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Psychology > Biopsychology + The Biological Approach > Flashcards

Biopsychology + The Biological Approach Flashcards

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1
Q

What are Neurons?

A

Neurons are nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical transmission.

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2
Q

What are the 5 main things neurons are made up of?

A

Dendrites
Cell body
Axon
Myelin Sheath
Nodes Of Ranvouir

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3
Q

What is the function of a dendrite?

A

They carry nerve impulses from the neighbouring neurons towards the cell body.

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4
Q

What is the function of the cell body?

A

Includes the nucleus which contains all of the genetic information.

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5
Q

What is the function of an axon?

A

Carries the impulse from the cell body down the length of the neuron to the terminal button.

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6
Q

What is the function of the myelin sheath?

A

This is the fatty layer that protects the axon and speeds up electrical transmission.

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7
Q

What is the function of the nodes of ranvouir?

A

They are gaps between the myelin sheath which speeds up transmission as impulses jumps between gaps.

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8
Q

What is the function of the terminal button?

A

It communicates with the next neurone in a chain across a gap called the synapse.

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9
Q

What is the function of a relay neurone?

A

It connects the sensory neurone to the motor neurone.

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10
Q

What is the function of the motor neurone?

A

Connects the neurone to effectors such as muscles / glands via the central nervous system.

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11
Q

What is the function of the sensory neurone?

A

It carries messages from the sense organs in the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system.

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12
Q

Describe the structure of the sensory neurone.

A

Long dendrites but short axon.

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13
Q

Describe the structure of the relay neurone.

A

Short dendrites and short axon.

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14
Q

Describe the structure of the motor neurone.

A

Short dendrites and long axon.

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15
Q

What is synaptic transmission?

A

Synaptic transmission is the process of transmitting a nerve impulse or action potential from one neurone to another across a synapse.

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16
Q

Explain how electrical transmission works?

A

At resting state the neurone is negatively charged.
When activated it becomes positively charged.
This causes action potential which creates an electrical impulse to travel down the neurone.

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17
Q

Explain how chemical transmission works?

A

When the electrical impulse reaches the end of the neurone it triggers the release of neurotransmitters.
Neurotransmitters then diffuse across the synapse.
The neurotransmitters bind with receptor cells changing the charge in the post synaptic neuron.

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18
Q

What are the two different types of neurotransmitters?

A

Excitory
Inhibitary

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19
Q

What do excitory neurotransmitters do?

A

Excitory neurotransmitters increase the positive charge of the post synaptic neuron which increases the likelihood that the neuron will fire.

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20
Q

What do inhibitary neurotransmitters do?

A

Inhibitary neurotransmitters increase the negative charge of the post synaptic neurone. This decreases the likelihood that a neurone will fire.

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21
Q

What is summation?

A

Summation is the sum of excitory neurone and inhibitary neurones to get there net affect.

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22
Q

The nervous system divides into two different systems what are they?

A

Central nervous system
Peripheral nervous system.

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23
Q

What is the central nervous system made up of?

A

The brain and the spinal chord.

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24
Q

The peripheral nervous system divides into two other systems. What are they?

A

Autonomic Nervous System
Somatic Nervous System

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25
Q

What does the autonomic nervous system divide into?

A

Parasympathetic Nervous System
Sympathetic Nervous System

26
Q

What is the function of the CNS?

A

To receive information from the senses and controls the body’s responses.

27
Q

What is the function of the brain?

A

It co-ordinates the functioning of the body and higher level processes.

28
Q

What is the function of the spinal chord?

A

This passes information to and from the brain and connects the nerves to the PNS.

29
Q

What is the function of the Peripheral NS?

A

It transmits messages to and from the CNS.

30
Q

What is the function of the Somatic NS?

A

It controls voluntary movements and has sensory and motor pathways. It transfers information from receptor cells in sense organs to the CNS and receives information from the CNS that directs the muscles to act.

31
Q

What is the function of the Autonomic NS?

A

It operates involuntary and it’s pathways are purely motor. It transfers information to and from the bodily organs.

32
Q

What is the function of the Sympathetic NS?

A

It activates internal organs in response to stressful events, e.g. it increases heart rate and breathing rate.

33
Q

What is the function of the Parasympathetic NS?

A

This is the bodies resting state, it slows down the activity of the body in order to conserve energy, e.g. decreases heart and breathing rate.

34
Q

What is the endocrine system.

A

It is a communication system that uses chemicals to send messages via the bloodstream.

35
Q

Name all of the glands in the endocrine system.

