biopsychology year 12 Flashcards
what is the peripheral nervous system made up of
somatic and autonomic nervous system
what is the autonomic nervous system made up of
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
what is the central nervous system made up of
Spine, Brain
what does the somatic nervous system do
connects the central nervous system and the senses and is where the voluntary control of body movements occur
what does the autonomic nervous system do
regulation of involuntary actions
what does the sympathetic nervous system do
primarily involved in responses that help us to deal with emergencies such as an increase in heart rate and blood pressure
what does the parasympathetic nervous system do and what physical changes happen
the parasympathetic nervous system relaxes the body again after the SNS takes action
salivation, lacrimation, urination, digestion and deffrication
what is the action potential
information that is passed by an electrical system
what happens during presynaptic neuron
at the end of an axon there are synaptic vesicles containing neurotransmitters and the action potential causes the neurotransmitters to be released and they diffuse across the synapse and bind to the receptors that recognize it then the chemical message is transferred into action potential again
what is the endocrine systems role and what is it made up of
network of glands throughout the body that manufacture and secrete chemical messages
what hormones do the pituitary glands produce
ACTH which stimulates the adrenal glands to produce cortisol
LH and FSH are produced which are important in controlling the reproductive functioning
Oxytocin is produced which stimulates the contraction of the uterus in childbirth and is important for mother-child bonding
what hormones do the adrenal glands produce and in what area
Cortisol is produced in the adrenal cortex
aldosterone is produced in the adrenal cortex
Adrenaline and noradrenaline is produced in the adrenal medulla
what is the function of cortisol
cardiovascular and anti-inflammatory functions that control blood pressure, immune system, and ability to deal with stress
what is the function of aldosterone
responsible for maintaining blood volume and blood pressure
what is the function of adrenaline
helps the body respond to stressful situations like increasing heart rate and blood flow
what is the function of noradrenaline
constricts blood vessels causing blood pressure to increase
what do ovaries release and what are they responsible for
oestrogen and progesterone which are important in the production of eggs and post ovulation
what do the testes release and what is it responsible for
testosterone which is responsible for the development of male characteristics like facial hair, deepening of the voice, growth spurts and sex drive
what happens when someone is faces with a threat in terms of the fight or flight response
the amygdala is mobilized which sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus which communicates with the rest of the body by the sympathetic nervous system
what is the response to acute stress like in the body
1, The SNS is triggered by the hypothalamus and sends a signal to the adrenal medulla
2, the adrenal medulla releases adrenaline into the bloodstream
3. adrenaline causes physiological changes to the body like increasing heart rate and blood pressure and the volume of glucose in the bloodstream
4. when the stressor has passed the parasympathetic nervous system calms the body down again
what is the response to chronic stress like in the body
- Hypothalamus releases signals to activate the SNS and releases CRH which is released into the bloodstream in response to the stressors
- The pituitary gland produces ACTH due to the CRH and this is transported via bloodstream to the adrenal glands
- ACTH stimulates the adrenal cortex to release cortisol which is responsible for positive and negative physiological changes to the body like quick bursts of energy and impaired cognitive function
- then there is a negative feedback which initiates a reduction in CRH and ACTH which brings the cortisol levels back to normal
evaluate the effectiveness of fight or flight
- not everyone responds in the same way to stress as females respond differently to males as females respond by protecting themselves and their children
- there are negative consequences to fight or flight as it can lead to physical damage in the blood vessels and eventually heart disease
- Gray argues that the first phase of the reaction is not to fight or flight its in fact to freeze to determine whats best to do
+ von dawans et al challenge the classical views that men only respond with flight or flight whereas women respond with befriending and found that stress can actually lead to cooperative behavior in both genders which explains the human connection in the response to 9/11
what is the function of the spine in the CNS
relay information between the brain and the rest of the body and it does this by the spinal cord connecting to different parts of the body
what are the 4 areas of the brain and what are each of them responsible for
The cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is further divided into 4 different lobes the parietal , frontal, occipital and temporal lobes
Cerebellum is involved in a persons motor skills
The diencephalon has 2 important structures that are the thalamus and the hypothalamus
The brain stem is responsible for regulating the automatic functions essential for life
what do relay neurons do and where can they be found
allow sensory and motor nuerones to communicate with each other and they lie only in the brain and the spinal cord
what do sensory neurons do
carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal cord and towards the brain
what do motor neurones do and where are they found
CNS form synapses with muscles and control their contractions and when they are stimulated the motor neuron releases neurotransmitters that bind to receptors on the muscle and trigger a response which leads to the muscle movement
what do inhibitory neurones do
make the neuron negatively charged and less likely to fire and are generally responsible for calming the mind and body
what do excitatory nuerotransmitters do
can excitation on the post synaptic neuro by increasing its positive charge and making it more likely to fire
what is summation
the calculation of the likelihood of the cell firing and is determined by adding up the excitatory and inhibitory synaptic inputs
