Biological psychology

• What is the CNS made up of?

  Brain and spinal cord.
• What is the function of the spinal cord?

  Relieves sensory information from the body (peripheral nervous system). It sends messages (sensory information) to the brain for processing.
• What is the function of the thalamus?

  Receives information from all senses.
• What is the function of the hypothalamus?

  Controls motivational behavior such as hunger, thirst and sex.
• What is the function of the corpus gallosum?

  Connects two brain hemispheres.
• What is the function of the cerebellum?

  Little brain- integrates the activity of both sides of the body- balance, movement, posture.
• The left hemisphere controls the right side of the body which is also known as lateralisation.
• The frontal lobe is responsible for planning, decision making, judgement, personality expression, speech production and motor control.
• The right hemisphere controls the left side of the body
• what is the function of the parietal lobe?

  The parietal lobe is responsible for touch, pain, temperature, pressure and proprioception.
• what is the function of the amygdala?

  Emotion and memory processing.
• What is the limbic system?

  Consists of the amygdala, plays a role in regulating emotional responses. Integrating information from the spinal cord.
• What is the cerebral cortex?

  The outer layer of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. Looks like a walnut and SA is four sheets of a4 paper.
• What is the frontal lobe?

  The frontal lobe is the part of the brain responsible for executive functions, decision-making, and personality. Contain the motor cortex, a long strip of neurons that runs down alongside the central sulcus of both hemispheres.
• Where is the parietal lobes found?

  Are found on the other side of the central sulcus, further back in the brain.
• Where is the temporal lobe found and function?

  Lies beneath the lateral sulcus of each hemisphere. They process the location, volume and pitch of sounds and therefore have a role in understanding language.
• What is the function of the occipital lobe?

  The occipital lobe is responsible for processing visual information and interpreting it into meaningful images.
• What is the mode of action of alcohol?

  Has a depressant effect on the nervous system: it acts to inhibit neural transmission by increasing the action of GABA (an inhibitory neurotransmitter).
• What is the mode of action opioids e.g heroin and morphine?

  Reduces GABA activity, which leads to over activity of dopaminergic neurotransmitter in the reward pathways to the brain.
• What is the mode of action of cocaine?

  Increases activity in the dopamine pathway by blocking the reuptake of dopamine
• What is the mode of action for nicotine?

  Targets aspects of the dopamine pathway increasing the amount of transmission of dopamine by blocking the enzyme that breaks it down. It also mimics acetylcholine and binds to nicotine receptors.
• What do we mean by mode of action?

  The impact it has on the neurotransmitter in the brain.
• explain what happens at a synapse?

  when an action potential occurs vesicles release neurotransmitters into synaptic cleft. Neurotransmitters binds to receptors and activates them. Excess neurotransmitters is taken up by pre-synaptic neuron. enzymes are released to breakdown remaining neurotransmitter. Vesicles are replenished with new and reused neurotransmitters.
• why is addiction such a problem?

  decrease quality of life. Difficult to get a job ruin relationships. Children are getting neglected death turn to crime isolation of health problems. Increase in crime rates increase homelessness increase unemployment public fear, bad economy, drop and house prices take up hospital resources
• What is aggression?

  aggression is feelings of anger or antipathy resulting in violent behaviour, readiness to attack or confront.
• What did the Phineas gage case conclude about aggression?

  The case highlights how the damage to the frontal lobes increases aggression. It was concluded that the frontal lobes plays a role in aggression.
• What are the three types of aggression?

  • Offensive behaviour (medial hypothalamus)
  • Defensive behaviour (dorsal hypothalamus)
  • Predatory aggression (lateral hypothalamus)
• How is the midbrain associated with aggression?

  interpret pain and threats.
• How is the prefrontal cortex associated with aggression?

  immediate gratification from lashing out people damage here and unable to plan so cannot foresee the consequences of their actions can be impulsive.
• how is the hypothalamus associated with aggression?

  Homeostasis balances and regulate hormones. Unregulated testosterone causes aggression.
• How is the anmygdala associated with aggression?

  processes emotions: emotional processing centre, processes intensity of emotions.
• How is dopamine associated with aggression?

  dopamine has inhibitory effects in the brain when dopamine and serotonin interact serotonin underactivity (hyperfunction) stimulates dopamine overactivity (ryperfunction) are both linked with impulsivity and aggression.
• How was serotonin linked aggression?

  decrease serotonin reduce self control and lead to more impulsive behaviour such as aggression. Dopamine may influence on aggression comes through its interactions with serotonin.
• What is trepanning ?

  Trepanning is a surgical procedure in which a hole is drilled into the skull.
• What does the right hemisphere control?


  Creativity, intuition, spatial awareness, and emotions.
• What does the left hemisphere control?

  Language, logic, and analytical thinking.
• Compare the use of PET scans to CAT scans?

  Both PET and CAT scans are non invasive imaging techniques used to diagnose and monitor various medical conditions. They both can produce cross- sectional images of the body allowing for detailed examination of internal structures. PET scans involve the use of radioactive tracers which is a form of glucose injected in the body. CAT scans uses xrays to create detailed cross sectional images of the body.
• What is a FMRI scan?


  Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) is a neuroimaging technique that measures brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow.
• What are strengths of CAT scans?

  • Quick and easy to conduct and can give accurate details of brain structure.
  • Helps guide clinicians in decision making regarding treatment or surgery
• What are strengths of PET scans?

  • Valid and ethical
  • predicts what kind of issues patients might face