biopsychology paper 2 Flashcards
up to the function of the endocrine system
1
Q
what is the nucleus function
A
control centre of a cell, contains chromosomal dna
1
Q
what is the dendrites functionq
A
receives nerve impulses or signal from adjacent neurons carry signals to cell body
2
Q
what is the myelin sheath function
A
insulates and protects axon from external influences that might affect transmission or nerve impulses down the axon
3
Q
what is the function of the axon
A
carries impulses away from the cell body
4
Q
what is the function of nodes of ranvier
A
speeds up transmission of impulses by forcing them to jump
5
Q
what is the function of terminal buttons
A
communicates with next neuron in chain across the synapse
vesicles are here in the pre synaptic membrane
6
Q
what are the three types of neurons
A
motor neuron
relay neuron
sensory neuron
7
Q
what is the structure and function of motor neurons
A
carries messages from CNS to effectors like muscles and glands
short dendrites and long axons
8
Q
what is the structure and function of the relay neuron
A
within the CNS, transfers messages from sensory neurons to other interconnecting neurons or motor neurons
short dendrites and short or long axons
9
Q
what is the function and structure of sensory neurons
A
carries messages from the PNS to the brain and the spinal cord
long dendrites and short axons
10
Q
what is the nervous system
A
collects processes and responds to info
coordinates working of different organs
primary internal communication
11
Q
what is the PNS peripheral nervous system
A
nerves outside of CNS makes up PNS located in muscles and glands, subdivided into the motor and sensory neurons
12
Q
what is the peripheral nervous system subdivided into
A
motor neurons and sensory neurons
13
Q
what are motor neurons
A
cns to muscles and glands
14
Q
what are sensory neurons
A
sensory organs to CNS
15
Q
what is he motor neurons divided into
A
somatic nervous system and autonomic nervous system
16
Q
what is the somatic nervous system
A
controls voluntary movemenr, muscles and movement, receives information from sensory receptors
17
Q
what is the autonomic nervous system
A
controls involuntary responses, functions like breathing, heart rate, digestion, what we don’t think about it
17
Q
what is the autonomic nervous system divided into
A
sympathetic division and parasympathetic division
17
Q
what is the sympathetic division
A
fight or flight
responses to deal with emergencies, preparation for under threat
18
Q
what is parasympathetic division
A
rest and digest system, resting state, involved in energy conversion and digestion
19
Q
what is the central nervous system
A
made up of the brain and the spinal cord
20
Q
what is the brain function
A
receives and processes information, initiates responses, memory generates
divided into brain stem, cerebellum, cerebal cortex
vuluntary/ conscious
21
Q
what is the spinal cord
A
conduct signals to and from the brain
controls reflex
allow body to monitor and regulate involuntary processed (digestion)
22
what is a neurotransmitter
a chemical message that carries signals between neurons and other cells in the body, in most cases, neurotransmitter is released from axon terminal after an action potential has reached the synapse
23
what is an action potential
explosion of electrical activity when the neuron sends info down the axon
vesicles bind with presynaptic membrane
24
what is the function of the synaptic vesicle filled with neurotransmitter
when they bind they release neurotransmitters
found on the end of the neuron ensuring the direction of travel of message
25
what is neurotransmitter receptors
neurotransmitters attach to the chemical messages
chemical messages is converted into electrical impulses and message continues down the next neuron
signals transmitted electrically, signals between neurons chemically during syaptic transmission
stimulation results om excitation and inhibition
26
what is excitatory
neurotransmitters such as noradremaline increases the liklihood that a neuron will fire
27
what happens when the excitatory neuron binds with the post synaptic membrane
creates excitatory post synaotic potential (EPSP) post synaptic neuron more likely to fire
28
what is the inhibitory neurotransmitter
such as seratonin decrease the liklihood a neuron will fire
29
what happens when the inhibitory neurotransmitter binds to the post synaptic membrane
creates an inhibitory post synaptic potential (ipsp) meaning the post syanptic neuron is less likely to fire
30
what is the net result of the calculation exhibitory and inhibitory
summation
determines whether or not the cell fires
it fired (transmits the message) if there is higher number of EPSP than IPSP
31
what is the endocrine system in charge of
body processes that happens slowly (cell growth) faster processes (breathing, body movement) controlled by nervous system - body regulation
works with nervous system to help body function (fight or flight)
32
function of the endocrine system
regulates cell organ activity within the body and controls vital physiological processes in the body
releases hormones from glands into the bloodstream, binds to receptors to regulate activity of the cells and organs
33
what three glands are involved in the endocrine system
thyroid gland
adrenal gland
pituitary gland
34
