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Psychology U3/4 > U3AOS1A - Nervous System Functioning > Flashcards

U3AOS1A - Nervous System Functioning Flashcards

Cambridge 3B-C

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1
Q

Define nervous system

A
  • Complex, highly organised network of specialised cells that enable the brain to perceive internal & external information as well as respond appropriately
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2
Q

What is a neural pathway?

A
  • A chain of neurons that connect one part of the nervous system to another
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3
Q

What does the central nervous system consist of?

A
  • Brain
  • Spinal CORD
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4
Q

What is the function of the CNS?

A
  • Receives sensory information from the PNS
  • Sends motor information to the PNS
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5
Q

Describe the role of the brain in the nervous system

A
  • Regulates and guides all other parts of the NS
  • Responsible for…
    • Vital bodily functions like breathing, heart rate and digestion
    • Receiving information from the outside world via the senses and coordinating appropriate responses
    • Higher order functions like planning, thinking and learning
    • Emotions, personalities, sense of humour
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6
Q

Describe the role of the spinal cord in the nervous system

A
  • Cable-like column of nerve fibres that extends from the base of the brain to the lower back and is encased by a series of bones called vertebrae
  • Helps brings sensory messages to the brain
  • Takes motor messsages back
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7
Q

Describe with keywords how the spinal cord helps the brain communicate

SAME (acronym)

A
  • Two-direction highway
  • Sends sensory messages towards the brain through afferent tracts
  • Sends motor messages away from the brain through efferent tracts
  • Designed this way for speed
  • Exception of spinal cord reflex
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8
Q

What would injury to the spinal cord cause?

A
  • Brain losing sensory information and control over the body
  • Severity depends on…
    • Where the spinal cord is injured
    • Extent of injury
  • Generally, the higher up on the spine the injury is, the greater number of connections are disturbed
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9
Q

What does the peripheral nervous system consist of?

MOG

A
  • Everything outside the brain and spinal cord
  • Muscles, Organs and Glands
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10
Q

Why aren’t interneurons present in the PNS?

A
  • Interneurons are only in the spinal cord
  • The spinal is not part of the PNS
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11
Q

What is the function of the PNS?

A
  • Sends sensory information to the CNS
  • Recieves motor information from the CNS
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12
Q

What is the PNS broken down into?

A
  • Somatic NS
    • Information to skeletal muscles to initiate voluntary movement
    • Sensory information to CNS based on 5 senses
  • Autonomic NS
    • Between CNS and organs and glands to ensure they are regulated without conscious awareness
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13
Q

Why is the autonomic NS referred to as autonomous? Is this accurate?

A
  • Most aspects of it are self regulating and occur without conscious effort
  • Not an accurate description because some parts of the ANS we can consciously control
    • For example blinking and breathing because it is linked to the cerebral cortex
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14
Q

When can you become consciously aware of ANS functions?

A
  • In intense situations (can be good or bad)
    • For example getting into your dream university or getting up to do an oral presentation
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15
Q

What are the subdivisions of the autonomic nervous system?

A
  • Sympathetic NS
    • Prepares the body for action, to deal with a potential threat
    • Activates the fight-flight-freeze response
  • Parasympathetic NS
    • Maintains the body in a state of homeostasis
    • Returns body to state of calm following stress or heightened arousal
    • Counterbalances sympathetic
  • Enteric
    • Embedded within the walls of the gastrointestinal (digestive) tract
    • Extensive two-way connections with the CNS
    • Can function independently of the brain and carry out its functions without communicating with the brain
    • Contains living organisms called gut microbiota that maintain gut health and functioning
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16
Q

Name 4 examples of responses by the sympathetic NS to a threat

A
  • Pupils dilating
    • Allows more light into the eye to see better
  • Heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rates increasing
    • Accelerates oxygenated blood flow to the muscles
  • Energy being diverted to muscles from functions such as digestion
    • Conserves energy for responding to the threat
  • Increased sugar and fat being released into the blood
    • Provide energy
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17
Q

Why is the sympathetic nervous system dominant in the face of a threat?

A
  • Main function is to increase arousal
  • Readies body for a quick response (FFF response)
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18
Q

How do the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS function?

A
  • The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems do not function in an ‘on/off’ or ‘either/or’ way
  • They are both active at the same time but one tends to be dominant over the other
  • Parasympathetic NS dominates during normal day-to-day activities
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19
Q

How do the enteric nervous system and the central nervous system interact?

