biopsych

• What is the concept of localisation of function in the brain?


  It refers to specific areas of the brain being linked with particular physical and psychological functions.
• What does lateralisation refer to in brain function?


  Lateralisation refers to some physical and psychological functions being controlled by a particular hemisphere of the brain.
• Which hemisphere controls the left side of the body?


  The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body.
• Why is the cerebral cortex significant in humans compared to lower animals?


  It is highly developed and separates humans from lower animals.
• What are the four lobes of the cerebral cortex?

  • Frontal lobe
  • Parietal lobe
  • Occipital lobe
  • Temporal lobe
• What is grey matter in the brain?

  Grey matter refers to the location of cell bodies in the cerebral cortex.
• What is the function of the motor area in the brain?


  The motor area controls voluntary movement.
• What happens if the motor area is damaged?


  Damage may result in loss of control over fine motor movements.
• What does the somatosensory area process?


  The somatosensory area processes sensory information from the skin, such as touch and heat.
• How is sensitivity related to the somatosensory area?


  The amount of somatosensory area devoted to a body part denotes its sensitivity.
• Where is the visual area located in the brain?


  The visual area is located in the occipital lobe at the back of the brain.
• How does visual information from the eyes reach the visual cortex?


  Each eye sends information from the right visual field to the left visual cortex and vice versa.
• What is the function of the auditory area in the brain?


  The auditory area analyses speech-based information.
• What happens if the auditory area is damaged?


  Damage may produce partial hearing loss, with more extensive damage leading to more serious loss.
• What are the two main language centres in the brain?

  • Broca's area (left frontal lobe) for speech production
  • Wernicke's area (left temporal lobe) for language understanding
• What is Broca's aphasia and what causes it?


  Broca's aphasia is characterized by slow, laborious speech and is caused by damage to Broca's area.
• What difficulties do people with Broca's aphasia face?


  They have difficulty finding words and naming objects, especially prepositions and conjunctions.
• What is Wernicke's aphasia and what characterizes it?


  Wernicke's aphasia involves producing fluent but meaningless speech and is caused by damage to Wernicke's area.
• What are neologisms in the context of Wernicke's aphasia?


  Neologisms are nonsense words produced as part of the content of speech by individuals with Wernicke's aphasia.
• What is hemispheric lateralisation?


  • The brain is divided into two hemispheres.
  • Some functions are localised and appear in both hemispheres.
  • Language centres are primarily in the left hemisphere for most people.
• What is the role of the left hemisphere in brain function?

  The left hemisphere is primarily responsible for verbal functions and language processing.
• What is the role of the right hemisphere in brain function?

  The right hemisphere is involved in emotional context and synthesizing information.
• What does split-brain research involve?


  Split-brain research involves surgically separating the two hemispheres of the brain to study their functions.
• What was the purpose of Sperry's split-brain research?


  The purpose was to reduce electrical storms in patients with severe epilepsy.
• What happens when an image is presented to the right visual field in split-brain research?


  The participant can describe what is seen because the information is processed by the left hemisphere.
• What happens when an image is presented to the left visual field in split-brain research?


  The participant cannot name the object but can select a matching object with the left hand.
• What does the term 'functional recovery of the brain' refer to?

  Functional recovery refers to healthy brain areas taking over functions of damaged areas.
• What is neural plasticity?


  Neural plasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt by forming new synaptic connections.
• What is the significance of the posterior hippocampus in taxi drivers according to Maguire et al (2000)?


  Taxi drivers have a significantly larger volume of grey matter in the posterior hippocampus due to their navigational skills.
• What changes were observed in medical students' brains before and after exams according to Draganski et al (2006)?

  Learning-induced changes were seen in the posterior hippocampus and parietal cortex.
• What is the role of axonal sprouting in functional recovery?


  Axonal sprouting involves the growth of new nerve endings that connect with undamaged cells.
• What is denervation supersensitivity?


  Denervation supersensitivity is when axons that perform similar functions become more sensitive to compensate for lost ones.
• What is the purpose of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?


  fMRI detects changes in blood oxygenation and flow related to neural activity in specific brain areas.
• What does fMRI produce in terms of brain activity?


  fMRI produces images showing which parts of the brain are active during specific tasks.
• What are the main purposes of brain scanning techniques in psychological research?


  • Investigate localisation of brain functions
  • Determine which parts of the brain are active during tasks
  • Diagnose medical conditions
• What is the primary function of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN)?


  It regulates the sleep/wake cycle.
• What are endogenous pacemakers?


  They are internal biological clocks that regulate rhythms.
• What are exogenous zeitgebers?


  They are external factors that reset biological clocks.
• What are the two types of biological rhythms?

  • Circadian rhythms (about one cycle every 24 hours)
  • Ultradian rhythms (occur multiple times a day)
  • Infradian rhythms (take more than a day to complete)
• What is the average duration of a circadian rhythm?


  About 24 hours.