Section 6 : Biopsychology - The Nervous System

Question 1

The nervous system has two main parts that are…

Answer 1

• Central Nervous System
• Peripheral Nervous System

Question 2

What is the CNS made up of

Answer 2

Brain and spinal cord

Question 3

What is the peripheral nervous system made up of

Answer 3

The neurons that connect the CNS to the rest of the body

Question 4

The peripheral nervous system also has two different systems which are…

Answer 4

Autonomic nervous system
Somatic nervous system

Question 5

What is the autonomic nervous system

Answer 5

System that controls unconscious activities e.g. breathing

Question 6

What is the somatic nervous system

Answer 6

Controls concious activities e.g. running, playing video games etc

Question 7

The autonomic nervous system has two further divisions which are…

Answer 7

Sympathetic nervous system
Parasympathetic nervous system

Question 8

What is the sympathetic nervous system

Answer 8

System that gets the body ready for action (fight or flight)

Question 9

What is the parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 9

System that calms the body down (rest and digest)

Question 10

What are neurons

Answer 10

specialised cells that conduct electrical impulses within the nervous system

Question 11

What is a neuron typically consist of

Answer 11

• Dendrite
• cell body
• axon
• myelin sheath (made up of Schwann cells)
• synaptic knob

Question 12

What do dendrites do

Answer 12

Receive information from other neurons

Question 13

How does the electrical impulse move along the neuron

Answer 13

The impulse moves along the axon and ends up at the synaptic knob

Question 14

What does the myelin sheath do

Answer 14

Insulates the axon and therefore speeds up nervous transmission

Question 15

What is the small gap between neurons called

Answer 15

Synapse

Question 16

What are neurotransmitters

Answer 16

Chemicals released from the synaptic knob. They pass across the synapse to pass on the impulse to the dendrites of the next neuron.

Question 17

What are the different types of neurons

Answer 17

Sensory
Relay
Motor

Question 18

What do sensory neurons do and what do they consist of

Answer 18

• transmit electrical impulses from receptors to CNS
• consist of receptor cells, dendron, cell body which sticks out and axon

Question 19

What do relay neurons do and what do they consist of

Answer 19

• the neurons that transmit impulses in the CNS and between sensory and motor neurons
• consists of dendrites, axons to motor neurons, cell body

Question 20

What do motor neurons do and what are they consisted of

Answer 20

• Neurons that transmit electrical impulses from the CNS to effectors
• dendrites, cell body, axon, axon terminal, effector cells

Question 21

What is the the pathway in which information is transmitted

Answer 21

Stimulus -> receptors -> CNS->effectors->response

Question 22

What are reflexes

Answer 22

fast automatic responses to certain stimuli. They bypass your conscious brain completely, instead they go thru the spinal cord or thru an unconscious part of the brain. These responses help us to avoid damage

Question 23

What is a synapse

Answer 23

A junction between a neuron and another neuron or between a neuron and effector cell

Question 24

What is the synaptic cleft

Answer 24

the space between the two neurons

Question 25

The presynaptic neuron has a swelling called ….

Answer 25

The synaptic knob. This contains synaptic vesicles filled with neurotransmitters

Question 26

What happens when the electrical impulse reach the end of a neuron

Answer 26

It causes the neurotransmitters to be released into the synaptic cleft. They diffuse across to the postsynaptic membrane and bind to specific receptors

Question 27

When the neurotransmitters bind to the receptors what might they trigger

Answer 27

• an electrical impulse in a neuron
• muscle contraction in a muscle cell
• hormone to be secreted from a gland

Question 28

How do the neurotransmitters travel

Answer 28

Only in one direction

Question 29

What happens after the neurotransmitters are released and stimulate the receptors

Answer 29

They are removed from the cleft so the response doesn’t keep happening

Question 30

How do neurotransmitters get taken back

Answer 30

Either taken back into presynaptic neuron or they’re broken down by enzymes

Question 31

Neurotransmitters are either….

Answer 31

Excitatory
Inhibitory

Question 32

What do excitatory neurotransmitters do

Answer 32

Increase the likelihood that an electrical impulse will be triggered in the postsynaptic neuron

Question 33

What do inhibitory neurotransmitters do

Answer 33

Inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease the likelihood that an electrical impulse will be triggered in the postsynaptic neuron

Question 34

What are the neurotransmitters we need to know

Answer 34

• Acetylcholine
• Dopamine
• Noradrenaline
• Serotonin
• GABA

Question 35

What is acetylcholine

Answer 35

• excitatory
• involved in voluntary movement, memory, learning and sleep
• too much may lead to depression to little may lead to dementia

Question 36

What is dopamine

Answer 36

• Neurotransmitter that helps with movement, attention and learning.
• too much is linked to schizophrenia and too little could result in depression and or Parkinson’s

Question 37

What is noradrenaline

Answer 37

• closely related to adrenaline (associated to fight or flight)
• too much is linked to schizophrenia too little may result in depression

Question 38

What is serotonin

Answer 38

• involved in emotion, mood, sleeping and eating.
• too much is linked to depression

Question 39

What is GABA

Answer 39

• inhibitory
• too little is linked to anxiety disorders