UNIT 3: AOS1: How does the nervous system enable psychological functioning? Flashcards
Central Nervous System
Comprised of the brain and spinal cord. Receives sensory and sends motor information to the peripheral nervous system
Spinal Cord
Sends afferent messages **towards **the brain and sends efferent messages away from the brain
SAME
Sensory Afferent Motor Efferent
Peripheral Nervous System
Comprised of muscles, organs and glands
Sends sensory information and receives motor information from the central nervous system
Somatic Nervous System
Transmits information from receptor sites to the CNS and initiates voluntary movement.
Autonomic Nervous System
Carries information between the CNS and organs and glands, to regulate them without conscious awareness.
Sympathetic Nervous System
Prepares the body for vigorous activity. Activates the fight-flight-freeze response.
Parasympathetic Nervous System
Maintains the body in a state of homeostasis and calms the body down after activity
Neurons
Cells within the nervous system that transmits messages to and from the brain with various functions.
Sensory Neurons
Transmits sensory information from your body to your brain, through afferent pathways
Motor Neurons
Transmits motor information from your brain to your body through efferent pathways
Interneuron
Transmits information between sensory and motor neurons
Spinal Reflex
An automatic response that is initiated by neurons in the spinal cord, independent of the brain
Dendrite
Receives incoming neural messages
Soma
The body of the neuron containing the nucleus with the genetic material for the neuron
Axon
The pathway down which the neural messages travels
Myelin Sheath
Fatty tissue that encases the axon to aid in speed of transmission
Axon terminals
Exit pathways for neural messages to make their way to the next neuron
Terminal Buttons
Releases a chemical substance known as a neurotransmitter to a receiving neuron for communication purposes
Neurotransmission
Process of communication between neurons using electro-chemical energy
Action Potential
Electrical impulse initiated by the soma that turns negative ions into positive and vice versa
Neurotransmitter
The chemical substance released by the terminal button of a neuron, necessary for neural communication. Fast acting, short lived and localized.
Excitatory
Increasing the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential
Inhibitory
Decreasing the likelihood that a neuron will fire an action potential
Glutamate
An excitatory neurotransmitter that is involved in memory and learning
GABA
An inhibitory neurotransmitter associated with calming feelings of anxiety, stress or fear
Neuromodulator
A chemical messenger that enhances signal transmission.
Acts outside of the synapse to modify neuronal excitability.
Dopamine
Neuromodulator involved in drive, motivation and motor movement
Serotonin
Neuromodulator involved in mood stabilization
Synaptic Plasticity
The ability of the synapse to change in response to experience.
Controls how effectively two neurons communicate.
Sprouting
Formation of new neural connections to create lots of new synaptic pathways.
Rerouting
Establishment of an alternate synaptic pathway to avoid damaged neurons.
Pruning
Removal of unnecessary synapses in order to make useful neural pathways more effective.
Long Term Potentiation
The long lasting strengthening of synaptic connections resulting in enhanced efficiency of neural transmission
Long Term Depression
The long lasting weakening of synaptic connections resulting in reduced efficiency of neural transmission.
What are similarities between LTP and LTD?
Activity dependent, involve glutamate, occur at glutamate synapses, involve changes in excitability, long-lasting and are both forms of long-lasting plasticity.
Stressor
The Stimulus that prompts a stress response
Stress
A physiological and psychological state of tension
Stress Response
The result of the stress displayed in physiological or psychological characteristics
Eustress
Positive stress, short term, prepares the body for the absolute best performance
Distress
Negative stress, short and long term, body is so distracted by stress that we become dysfunctional
Examples of Internal Stressors
Hunger, illness, pessimistic attitude, low self esteem
Examples of External stressors
An upcoming exam, financial difficulties, relationship conflicts, being overworked
Acute Stress
Lasts for a relatively short time. The body bounces back well if the stress experienced is managed.
Chronic Stress
Continues for a prolonged period of time. Involves ongoing demands, pressures and worries that are constant and long-lasting.
Stress Responses: Physiological
Headache, cold/flu symptoms, skin rashes, heart palpitations
Stress Responses: Psychological
Changes to eating and sleeping habits, irritability and aggression, decreased concentration, impaired memory.