what is the thyroid gland responsible for
produces hormone thyroxine which affects cells in heart (increase heart beat )
increases metabolic rate which in turn influences growth rate of an individual
35
what is the pituitary gland responsible for
influence over all of other glands in endocrine system
referred as master gland located at base of brain under hypothalamus
connects fast acting nervous system to the slower acting endocrine system
36
what is the adrenal gland responsible for
adrenal medulla triggered by sympathetic division of the ANS and releases adrenaline
triggers physiological changes in the body (inceased heart rate) creates arousal for fight or flight
adrenaline has strong effect on cells on cardiovascular system, stimulating heart rate, constructing blood vessels and dilating air passages
37
what are the 7 steps of fight or flight response
1. message is sent to hypothalamus
2. triggers sympathetic branch of ANS
3. changes from normal resting state (parasympathetic) to the aroused sympathetic state
4. hypothalamus also triggers adrenal medulla
5. release of adrenaline causes an adrenaline rush
6. rush makes sure body is ready for fight or flight
7. adrenaline causes physiological reactions
38
what are the two things that the hypothalamus triggers for fight or flight
sympathetic branch of ANS and changes normal resting state
adrenal medulla to release adrenaline
39
what is the role of adrenaline
1. stress hormone releases from adrenal medulla in bloodstream
2. triggers physiological changes in body, like increased heart rate for fight or flight response
3. adrenaline has strong effect on cells of cardiovascular system to stimulate heart rate
4. helps to increase alertness in brain due to extra oxygen, decision making
5. when threat passes, parasympathetic NS returns the body to resting state
40
what did broca and wenicke believe in localisation of function
localisation of funcion, different brain parts have different tasks, part of brain damaged = function is damaged
2 parts of the brain, hemispheres
41
what is the motor area in localisation of function
function and location
- located in frontal lobe
- voluntary motor movements
-both hemispheres have this
42
what is somatosensory area in localisation of function
function and location
-located in parietal lobe
-receives sensory information touch, pain, temperature then localises it to body regions
-both hemispheres have it, one side receiving info from opposite side
43
what are visual centres in localisation of function
function and location
-occipital lobe in visual area
-receives and processes visual information
-right hemisphere receives input from left visual field (left eye)
-left hemisphere receives input from right visual field (right eye)
44
auditory centres in localisation of function
function and location
-hearing speech based sounds
-area lines with temporal lobe on both sides of brain- auditory cortex
- left hemisphere receives info from right ear
- right hemisphere receives information from the left ear
opposites
45
what are the two language centres
brocas area
wenickes area
46
which hemisphere are language centres lateralised
left
47
what is brocas area and where is it located
- small area in posterior portion left frontal lobe
- responsible for speech production
- damage to area in right hemisphere in same broca's area is on left hemisphere, not the same impact
- language restricted to the right
- damage to broca's area causes broca's aphasia, slow speech laborious, lacking in fluency
broca conducted research on 'tan' able to understand spoken language but was unable to speak (other than tan) or express thoughts in writing
48
what does damage to the brocas areas cause
brocas aphasia
slow speech
laborous
lacking in fluency
49
what is wenickes area and what is it responsible for
describing patients who has no problem producing language, severe difficulties understanding it, speech was fluent but meaningless
identified region in temporal (left) to be called wernickes area
causes wernickes aphasia when damaged
result in nonsence words (neologisms) as part if content in speech
50
what happens when wernickes area is damaged
causes wernickes aphasia when damaged
result in nonsence words (neologisms) as part if content in speech
51
what is neural loop- arctate fasciculus
runs between brocas area and wernickes area on the end of brocas area (responsible for language production)
other end wernickes area (understanding language)
52
what is hemispheric lateralisation
understanding that one side of the brain is responsible for opposite side of the body and processes information in the opposite field
53
what was sperrys research sample
11 patients who had severed corpus callosum to treat epilepsy
communication line was removed
54
what was sperrys procedure
unique procedure to test split brain patients
asked to describe what was seen or pick it out from behind a screen by touch
or presented word to visual field
55
sperrys split brain research method
An image/word is projected to the patient’s left visual field (which is processed by the right hemisphere) or the right visual field (which is processed by the left hemisphere). When information is presented to one hemisphere in a split-brain patient, the information is not transferred to the other hemisphere (as the corpus callosum is cut).
