Paper 2: 6b. Biopsychology

Question 1

1) What is the nervous system?

Answer 1

The nervous system is a specialised network of cells in the human body and is our primary internal communication system.

Question 2

2) What are the two main functions of the nervous system?

Answer 2

1. To collect, process and respond to information in the environment.
2. To co-ordinate the working different organs and cells in the body.

Question 3

3) What are the two sub systems in the nervous system?

Answer 3

1. The Central Nervous System - The Brain & Spinal Cord are responsible for passing messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to the peripheral nervous system.
2. The Peripheral Nervous System - Nerves

Question 4

4) Describe the brain’s function in the Central Nervous System.

Answer 4

The brain is the centre of all conscious awareness. It receives and processes sensory information. The brain’s outer layer is called the cerebral cortex which is responsible for higher mental functions and it distinguishes us from other animals. The brain is divided into two hemispheres (L & R).

Question 5

5) Describe the spinal cord’s function in the Central Nervous System.

Answer 5

The spinal cord is an extension of the brain. It is responsible for reflex actions such as pulling your hand away from a hot plate.

Question 6

6) Describe the Periphernal Nervous System.

Answer 6

Transmits messages via millions of neurons to and from the CNS. There’s two parts - the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system.

Question 7

7) Describe the Central Nervous System.

Answer 7

This is responsible for passing messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to the periphiral nervous system.

Question 8

8) What is the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 8

This controls vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate, digestion, sexual arousal and stress response.

Question 9

9) What are the two branches of the Autonomic Nervous System?

Answer 9

1. Sympathetic branch

2. Parasympathetic branch

Question 10

10) Describe the sympathetic branch.

Answer 10

This increases your heart rate, increases blood pressure, inhibits digestion, inhibits saliva production and pupils become dilated.

Question 11

11) Describe the parasympathetic branch.

Answer 11

This tries to bring the heart rate down, decrease the blood pressure back to normal, stimulates digestion, stimulates saliva production, and constricts pupils.

Question 12

12) What is the difference between the somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system?

Answer 12

The somatic nervous system deals with voluntary actions and functions (ie picking up a pen) whereas the autonomic nervous system deals with involuntary actions and functions (accidentally dropping a pen).

Inhibitory means the message isn’t likely to be passed on to the next neurone (autonomic), whilst excitatory is likely to pass on the message to the next neurone (somatic)

Question 13

13) What is the endocrine system?

Answer 13

This is one of the body’s major information systems that instruct glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream. (1 mark)

The hormones are carried towards target organs in the body. (1 mark)

It’s slower than the nervous system but is still very powerful. (1 mark)

Question 14

14) Fully explain the Fight or Flight response when confronted with an ACUTE stressor. (hint: knife)

Answer 14

1) The body sees a short term stressor (ie a stabbing) and activates the hypothalamus.
2) This triggers the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.
3) The sympathetic branch triggers the release of adrenaline from the adrenal gland.
4) This adrenaline leads to a boost of energy and less pain sensitivity. (which is why someone might not know they were stabbed due to this adrenaline)
5) Once the stressor has gone, the parasympathetic branch of the Autonomic Nervous System returns the body into a resting state and reduces the heart rate back to normal.

Question 15

15) What two systems are involved with Fight or Flight?

Answer 15

Endocrine & Autonomic

Question 16

16) Fully explain the Fight or Flight response when confronted with a CHRONIC stressor.

Answer 16

1) The body sees a long term stressor (caring for someone with a terminal illness) and the pituitary gland releases Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH).
2) ACTH triggers the adrenal glad to release Cortisol into the bloodstream.
3) Cortisol gives a quick burst of energy, lowers pain sensitivity but unfortunately weakens the immune system,

Question 17

17) Spell ACTH fully 😏

Answer 17

Adrenocorticotropic hormone.

Question 18

18) What are the three types of neurones?

Answer 18

Motor neurons
Sensory neurons
Relay neurons

Question 19

19) Discuss motor neurons. (5 marks)

Answer 19

• Motor neurons are nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical signals.
• They’re located in the CNS and directly or indirectly control muscles.
• This is because motor neurones form synapses with muscles and release neurotransmitters into the synapse that binds to muscle receptors.
• This then triggers muscle movement.
• The strength of the muscle contraction depends on the rate of firing with the axons of the motor neurons.

Question 20

20) Discuss sensory neurons

Answer 20

• Sensory neurons carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors (ie for vision, taste etc) to the spinal cord and the brain.
• These sensory receptors are found in various locations in the body (eyes, tongue) and convert information from the sensory receptors into nerve impulses.
• Sensory impulses convert information from these sensory impulses into nerve impulses.
• When these impulses reach the brain, they’re translated into sensations. This allows an appropriate reaction.
• Some sensory information travels all the way to the brain or down the spinal cord for quick reflex actions.

Question 21

21) Discuss relay neurons

Answer 21

• Relay neurons connect the Central Nervous System to effectors and glands.
• They have short dendrites and long axons.
• They allow sensory and motor neurones to communicate with each other.
• These relay neurons can only be found within the brain and spinal cord.

