biopsychology

• What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?

  Peripheral Nervous System and Central Nervous System (CNS)
• What does the Peripheral Nervous System refer to?


  It refers to the parts of the nervous system that do not include the brain and spinal cord.
• What is the Central Nervous System (CNS) comprised of?


  The CNS is comprised of the brain and spinal cord.
• What is the function of the Central Nervous System?


  It receives information from the senses and controls the body’s responses.
• What is the somatic nervous system responsible for?


  It carries sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system.
• How does synaptic transmission occur?

  It is the process by which a nerve impulse passes across the synaptic cleft from one neuron to another.
• What are hormones?


  They are the body’s chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream.
• What processes do hormones influence?


  They influence mood, the stress response, and bonding between mother and newborn baby.
• What is the fight or flight response?


  It is a sequence of activity within the body that prepares it for defending or attacking or running to safety.
• What changes occur during the fight or flight response?


  Changes in the nervous system and secretion of hormones necessary to sustain arousal occur.
• Why does the tend and befriend response occur in females?


  It occurs due to the presence of oxytocin, which induces a nurturing response.
• What are axons?


  Axons carry the electrical impulse down the length of a neuron.
• What covers axons?


  Axons are covered in a fatty layer called a myelin sheath.
• What did Broca's research into localisation of brain function reveal?


  It revealed that language function is associated with part of the left frontal lobe.
• How does driving a taxi help with functional recovery?


  It increases brain plasticity, as shown by Maguire et al (2000).
• What did Maguire et al (2000) find about taxi drivers?


  Taxi drivers had a significantly higher volume of grey matter in their posterior hippocampus than the control group.
• What is split-brain research?


  It studies patients whose corpus callosum was severed, affecting communication between hemispheres.
• What did Sperry (1968) find in his split-brain research?


  Patients could describe objects seen in their right visual field but not in their left visual field.
• Why are young people more likely to recover from brain trauma?


  Young people experience rapid brain growth, increasing plasticity and the ability to recover.
• What is Wernicke’s area responsible for?


  It deals with language comprehension and is located in the temporal lobe.
• What is an electroencephalogram?


  It is a recording of brain activity using sensors attached to the scalp.
• What are examples of infradian rhythms?


  The female menstrual cycle and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
• What did Siffre’s research involve?


  Siffre spent time in a cave to study free-running biological rhythms without external cues.
• What was the outcome of Siffre’s studies regarding circadian rhythms?


  His free-running circadian rhythm settled at about 25 hours.
• What is an endogenous pacemaker?


  It is an internal biological clock that helps set circadian rhythms.
• What is an example of a circadian rhythm?


  The sleep-wake cycle.
• What is the suprachiasmatic nucleus?


  It is a bundle of nerves in the hypothalamus that regulates sleep-wake cycles.
• What are the pros of postmortem examination?


  They allow for anatomical studying of the brain that cannot be done on live subjects.
• What are the cons of postmortem examination?

  The subject is dead, so no follow-up studies or questions can be asked.
• What does the autonomic nervous system control?


  It controls the brain’s involuntary activities and is self-regulating.
• What are the two divisions of the autonomic nervous system?


  It is divided into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
• What are the two main divisions of the nervous system?

  Peripheral Nervous System and Central Nervous System (CNS)
• What does the Peripheral Nervous System refer to?


  It refers to the parts of the nervous system that do not include the brain and spinal cord.
• What is the Central Nervous System (CNS) comprised of?


  The CNS is comprised of the brain and spinal cord.
• What is the function of the Central Nervous System?


  It receives information from the senses and controls the body’s responses.
• What is the somatic nervous system responsible for?


  It carries sensory and motor information to and from the central nervous system.
• How does synaptic transmission occur?


  It is the process by which a nerve impulse passes across the synaptic cleft from one neuron to another.
• What are hormones?


  They are the body’s chemical messengers that travel through the bloodstream.
• What processes do hormones influence?


  They influence mood, the stress response, and bonding between mother and newborn baby.
• What is the fight or flight response?


  It is a sequence of activity within the body triggered when preparing to defend or escape.