biosychopathology - p2

Question 1

what are the 4 ways of studying the brain?

Answer 1

Post-Mortem
fMRI
EEG
ERP

Question 2

studying the brain: post-mortem (3)

Answer 2

• technique involving analysis of person’s brain after death
• individual is likely to have a rare disorder/or mental deficits
• damaged areas are examined after death to establish cause of damage - may involve comparison of neurotypical brain to clarify difference

Question 3

studying the brain: fMRI (3)

Answer 3

• detects changes in blood oxygenation/flow that occurs due to neural activity in certain parts of the brain
• when a brain area is more active - consumes more 02 to meet increased demand - blood flow directed to this area (haemoglobin response)
• produces 3D images (activation map) showing which parts are involved in a particular mental process

Question 4

studying the brain: EEG (3)

Answer 4

• measures electrical activity in brain via electrodes that are fixed to the skull using a cap
• scan recording patterns that are generated from neuron action - providing an overall account for brain activity
• often used by clinicians as diagnostic tool for unusual arrhythmic patterns of activity which may indicate neurological abnormalities e.g epilesy

Question 5

studying the brain: ERP (Event-Related Potentials) (3)

Answer 5

• teases and isolates neural responses associated with specific tasks (more finely tuned than EEG data)
• statistical averaging technique - extraneous activity from EEG filtered out, leaving only specific task responses
• ERP - types of brainwaves that are triggered by particular tasks/cognitive responses e.g attention

Question 6

what is a biological rhythm?

Answer 6

distinct patterns of changes in body activity that conform to cyclical time periods, influenced by internal and external body clocks

Question 7

what is a circadian rhythm?

Answer 7

biological rhythm, subject to a 24 hour cycle, that regulates a number of body processes like the sleep/wake cycle and changes in core body temperatures

Question 8

what is an internal body clock?

Answer 8

biological changes= endogenous pacemaker

Question 9

what is an external body clock?

Answer 9

environmental changes= exogenous zeitgebers

Question 10

what is an ultradian rhythm?

Answer 10

rhythm that occurs many times during the day, frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours

Question 11

what is an infradian rhythm?

Answer 11

rhythm that takes longer than a day to complete, frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours

Question 12

what are examples of a circadian rhythm?

Answer 12

sleep/wake cycle, core body temperature

Question 13

how is the sleep wake cycle affected?

Answer 13

by daylight- tend to feel sleepy at night and awake during the day
have an internal pacemaker- biological clock= suprachiasmatic nucleus, lies above optic chiasm which proides information from the eye about light

light can reset the suprachiasmatic nucleus

Question 14

what happened in the case study of Siffre?

Answer 14

caveman who spent several extended periods underground to see the effect of his own biological rhythms, deprived of exposure to natural light and sound but had adequate food and drink, resurfaced in mid September 1962 and thought it was August, biological rhythm settled to just beyond 25 hours but continued to sleep and wake on a regular schedule

Question 15

what happened in Aschoff and Wever’s study?

Answer 15

participants spent four weeks in a WW2 bunker deprived of natural light
all but one participants displayed a circadian rhythm between 24 and 25 hours

Question 16

what are the conclusions from research into the sleep wake cycle?

Answer 16

natural sleep/wake cycle slightly longer than 24 hours but entrained by exogenous zeitgebers associated with our 24 hour day

Question 17

what happened in Folkard et al’s study?

Answer 17

studied a group of 12 people in a cave for 3 weeks
went to bed when the clock said 11.45pm and rose when it said 7.45am

researchers gradually speeded up the clock so a ‘24 hour day’ only lasted 22 hours
only one of the participants could adjust to the new regime

Question 18

what type of rhythm is the menstrual cycle?

Answer 18

infradian rhythm

Question 19

what happens in the menstrual cycle?

Answer 19

monthly changes in hormone levels that regulate ovulation
typically lasts between 24 and 35 days

rising level of oestrogen causes ovulation
after ovulation, progsterone prepares the body for pregnancy

Question 20

what did Stern and McClintock’s research show?

Answer 20

29 women with a history of irregular periods
pheromones were gathered from 9 of the women at different stages of their menstrual cycles via a cotton pad in their armpit

pads worn for at least 8 hours
pads were treated with alcohol and frozen to be rubbed on the upper lip of the participants
68% of women experienced changes to their cycle of their ‘odour donor’
suggests that although the menstrual cycle is endogenous it may be influenced by exogenous factors

Question 21

what is seasonal affective disorder?

Answer 21

mental disorder that occurs seasonally, main symptoms are low mood, lack of activity and interest in life

Question 22

what type of rhythm is seasonal affective disorder?

Answer 22

circadian rhythm

Question 23

what do psychologists suggest is the cause of SAD?

Answer 23

hormone melatonin
pineal gland secretes melatonin until dawn when there is an increase in light

during winter, lack of light in the morning means this continues for longer
knock on effect on serotonin production

Question 24

what type of rhythm is the sleep cycle?

Answer 24

ultradian rhythm

Question 25

how many stages of sleep are there?

Answer 25

5

Question 26

how long does a cycle of sleep last?

Answer 26

approximately 90 minutes

Question 27

what happens in stage 1/2 of sleep?

Answer 27

light sleep where a person may easily be woken
brainwaves become slower and more rhythmic at the beginning of sleep (alpha waves) and these become slower as sleep becomes deeper (theta waves)

Question 28

what happens in stage 3/4 of sleep?

Answer 28

delta waves are slower and have a greater amplitude than earlier waves
slow wave sleep, hard to wake someone

Question 29

what happens in stage 5 of sleep?

Answer 29

REM
body paralysed but brain activity resembles that of someone who is awake

rapid eye movement occurs
when dreaming occurs

Question 30

what is an endogenous pacemaker?

Answer 30

internal body clock that regulates our biological rhythms

Question 31

what is an exogenous pacemaker?

Answer 31

external cues that entrain our biological rhythms

Question 32

what is the suprachiasmatic nucleus?

Answer 32

bundle of nerve cells that is located in the hypothalamus, is a primary endogenous pacemaker which influences circadian rhythms

Question 33

how does the suprachiasmatic nucleus process light?

Answer 33

receives information about light from the eyes, which has been processed by the visual area in the occipital lobe, and is relayed to the SCN via the optic chiasm between hemispheres
SCN processes info and triggers different rates of release of melatonin from the pineal gland

increased melotonin decreases serotonin levels