Biopsychology

• What is the Central Nervous System (CNS)?

  Brain and Spinal Cord
• What is the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS)?

  All the nerves in the rest of our body (peripheral to the CNS). These transmit messages to and from our CNS.
• What does the Autonomic Nervous system do?

  Controls the automatic functions such as breathing, heart rate, digestion etc.
• What does the Somatic Nervous system do?

  Controls muscle movement snd receives information from sensory receptors.
• What are the physical effects of the Sympathetic state?

  • increases heart rate
  • increases breathing rate
  • dilates pupils
  • inhibits digestion
  • inhibits saliva production
  • contracts rectum
• Sensory neurons

  • activated by sensory input from the environment
  • convey sensory information to the spinal cord (where the relay neuron lives)
  • they only travel one way - towards the brain
• Relay neurons

  • get the message from the sensory neuron and pass that message up the spinal cord, to the brain.
  • brain will activate it’s response and relay neuron will run the message back down the spinal cord to the motor neuron.
• Motor neurons

  • will get the message from the relay neuron on how to react to the stimuli
  • e.g. pull hand away from hot water
• What is a neurotransmitter?

  A chemical messenger that carries, boosts and balances signals between neurons, or nerve cells, and other cells in the body.

  It is a chemical which diffuses (goes across) the synapse to the next neurone in the chain.
• What is Action Potential?


  Action Potentials (those electrical impulses that send signals around your body) are nothing more than a temporary shift (from negative to positive) in the neuron’s membrane potential caused by ions suddenly flowing in and out of the neuron.