A
  • Two-way; Independent and interdependent
  • The ENS and CNS communicate in order to manage your wellbeing and control your digestive system
  • ENS controls 90% of bodys serotonin
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20
Q

Why is there a difference in speed between the sympathetic and parasympathetic NS?

A
  • Sympathetic reaction is immediate
  • Your body takes longer to return to a state of calm (parasympathetic) because sympathetic hormones linger within the bloodstream for some time after the threat has passed
21
Q

Compare the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system

A
  • SNS - Dilates pupils, PNS - Contracts pupils
  • SNS - Accelerates heartbeat, PNS - Slows heartbeat
  • SNS - Inhibits digestion, PNS - Stimulates digestion
  • SNS - Stimulates glucose release by liver, PNS - Stimulates gallbladder
  • SNS - Secretion of epinephrine and norepinephrine
  • SNS - Contracts bladder, PNS - Relaxes bladder
  • TLDR - SNS Activates functions in order to prepare for a threat; in order to do this, bodily functions that are not readily needed are surpressed
    • PNS Returns the body to it’s natural state of equilibrium (homeostasis)
22
Q

Distinguish between conscious and unconscious responses

A
  • You are aware of conscious responses - Unaware of unconscious
  • Able to control conscious responses - Unable to control unconscious
  • Conscious responses are voluntary - Unconscious are involuntary
  • CR can involve learning - UR generally dont
  • CR are more complex, series of responses - UR simpler, single response
23
Q

What is the fight-flight-freeze response?

A
  • Initiated by sympathetic
  • Prepares the body to confront a stressful situation to optimise the chance of survival
  • Adaptive response (beneficial for survival)
  • The mechanism adopted is dependent on the likelihood of survival in each situation
    • Fight - Stay and Attack
    • Flight - Run
    • Freeze - Go unnoticed or undetected/ assess situation → Immobility, high arousal, alertness and tension (parasympathetic dominant)
24
Q

What are adaptive changes that occur when the fight-flight-freeze response is activated?

A
  • Increased heart rate, breathing rate, blood pressure
    • Provides muscles with oxygenated blood
  • Dilated pupils
    • Increases light into eyes and therefore aids vision
  • Increased sweat production
    • Cools down body
25
Q

What is a spinal reflex/reflex arc?

A
  • Automatic, unconscious response that is initiated by neurons in the spinal cord
  • Independent of the brain
  • Occurs in moments of physical pain and aids survival
  • Message intercepted by interneurons in spinal cord
26
Q

What are the steps of a spinal reflex?

A
  • Sensory stimulus detected by sensory receptors
  • Sensory neurons transmit sensory information towards the spinal cord (Afferent)
  • Sensory information relayed to interneurons
    • Interneurons connect motor and sensory neurons by relaying information
    • Adaptive involuntary motor response is initiated by the interneurons without input from the brain
  • Motor movement information relayed to motor neurons - Transmit information to relevant muscles (Efferent)
  • Muscles are activated to perform movements required (still without input from the brain)
27
Q

Why is a spinal reflex adaptive?

A
  • Response is conducted before it is consciously interpreted by the brain, ensuring efficiency → Maximises chance that one does not get injured
    • Although this is only by a fraction of a second, this time could mean the difference between life and death
28
Q

Define neuron

A
  • Building blocks of the nervous system
  • Transmit messages to and from the brain, various functions
  • Look different depending on function
29
Q

Describe the 3 main types of neurons

A
  • Sensory Neuron (Afferent)
    • Cell body is in the middle and sticks out of axons
    • Transmit sensory information from body to brain
  • Motor Neuron (Efferent)
    • Generic shape (shaped like an i)
    • Transmit information from brain to body
  • Interneuron
    • Cell body is in the middle, axons start from below
    • Transmit information between sensory and motor
    • Most abundant in the brain
    • Not present in peripheral NS
30
Q

Draw and label a neuron

A
  • Should include…
    • Soma (cell body) with nucleus
    • Dendrites - Recieves incoming neural messages
    • Dendritic spines
    • Axon - Pathway that neural message travles
    • Myelin Sheath - Fatty tissue that encases axon to aid speed of transmission
    • Direction of impulse
    • Axon Terminals - Exit pathways for neural messages to make way to the next neuron
    • Terminal Buttons - Releases chemical substance known as a neurotransmitter to a recieving neuron
31
Q