A

Pituitary Gland
Pineal Gland
Thyroid Gland
Adrenal Gland
Pancreatic Gland
Testicular Gland
Ovarian Gland

36
Q

What is the function of the pituitary gland?

A

Produces ACTH which travels down through the bloodstream to the adrenal gland to produce adrenaline.

37
Q

What is the function of the pineal gland?

A

Produces melatonin which helps with the sleep wake cycle.

38
Q

What is the function of the Thyroid gland?

A

Produces thyroxine which helps metabolism.

39
Q

What is the function of the adrenal gland?

A

Produces adrenaline for the fight or flight response.

40
Q

What is the function of the pancreatic gland?

A

It produces insulin which helps maintain blood glucose levels.

41
Q

What is the focus of the testicular gland?

A

To produce testosterone for puberty.

42
Q

What is the focus of the ovarian gland?

A

It produces oestrogen and progesterone which regulate the menstrual cycle.

43
Q

What is the fight of flight response?

A

During a stressful event the body becomes physiologically aroused in readiness to fight an aggressor or in some case flee.

44
Q

What are the 7 stages of the fight or flight response?

A
  1. The brain interprets something as a stressful or threatening situation.
  2. ANS changes from resting state to sympathetic state
    3.Hypothalamus stimulates the release of ACTH from the pituitary gland
  3. ACTH causes adrenal glands to release adrenaline.
  4. Adrenaline causes physiological changes in the body, this causes arousal needed for fight or flight response.
  5. The threat passes.
  6. Parasympathetic nervous system returns body to its resting state.
45
Q

Why during the fight of flight response does the body stimulate sweat production?

A

To keep the body temperature cool.

46
Q

Why during the fight or flight response does the body increase heart and breathing rate?

A

The conserve and increase energy to fight or flight.

47
Q

Why during the fight or flight response do the pupils dilate?

A

To let more light in so you can see more.

48
Q

Why during the fight or flight response does the body inhibit digestion and saliva profuction?

A

It shuts down any unnecessary systems.

49
Q

What is the holistic theory for the brain?

A

Originally it was believed that all parts of the brain were involved in the processing thought and action.

50
Q

Name the four lobes of the brain

A

Frontal, Parietal, Occipital and Temporal

51
Q

What is the localisation theory?

A

The theory that different parts of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.

52
Q

Name the 6 areas of the brain, and explain where they are found and what damage to them causes.

A
  1. Motor area
    It is in both hemispheres of the brain, in the back of the frontal
    lobe.
    It controls voluntary movements in the opposite side of the
    body.
    Damage to the motor area can cause paralysis in the opposite
    side of the body.
  2. Somatosensory area
    It is in both hemispheres in the front of the parietal lobe.
    It is were sensory information from the skin is displayed.
    Damage to this area can cause lack of sensation in touch.
  3. Visual Area
    It is in both hemispheres and in the occipital lobe.
    It sends information from the left visual field to the right visual
    cortex and vis versa.
    Damage to the visual area can cause blindness in the opposite
    eye.
  4. Auditory Area
    It is in both hemispheres in the temporal lobe.
    It analyses speech based information.
    Damage can cause hearing loss.
  5. Wernicke’s Area
    It is only in the left hemisphere in the temporal lobe.
    It is responsible for language comprehension.
    Damage causes nonsense in speech.
  6. Broca’s Area
    It is only in the left hemisphere in the frontal lobe.
    It is responsible for speech production.
    Damage can cause slow speech or no speech at all (Broca’s
    Aphasia).
53
Q

Name the four types of brain scans.

A

FMRI
Post Mortem
EEG
ERP

54
Q

How does an FMRI work?

A

It detects where in the brain the most oxygen is going to therfore outlining which part of the brain is being used.

55
Q

Hoes does an EEG work?

A

Neurones are taped to your head which measures electrical activity within the brain.

56
Q

How do Post Mortems work?

A

Areas of damage within the brain are examined after death as a means of establishing the likely cause of the affliction the person suffered.

57
Q

How does an ERP work?

A

They derive of the EEG measurements, very small voltage changes triggered by specific events or stimuli. Responses are then averaged.

58
Q

Which of the brain scanning techniques are invasive and which are non invasive?

A

Post Mortem - Invasive
FMRI - Non Invasive
EEG - Non Invasive
ERP - Non Invasive

59
Q

What is spatial resolution?

A

Spatial resolution is the ability of a brain scanning technique to detect the smallest feature or measurement in the brain.

60
Q

What is temporal resolution?

A

Temporal resolution is how quickly something is detected in the brain via brain scanning

Psychology (2 decks)

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