56
what are sperrys 3 different tasks
describe what you see
tactile task
drawing task
57
what was sperry and gazzanigas describe what you see task in split brain research
In the describe what you see task, a picture was presented to either the left or right visual field and the participant had to simply describe what they saw.
58
what was sperry and gazzanigas tactile task in split brain research
In the tactile test, an object was placed in the patient’s left or right hand and they had to either describe what they felt, or select a similar object from a series of alternate objects.
59
what was sperry and gazzanigas drawing task in split brain research
drawing task, participants were presented with a picture in either their left or right visual field, and they had to simply draw what they saw.
60
what happened in the describe what you see task in sperry and gazzanglias split brain research, when;
1. picture was presented to right visual field (processed by right hemisphere)
2. when picture was presented to the left visual field (processed by the right hemisphere)
1. picture in RVF
patient could describe what they saw demonstrating the superiority of left hemisphere when it comes to language production
2. picture in lfv
patient could not describe what was shown and often reported there was nothing present
61
desribe what happened in the tactile task in sperry and gazzangias research when
1. object placed in right hand (processed by left hemisphere)
2. when object placed in left hand (processed by the right hemisphere)
1. right hand processed by left hemisphere
patient could describe verbally what they felt, could identify test object present in right hand (left hemisphere) by selecting similar appropriate objects, from series of alternative objects
2. left hand processed by right hemisphere
patient couldnt describe what felt and could not make wild guesses
left hand could identify a test object presented in left hand (right hemisphere) by selecting a similiar appropriate object, from series of alternative objects
62
what happens in the drawing task of sperry and gazzangias split brain research when
1. picture presented to right visual field when processed by left hemisphere
2. picture presented to left visual field (processed by right hemisphere)
1. picture presented to right visual field
right hand woul attempt to draw, picture never clear as the left hand, demonstrating superiority of right hemisphere for visual motor tasks
2. picture presented to left visual field
left hand controlled by right hemisphere, consistently draw clearer and better pictures than right hand, even though all participants were right handed
demonstrated superiority of right hemisphere in visual motor tasks
63
conclusion of sperry and gazzanigas split brain research
The findings of Sperry and Gazzaniga’s research highlights a number of key differences between the two hemispheres. Firstly, the left hemisphere is dominant in terms of speech and language. Secondly, the right hemisphere is dominant in terms of visual-motor task
64
what is the left hemisphere dominant in
speech and language
65
what is the right hemisphere dominant in
visual motor tasks
66
what is plasticity in the brain
the idea that the brain can change and adapt overtime, infancy - brain growth experienced in synaptic connections, peaking at 15000 at age 2-3
twice as many connections in adult brain
synaptic pruning takes place, connections we dont frequently use are deleted and ones we do are strengthened in adulthood
synaptic pruning takes place, connections we dont frequently use are deleted and ones we do are strengthened in adulthood
brain’s biological, chemical, and physical capacity to reorganize its structure and function
67
what is synaptic pruning
synaptic pruning takes place, connections we dont frequently use are deleted and ones we do are strengthened in adulthood
68
critical period in brain plasticity ideas
if there are changes in development in the brain in childhood, the adult brain is moved beyond the critical period and it would stay fixed (function and structure)
neural connections can change overtime or be formed (plasticity) as a result of learning and experience
69
why does neuroplasticity occur
Neuroplasticity occurs due to learning, experience, and memory formation or due to damage to the brain.
