biopsychology new

• What is the central nervous system made up of?

  Brain and spinal cord
• What is the peripheral nervous system further divided into?

  Autonomic and somatic nervous systems
• What is the somatic nervous system responsible for?

  Voluntary movements
• What is the autonomic nervous system further divided into?

  Parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous system
• What is the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for?

  Rest and digest response, which brings the body back to homeostasis following the fight or flight response
• What is the sympathetic nervous system responsible for?

  Fight or flight response, which sets the body into a sense of alertness when a threat is detected
• What is the afferent function of the somatic nervous system?

  Carrying sensory information to the brain
• What is the efferent function of the somatic nervous system?

  Carrying motor information from the brain to the skeletal muscles to cause voluntary movement
• Where do sensory neurons carry information?

  From the skin to the spinal cord
• Where do motor neurons carry information?

  From the spinal cord to the skeletal muscles
• Where do relay neurons carry information?

  Between motor and sensory neurons
• What is an action potential?

  A brief electrical impulse that travels along the membrane of a neuron, allowing for the transmission of signals between neurons
• How do neurons communicate?

  Chemical transmissions across synapses
• Outline synaptic transmission

  • Neurotransmitter is released from vesicles in the axon terminal of the pre-synaptic neuron into the synapse
  • Neurotransmitter binds with a receptor on the dendrite of the post-synaptic neuron
  • Neurotransmitter is released from receptor site and reabsorbed into pre-synaptic neuron through reuptake channels
• What hormone does the thyroid release?

  Thyroxine
• What is the function of thyroxine?

  Regulates the body's metabolic rate
• What hormone is released from the adrenal medulla?

  Adrenaline and noradrenaline
• What are the functions of adrenaline and noradrenaline?

  Fight or flight response - increased heart rate and blood flow to brain and muscles, release of stored glucose and fats
• What hormone is released from the pineal gland?

  Melatonin
• What is the function of melatonin?

  Regulation of arousal, biological rhythms, and the sleep wake cycle
• What is the pituitary gland?

  Also known as the master gland, as any of the hormones it secretes control the secretions of other endocrine glands
• Where is the pituitary gland located?

  In the brain, connected to the hypothalamus, and is divided into the anterior lobe and posterior lobe
• What is the sympathomedullary pathway?

  Gives us energy and physiological arousal needed to respond quickly to a threat
• What are the stages of the fight or flight response?

  • Appraisal of threat alerts hypothalamus
  • Hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system
  • Adrenal medulla releases adrenaline and noradrenaline
• What are the direct effects of adrenaline?

  • Increased heart rate
  • Constriction of blood vessels, resulting in increased rate of blood flow and blood pressure
  • Diverts blood away from the skin, kidneys, and digestive system
  • Increases blood to brain and skeletal muscle
  • Increases respiration and sweating
• What happens when a threat is no longer perceived?

  The parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to homeostasis
• Where is Broca's area located?

  Left hemisphere of the frontal lobe
• Where is Wernicke's area located?

  Left hemisphere of the temporal lobe
• What is Broca's area responsible for?

  Speech production
• What is Wernicke's area responsible for?

  Language comprehension
• Where is the somatosenory cortex located?

  Parietal lobe
• Where is the motor cortex located?

  Frontal lobe
• Where is the auditory cortex located?

  Temporal lobe
• Where is the visual cortex located?

  Occipital lobe
• Who was Broca's case study patient?

  Tan, who could not produce speech except the word 'tan'
• What is a strength of Broca's and Wernicke's areas?

  Supporting evidence from Broca's and Wernicke's aphasia stemming from damage to the designated brain areas
• How does Lashley criticise localisation theory?

  Equipotentiality theory, supported by the study of rats' brains which were able to recover function after having deliberate damage to their brains
• What is equipotentiality?

  Motor and sensory functions are localised, whereas higher mental functions were not
• How do Dronkers et al criticise Broca?

  Reexamined Broca's patients' postmortems and found other areas of damage linked to difficulties with speech production. Broca's area may only temporarily disrupt speech production, while larger networks are involved in more severe speech disruptions.
• What is the corpus callosum?

  A band of nerve fibres that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing them to communicate