What is Cortisol?
It is the stress hormone. It involves increased glucose to help different bodily functions** repair damage** done through stress. It helps combat stress itself.
What are the three stages of the Seyle’s General Adaptation Syndrome Model? (GAS)
Alarm Reaction, Resistance and Exhaustion
What are the 2 subdivisions of Stage 1 of the GAS model?
Shock - When we first become aware of the stressor, our body enters a temporary state of shock where our ability to deal with a stressor falls below normal.
Counter Shock - Our body then rebounds, initiating the F-F-F response. Resistance levels will rise above normal.
SCARE
Shock, Counter shock, alarm reaction, resistance, exhaustion
What is the GAS model? Who created it?
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome
What happens to the body in Stage 2
Selye’s GAS
Body’s resistance to the stressor rises above normal. Physiological arousal is at a level above normal.
All necessary physiological processes are shut down.
Steroid hormones continue to be released.
Cortisol suppresses immune system activity.
What happens to the body in stage 3?
Selye’s GAS
Resistance well below normal.
Body no longer has the resources to cope.
Increased vulnerability to disorders, as the immune system has been suppressed.
Strengths of the Model
Selye’s GAS
Better understand links between stress and disease.
Raised awareness about the effects of stress on an individual’s physical health.
Identifies the physiological aspects of stress.
Limitations of the Model
Selye’s GAS
Doesn’t acknowledge individual differences.
Conducted on rats, not necessarily generalizable to humans.
Overemphasizes the physiological aspects of stress, and doesn’t explain the psychological aspect.
What is Primary Appraisal?
When we identify the stressor as being either irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful by asking ourselves questions.
And when we evaluate how the situation is stressful: Harm/Loss, a Threat or a Challenge.
What is Secondary Appraisal?
When we evaluate our coping options and resources.
What are the 3 ways we evaluate a stressful situation in reference to appraisal.
Harm - An assessment of how much damage has occurred.
Threat - An assessment of harm that may occur in the future.
Challenge - An assessment of the potential for personal growth.
What is the name of the model that features Appraisal and Transaction?
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping
Strengths of Lazarus and Folkman’s Model
Emphasises the psychological component of stress
Explains the variability in human stress responses trhough emphasing the subjective process of appraisal.
Experiments were done on humans, so are more generalised.
Limitations of Lazarus and Folkman’s Model
Appraisal is a subjective process; it is difficult to test the propositions of the model through experimental research.
As appraisal is often immediate and unconscious, it is difficult to isolate primary & secondary appraisal for experimental purposes.
It does not account for physiological aspects of stress as throughly as the GAS model.
What is the gut?
Microbiome responsible for processing food, absorbing nutrients and excreting waste.
Gut-Brain Axis
Two-way connection and communication pathway between the gut and the brain. (CNS and the Enteric NS)
Microbiota
Microorganism population that lives in a specific ecosystem such as the human gut.
What is the link between Microbiota and Stress?
A healthy gut microbiota produces important hormones and neurotransmitters needed for normal functioning.
Name for imbalance in gut microbiota
Gut Dysbiosis
Coping
All the things we do to manage and reduce the stress we experience
Coping Strategy
A method that we use to manage or reduce the stress produced by a stressor
Coping Flexibility
The ability to modify our coping strategies to adapt and meet the demands of different stressful situations
Steps of Coping Flexibility
-Recognise whether the coping strategy is appropriate
-Select a coping strategy that suits the situation
-Recognise when the coping strategy being used is ineffective
-Discontinue using an ineffective coping strategy and implement an alternative, more effective one.
High coping flexibility
Individuals with highcoping flexibility quickly regain and adjust their coping strategies if they are ineffective.
Low coping flexibility
Individuals with low coping flexibility tend to rely on the same, limited coping strategies, and persist with them even if they are ineffective.
Approach Strategy
An effort to confront a stressor and deal directly with it and its effects
Avoidance Strategy
An effort to avoid a stressor and not deal with it directly
Context-Specific Effectiveness
When the coping strategy is appropriate to the stressful situation.
Examples of coping strategies
Relaxation techniques, physical activity, setting goals, asking for help, emotionally supportive relationships.