Outline the steps of neurotransmission

A
  • Neural impulse/ action potential (electrical) runs from dendrite to the axon and axon terminals in presynaptic neuron
  • Terminal buttons release neurotransmitter
  • Neurotransmitter crosses the synapse (space between neurons)
  • Neurotransmitter picked up by postsynaptic neuron

Uses electrochemical energy

32
Q

Describe neurotransmission in terms of the synapse

A
  • Neurotransmitters stored in synaptic vesicles
  • When stimulated, the pre synaptic neuron releases neurotransmitters across the synapse
  • Specific receptor site on the post synaptic neuron recieves the neurotransmitter
  • Any neurotransmitter molecules that are not recieved are taken back into the presynaptic neuron through reuptake
33
Q

Define neurotransmitter

A
  • Chemical substance released by the terminal button of a neuron
  • Necessary for neural communication
34
Q

What is an excitatory neurotransmitter?

A
  • Increases the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential
  • E.g Glutamate - Helps with formation and retrieval of a memory and therefore learning + habits
    • Too much - Migraines due to overstimulation of neurons
    • Too little - Poor communication between neurons
35
Q

What is an inhibitory neurotransmitter?

A
  • Decreases the likelihood that the neuron will fire an action potential
  • E.g Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) - Associated with calming feelings of anxiety, stress or fear
    • Too much - Sluggish, foggy thinking
    • Too little - Postsynaptic neurons can get out of control, anxiety
36
Q

What is a neuromodulator?

A
  • Chemical messenger that enhances signal transmission
  • Work together with neurotransmitters to enhance the inhibitory and excitatory effects and create more widespread impacts
  • Effective on a group of neurons and impacts last longer
  • Released in same way as neurotransmitters
37
Q

Describe dopamine

A
  • Neuromodulator that is involved in drive, motivation and motor movement
  • Associated with addictive behaviours such as gambling
  • Associated with the effectiveness of ‘to-do lists’
    • Too much - Hallucinations and delusions
    • Too little - Lack of motivation to complete mundane activities

🔗- Learning and Memory

38
Q

Describe serotonin

A
  • Neuromodulator involved in mood stabilisation
  • Plays important role in wellbeing and happiness
  • Important in digestion and metabolism as well as stress
    • Too much - Serotonin syndrome
    • Too little - Anxiety disorders

🔗- Gut-brain axis, stress, sleep-wake cycle

39
Q

Distinguish between neurotransmitters and neuromodulators

A
  • Modulators can affect multiple synapses
  • Modulators tend to be slower acting
  • Modulators can influence effects of neurotransmitters (alter receptor)
40
Q

What is neuroplasticity?

A
  • The ability of the brain to physically change in response to experience
  • Two types - Developmental and Adaptive
41
Q

What is developmental plasticity?

A
  • Occurs naturally across the lifespan
  • Certain critical periods that enable greater developmental plasticity
42
Q

What is adaptive plasticity?

A
  • Occurs as a result of brain damage or trauma
  • Utilising critical periods for developmental plasticity helps enable greater adaptive plasticity
43
Q

What is Hebb’s rule?

A
  • ‘Neurons that fire together, wire together’
  • Neurons that continuously interact with each other will form a strong synaptic bond
44
Q

What is long-term potentiation?

A
  • Long-lasting and experience-dependent strengthening of synaptic connections that are regularly activated
45
Q

What is long-term depression?

A
  • Long-lasting and experience-dependent weakening of synaptic connections between neurons that are not regularly activated
46
Q

What are the processes that neurons go through?

A
  • Proliferation
    • Mass creation of neurons from birth
  • Migration
    • Neurons migrate to areas that they are needed
  • Circuit Formation
    • Creation of synapses
    • Strong = Proceed to Myelination (strengthen)
  • Circuit Pruning
    • Removing neural connections
47
Q

What are the 3 specific neural processes involved in synaptic plasticity?

SRP

A
  • Sprouting - The ability of dendrites or axons to change over time in response to activity or experience
    • Become ‘bushier’
  • Rerouting - The ability of a neuron that is connected to a damaged neuron to create an alternate synaptic connection
  • Pruning - The elimination of synaptic connections that are not adequately activated
48
Q

What are two synaptic modifications that occur during sprouting?

A
  • Dendritic Branching
    • Bushier dendrites on the postsynaptic neuron
  • Filigree Appendages
    • Growth of the axon terminal on the presynaptic neuron

Psychology U3/4 (12 decks)

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