Learning and new experiences cause new neural pathways to strengthen, whereas neural pathways used infrequently become weak and eventually die. This process is called synaptic pruning
70
what does plasticity allow the brain to do
Plasticity allows the brain to cope better with the indirect effects of brain damage resulting from
inadequate blood supply following a stroke.
71
maguires study and findings brain neuroplasticity
studied brains of london taxi drivers
found more grey matter in posterior hippocampus than a matched control group
associated with spatial and navigation skill development
positive correlation found between size of posterior hypocampus and time as a taxi driver
spatial learning alters structure of taxi drivers brain
- conclusion- brain is not fixed, is plastic and can change from experience
72
what does functional recovery after trauma involve- brain plasticity
fter a brain injury, such as an accident or stroke, the unaffected brain areas can adapt and take over the functions of the affected parts. This process varies in speed, but it can be fast in the first few weeks (phase of spontaneous recovery) then it becomes slower.
neuroscientists suggest process can occur after trauma (plasticity) and have spontaneous recovery, slows down after several weeks or months
73
how can functional recovery after trauma be helped
It can be helped by rehabilitation, and the nature of rehabilitation programs varies with the type of injury, from retraining some types of movement to speech therapy.
There are ways through which brain plasticity can enable brain-damaged people to regain some of their past capacities. Each of the approaches through which the nervous system adapts its functionality has differences in how it occurs and in which patients it occurs.
74
what does the brain do in functional recovery after trauma
- rewires and recognizes itself by forming new synaptic connections
- secondary neural pathways activated for functioning
- axonal sprouting - grow new nerve ending
- recruitment of homologous areas
75
what is axonal sprouting - brain plasticity, functional recovery of brain after trauma
Functional plasticity can occur through a process termed axonal sprouting, where undamaged axons grow new nerve endings to reconnect the neurons, whose links were severed through damage.
Undamaged axons can also sprout nerve endings and connect with other undamaged nerve cells, thus making new links and new neural pathways to accomplish what was a damaged function.
76
what is homologous are adaptation- brain plasticity functional recovery of brain after trauma
Although each brain hemisphere has its own functions, if one brain hemisphere is damaged, the intact hemisphere can sometimes take over some of the functions of the damaged one.
In homologous area adaptation, brain-behavior becomes active in the equivalent part on the opposite side of the brain from where it usually occurs (Grafman, 2000). If it normally occurs on the right side, it would move to the left side, and vice versa.
This functional neuroplasticity occurs more often in children than in adults. Shifting over a module to the opposite side displaces some of the functionality that was originally there.
As a result, the two functions may become less effective, contaminating each other.
77
what are the four ways of studying the brain
FMRI
EEG
ERP
post mortem
78
what does fmri stand for
functional magnetic resonance imaging
79
what does eeg stand for
electronence phalogram
80
what does erp stand for
event related potentials
81
what does fmri mean
measure changes in brain activity
measures chanes in blood flow
ie if brain requires more oxygen, it responds by increasing blood flow to deliver more o2 in red blood cells
by observing blood flow- what is involved
good spatial resolution
poor temporal resolution
82
what is an eeg
measures electrical activity in brain
electrodes on scalp detect electrical changes
electrical signals from electrodes graphed overtime
data can be used to detect types of brain disorders like epilepsy or diagnose other disorders influence brain activity
with epilepsy- spikes of electrical activity
eeg patterns in patients, brain injury/ diseasem show over all slowing of activity in brain
poor spatial resolution
good temporal resolution
83
what is an erp
similar equipment to eeg - skull cap with electrodes
identify brain waves on response to stimulus - event ie picture or sound
stimulus presented many times- response taken = averaging
seeing brain response to stimulus, allows unrelated brain activity to be filtered out, can see brain activity related to brains certain events
good temporal resolution
good temporal resolution
84
what is post mortem
brain examined after breath, collerates structural abnormalities
ie patient tan
found after death he had damage to left hemisphere brocas area - in real life he had communication difficulties
usually used on people with rare disorder
can find the cause of it
comparison with neurotypical brain in order to establish the extent of differences
