Biopsychology - The Nervous System

Question 1

What is the somatic nervous system?

Answer 1

Controls voluntary activities e.g., muscles moving

Question 2

What is the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 2

Controls involuntary activities e.g., internal organs

Question 3

What is the sympathetic nervous system?

Answer 3

Keeps the body active and alert (fight or flight)

Question 4

What is the parasympathetic nervous system?

Answer 4

Keeps the body rested and saves energy

Question 5

What is the brains role in the central nervous system?

Answer 5

The control centre of the body, responsible for processing and interpreting sensory information, making decisions, and sending signals to the rest of the body.

Question 6

What is the role of the spinal cord in the central nervous system,?

Answer 6

The communication highway between the brain and the rest of the body. It relays messages from the brain to the peripheral nervous system and vice versa.

Question 7

What is the structure of a neurone?

Answer 7

Nerve impulses are triggered at the cell body of neurons and travel one direction, from the cell body to the axon terminal.

Question 8

What is the function of the sensory neuron?

Answer 8

Collects information from our sensory receptors and sends it towards the brain.

Question 9

What is the function of a relay neuron?

Answer 9

Processes and transforms information and allows sensory and motor neurones to communicate.

Question 10

What is the function of a motor neurone?

Answer 10

Carries information away from the brain to the muscles controlling muscle movements.

Question 11

What is the process of synaptic transmission?

Answer 11

1. Action potential arrives at the pre-synaptic terminal, causing synaptic vesicles to travel towards the pre-synaptic membrane.
2. Synaptic vesicles and the pre-synaptic membrane fuse, causing neurotransmitters to be released into the synaptic cleft.
3. Neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic cleft and removed through thee process of re-uptake.
4. When the neurotransmitters bind to the receptors, it will either produce an excitatory post-synaptic potential, or an inhibitory post-synaptic potential.
5. Neurotransmitters are released back into the synaptic cleft and removed through the process of re-uptake.

Question 12

Why can neurotransmitters only travel in one direction?

Answer 12

• Synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters are only found on the pre-synaptic membrane.
• Receptor cells that neurotransmitters bind to are only found on the post-synaptic membrane.
• Neurotransmitters diffusing across the synaptic cleft mean they can only travel from a high to low concentration, so from the pre-synaptic neuron to the post-synaptic neuron.

Question 13

What are the excitatory neurotransmitters?

Answer 13

• cause positively charged particles to enter the post-synaptic neuron
• make nerve impulses more likely to occur
• created excitatory post-synaptic potentials

Question 14

What are inhibitory neurotransmitters?

Answer 14

• Cause positively charged particles to enter the post-synaptic neuron.
• Make a nerve impulse less likely to occur.
• Create inhibitory post-synaptic potentials

Question 15

What is summation?

Answer 15

For a nerve impulse to occur the net effect needs to be excitatory, so there needs to be more excitatory neurotransmitters released than inhibitory neurotransmitters, if the net effect is inhibitory a nerve impulse won’t occur.