PSYCHOBIOLOGY: the nervous system structure Flashcards
what is meant by ‘psychology?’
the study of the soul & mind
what brains do
describe the dualist approach
- the mind & matter are separate and different
- the interaction and influence on each other
- they are a mystery so cannot be studied
describe the materialist approach
- the mind is what brains do
- it is a mystery that we can investigate
what is ‘psychobiology’?
the study of the biological basis of human behaviour which studies the ‘how’ of behaviour
what is ‘behaviour’?
an organism’s internally coordinated response to stimuli in the internal / external environment
describe the 3 systems influenced by the environment
- immune: protects body from infection
- endocrine: maintains & regulates internal state
- nervous: controls activity by coordinating rapid & precise responses to stimuli
what are the 3 steps of behaviour?
- register information
- internal change
- response
what is a complex behaviour?
combining inputs to generate a variety of outputs
how do single cell organisms register
molecule attaches to cell membrane
how do single cell organisms transform the information
a chemical change at the cell membrane leads to a simple chemical change cascade inside the cell in a cyclic chain which feeds back on itself
what is the single cell organisms responses
responses are direct results of particular behaviours
how do complex organisms register
molecule attaches to receptor cell membrane
how do complex organisms transform information
a chemical change at the membrane leads to a chemical change cascade inside the cell, causing chemical changes in other nerve cells so that the nerve impulse is transmitted along neural pathways
what is the complex organisms response
output system activation, many different outputs
what is the only animal which does not have a nervous system?
sponges
what is a nervous system?
a network of electro chemically active cells which are specialised to communicate with each other
what is a centralised nervous system?
central and peripheral nervous systems are separate
- functionally more hierarchically organised
- brain specialised to organise and direct neuronal communication
what is an uncentralised nervous system?
simplest form
- no nerve control centre
- no control of other neuron’s or distant body part actions
what is the CNS?
brain, CNS & spinal cord
encased in bones
what is the PNS
peripheral nervous system
describe the PNS when there is input from sense organs
somatic nervous system –> output is voluntary from skeletal muscles
describe the PNS when there is no external input
autonomic NS (automatically controlled) –> sympathetic / parasympathetic –> output is involuntary from muscles and glands
sympathetic NS
fight or flight
parasympathetic NS
rest & maintenance
what is behaviour?
detection, transformation & motor command performed by sensory & motor neurones inside the spinal cord without involving the brain
describe the spinal cord & CNS/PNS links
- sensory signals from the body enters the CNS via the spinal cord
- motor signals to the body leave the CNS via the spinal cord
what is the role of monosynaptic reflexes?
work to resist or dampen quick stretching of skeletal muscle to enable smooth & stable movement without us having to think about it
describe the process of monosynaptic reflexes
- muscle spindles inside muscle fibres activate a sensory neurone when muscle is quickly stretched
- axons enter spinal cord via the dorsal root
- axons connect directly with the motor neurone which sends axons out via the ventral root
- the original muscle is activated causing it to contract
what is a polysynaptic reflex?
sensory and motor neurones in different locations are connected via one or more interneurons in a flexible arrangement
what is a synapse?
signalling link between a neurone and another cell
what is a structural synapse?
the specialised sender part of the neutron comes close to the specialised receptor part of a target cell
what is a functional synapse?
all neurone contribute to the same signal no matter how many contact points there are
- monosynaptic = 1 synapse links the sensory & motor
- polysynaptic = several synapses between sensory & motor
what is learning?
modifying links between inputs and responses
what is a central pattern generator?
spinal cord neurons generate complex movement patterns but cannot voluntarily initiate movement - the patterns are elicited in response to appropriate stimulations
what is voluntary control?
initiated and controlled by the brain
