had no memory go anything that had happened to him since he underwent an operation for epilepsy
After his operation his memory for the previous two years was eradicated although all memories until we’re normal- retrograde amnesia
Was not able to lay down any new memories - anterograde amnesia hold info for a few minutes ,
But his performance improved , which would surprise him as he had no memory for leaning