Biopsychology

• What does the central nervous system (CNS) include?

  The brain and spinal cord
• What is the role of the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

  It is a body-wide network of messenger neurons
• What does the autonomic nervous system (ANS) control?

  Actions of internal glands and involuntary systems
• What is the difference between the somatic nervous system (SNS) and the autonomic nervous system (ANS)?

  SNS controls skeletal muscles voluntarily, while ANS controls involuntary actions
• What is the function of the sympathetic system?

  It increases bodily activities and activates the fight or flight response
• What does the parasympathetic system do?

  It decreases bodily activities and promotes rest and digest functions
• What is the endocrine system?

  A collection of glands that regulate bodily functions by releasing hormones
• What is the role of the pituitary gland?

  It controls the release of hormones from other glands
• What is the function of the pineal gland?

  It releases melatonin to modulate sleep patterns
• What does the thyroid gland regulate?

  Metabolism through the release of thyroxine
• What is the role of the adrenal glands?

  They release adrenaline to regulate the fight or flight response
• What hormone do ovaries produce?

  Estrogen
• What hormone do testicles produce?

  Testosterone
• What is the reflex arc?

  A structure involving sensory, relay, and motor neurons for reflex actions
• What is the function of sensory neurons?

  To detect sensations and transmit information to the CNS
• What is the role of relay neurons?

  To transmit signals from sensory neurons to motor neurons
• What is the function of motor neurons?

  To stimulate effector organs like muscles
• What is synaptic transmission?

  The process by which neurons communicate through chemical signals
• What are neurotransmitters?

  Chemical messages released by neurons
• What is the difference between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters?

  Excitatory neurotransmitters increase the likelihood of an action potential, while inhibitory neurotransmitters decrease it
• What is summation in neural communication?

  The combined effect of all excitatory and inhibitory influences on a neuron
• Why is information passed unidirectionally in synaptic transmission?

  Due to the structure of the synapse, with neurotransmitters in the presynaptic cell and receptors in the postsynaptic cell
• What is the fight or flight response?

  An evolutionary survival mechanism that prepares the body for extreme action in response to a threat
• What is the role of the hypothalamus in the fight or flight response?

  It detects stress and activated amygdala, tells pituitary to release ACTH
• What hormone is released by the adrenal cortex during the fight or flight response?

  Cortisol
• Where are language centers located in the brain?

  In the left hemisphere
• What is hemispheric lateralization?

  The specialization of each hemisphere for different functions
• What is the function of Broca's area?

  It is responsible for speech production
• What happens if Broca's area is damaged?

  It results in difficulty producing fluent speech
• What is the function of Wernicke's area?

  It is responsible for speech comprehension
• What happens if Wernicke's area is damaged?

  It results in difficulty understanding speech
• What is the function of the auditory cortex?

  It receives and processes sound information
• What is the function of the visual cortex?

  It processes visual information
• What is the significance of modern brain scanning techniques like fMRI?

  They support older research on language centers by showing activation in specific regions
• What does the concept of plasticity refer to in the brain?

  The brain's ability to adapt in function and structure due to environmental changes
• What is functional recovery in the brain?

  The process where undamaged areas of the brain take over lost functions
• What is synaptic pruning?

  The process where unused synaptic connections are lost to make the brain more efficient
• What is axonal sprouting?

  The growth of new axons to connect to adjacent neurons
• What is neural regeneration?

  The growth of new neuronal cells
• What factors affect recovery from brain damage?

  Age, gender, access to therapy, and focused effort