Biological psychology

• Sympathetic motor system controls the ‘fight or flight’ response which is the body’s response to stress.
• Parasympathetic motor system is the relaxing responses which cause the body to calm down.
• Brain lateralisation - the brain is divided into two hemispheres, each with different functions.
• The frontal lobe is responsible for voluntary movement, planning, and decision making.
• The Temporal lobe is responsible for hearing, memory, and language.
• The cerebellum is responsible for motor control, balance, and posture.
• The parietal lobe is responsible for spatial awareness, language comprehension, and motor planning.
• The occipital lobe is responsible for vision and is located at the back of the brain.
• Node of Ranvier - gaps in the myelin sheath that allow ions to pass through and where depolarisation occurs.
• Axon - The long, thin fibre that carries impulses away from the cell body.
• Cell body - contains the nucleus and contains mitochondria.
• Dendrites - attached to cell body and receive electrical impulses from other neurons.
• Terminal button - release neurotransmitters at the end of the axon terminals.
• Schwann cells - produce insulating layers around the axon.
• Axon terminals - found at the end of the axon.
• Myelin Sheath - A fatty substance that insulates the axon of a neuron.
• Excitatory neurotransmitters - cause excitation of the post synaptic neuron by increasing its positive charge.
• Inhibitory neurotransmitters - the nervous systems ‘off switches’ which cause inhibition of the post synaptic neuron by increasing its negative charge, calming the mind and body.
• PNS = peripheral nervous system
• CNS = Central Nervous System (brain and spinal cord).
• Synaptic transmission -

  
• Acetylochine - an excitatory neuron. It slows heart rate, voluntary activation of the muscles.
• Dopamine - both an excitatory and inhibitory neuron. Acts as a chemical messenger, communicating messages between nerve cells in your brain and the rest of your body. Involved in schizophrenia.
• Serotonin - inhibitory neurone. Stabilises mood, anxiety, happiness and depression. Too little serotonin may lead to depression.
• GABA - inhibitory neuron. Role in behaviour and cognition. Abnormal levels of depression, anxiety, insomnia, contributed to memory loss.
• Glutamate - excitatory neuron. Needs to be present in the right concentration in the right places at the right time for the brain to function properly. If levels are too high or low then can cause neurotoxicity or depression.
• Adrenaline - excitatory neuron. Increases heart rate and blood pressure. Allows the body to respond quickly.
• Alcohol, caffeine and nicotine are legal recreational drugs.
• Cocaine, ecstasy and heroin and illegal recreational drugs.
• Reward pathway - the brain's reward system, which is involved in the motivation to seek out and consume food. Drugs hijack this reward system and produce pleasurable feelings without any adaptive functioning.
• Nicotine - binds to the receptors by mimicking neurotransmitter acetylcholine and increases transmission of dopamine.
• alcohol - has a depressant effect on the nervous system by increasing the action of GABA. Also increase's serotonin to feel happier.