Question 22

22) What does the cell body include? (in relay, motor or sensory neurons)

Answer 22

• Nucleus
• Dendrites
• Axon
• Myelin Sheath
• Nodes of Ranvier

Question 23

23) What is the function of the nucleus?

Answer 23

Holds the genetic material of the cell.

Question 24

24) What are dendrites?

Answer 24

Branch like structures that protrude from the cell body. These carry nerve impulses from neigbouring neurons towards the cell body.

Question 25

25) What is the axon?

Answer 25

Carries the impulses away from the cell body down the length of the neuron.

Question 26

26) What is the myelin sheath?

Answer 26

A fatty sheath that protects the axon and speeds up the electrical transmission of the impulse.

Question 27

27) What are the nodes of ravnier?

Answer 27

The gaps in the myelin sheath which speeds up the electrical transmission by forcing impulses to jump across the gaps.

Question 28

28) What are terminal buttons? (pronounced boo-tons)

Answer 28

At the end of the axon and comunicating with the next neuron in a synapse.

Question 29

29) Describe an electrical transmission

Answer 29

1. When a neuron in a resting style, the inside of the cell is negatively charged compared to the outside.
2. When a neuron is activated by a stimulus, the inside of the cell now becomes positively charged for a split second causing an action to occur.
3. This creates an electrical impulse that travels down the axon towards the end of the neuron.

Question 30

30) Describe a chemical transmission.

Answer 30

1. Signals between neurons are transmitted chemically across the synapse.
2. When the electrical impulse reaches the Presynaptic terminal it triggers the release of a neurotransmitter from tiny sacs called the synaptic vesicles.

Question 31

31) What is a neurotransmitter?

Answer 31

A neurotransmitter is a chemical messagethat spread across the synapse to the next neuron in the chain.

Question 32

32) What happens at the synapse?

Answer 32

1. A neurotransmitter crosses the gap and binds to the post synaptic receptor site of the next neuron.
2. `The chemical message is then converted back into an electrical impulse and the transmission process starts again in the new neuron.

Question 33

33) What two effects can neurotransmitters have on the neighbouring neurons?

Answer 33

Excitation and Inhibition

Question 34

34) What is serotonin’s effect?

Answer 34

Serotonin causes inhibition which leads to an increase of the negative charge of the post-synaptic neuron. This makes the neuron less likely to fire.

Question 35

35) What is inhibition?

Answer 35

The neuron is less likely to fire (pass on electrical impulses).

Question 36

36) What is adrenaline’s effect?

Answer 36

Adrenaline (hormone and transmitter) causes excitation of the post-synaptic neuron which leads to an increase of the positive charge of the post synaptic neuron. This makes the neuron more likely to fire.

Question 37

37) What is exhibition?

Answer 37

The neuron is more likely to fire (pass on electrical impulses).

Question 38

38) Describe a synaptic transmittion?

Answer 38

1. Inbetween each neuron is the synaptic neuron.
2. The electrical signal cannot jump over that gap. Instead, the electrical signal is translated into a neurotransmitter by the presynaptic neuron.
3. The neutrotranmitter diffuses across the synaptic cleft until it reaches the other neuron. The other neuron then translates the chemical signal back into an electrical one.
4. This new electrical message travels down the neuron until it reaches a new synaptic junction.

Question 39

39) What did Paul Broca and Karl Wernike discover

Answer 39

• They discovered that specific areas of the brain are associated with specific physical and psychological functions.

This means that if a ceryain part of the brain becomes damaged, then a certain part of the body will also be affected

Question 40

40) What did scientists believe before Broca and Wernicke’s discovery

Answer 40

Psychologists thought that the entire brain was responsible for processing information. This was called the ‘holistic theory of the brain’.

Question 41

41) Define lateralisation

Answer 41

The idea that the brain is divided into two symmetrical halves called left and right hemispheres. They both control different physical and psychological functions.

Question 42

Why is the brain considered contralateral?

Answer 42

In most people, the left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, and the right side of the brain controls the left side of the body.

Question 43

What is the cerebral cortex?

Answer 43

The outer wrinkly layer of the brain.

Question 44

What is the left hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 44

• Language

- The Broca and the Wernicke area

Question 45

What is the right hemisphere responsible for?

Answer 45

• Recognises emotions or faces.

- Spatial relationships.

Question 46

What are the four lobes in the brain? (FPOT)

Answer 46

1. The frontal lobe
2. The parietal lobe
3. The occipital lobe
4. The temporal lobe

Question 47

Tell me everything about the frontal lobe?

Answer 47

• Behind it is the motor area, which controls movement. Damage to this results in a loss of control of movement.

Question 48

Tell me everything about the parietal lobe?

Answer 48

• In front of the parietal lobe is the somatosensory area. This is where sensory information (heat or pain) is represented. The amount of area devoted to a particular body part relates to how sensitive a particular body part is.
  An example is the receptors in our hands.

Question 49

Tell me everything about the frontal lobe?

Answer 49

…

Question 50

Tell me everything about the frontal lobe?

Answer 50

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