Biopsych

• What is the division of the nervous system 


  The nervous system is broken into the central and peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is split into the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous transmits information to and from the central nervous system. The peripheral nervous system is broken into the somatic and autonomic nervous system. The autonomic nervous system is then broken down into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
• What is the somatic nervous system

  The somatic nervous system controls movement
• What is the autonomic nervous system

  The autonomic nervous system controls involuntary vital functions
• What is the sympathetic nervous system

  The sympathetic nervous system triggers the fight or flight response by increasing heart rate.
• What is the parasympathetic nervous system


  The parasympathetic nervous system restores rest and digestion
• What is a neuron 


  Neurons play a vital role in communication by transmitting electrical impulses around the body
• What are the different types of neuron

  • Sensory neuron
  • Relay neuron
  • Motor neuron
• What is a sensory neuron 


  Sensory neurons transmit impulses from receptors such as the eye or nose to the brain or spinal cord
• What is the relay neuron

  The relay neuron transmit electrical impulses from sensory neurons to motor neurons
• What are motor neurons 


  Motor neurons transmit electrical impulses from the brain or spinal cord to the effectors such as the muscles or glands
• What is the endocrine system 


  The endocrine system communicates chemical messages to the organs of the body. It is a network of glands across the body that secrete chemical messengers called hormones.
• What is the pituitary gland


  The pituitary gland (AKA master gland) produces growth hormones which regulate growth, metabolism , and body composition.
• What is the adrenal gland

  The adrenal gland produces adrenaline which increases heart rate and blood flow ready for fight or flight
• What are the ovaries 


  The ovaries produce oestrogen which controls the regulation of the female reproductive system including menstruation and pregnancy.
• What are the testes

  The testes produce testosterone which is responsible for the development of the male sex characteristics during puberty while also promoting muscle growth.
• What is the pineal gland 


  The pineal gland produces melatonin which is responsible for important biological rhythms like the sleep wake cycle
• What is synaptic transmission


  Synaptic transmission is the process where one neuron communicates with another. Information is passed down the axon terminal of the presynaptic neuron as an electrical impulse this triggers the release of neurotransmitters which are chemical messengers from their vehicles they then diffuse across the synaptic cleft and vine to specific receptor sites in the postsynaptic neuron this triggers the electrical impulse in the next neuron.
• What is summation 


  The neurotransmitters are more likely to fire if they are exhibitory and less likely to fire if they are inhibitory.
• What is fight or flight 


  The fight or flight response is an autonomic physiological reaction to a situation that appears to be a threat. This threat triggers the sympathetic nervous system to release adrenaline which causes a number of physiological changes such as an increase in heart rate etc. This prepares the body to either fight or flight. Once the threat is over the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body back to its normal state by reducing heart rate to resting level.
• What is localisation


  This is the idea that certain areas of the brain have specific functions
• What is the motor cortex 


  The motor cortex is located at the back of the frontal lobe and is responsible for voluntary movements.
• Strength of motor cortex - research to support 


  One strength of the motor cortex controlling movement is that there is research to support . for example Hitzig and Fritsch discovered that different muscles are coordinated by different areas of the motor cortex by electrically stimulating the motor cortex in dogs. This resulted in different areas of the body receiving muscle contractions based on where the probes were located.
• What is the somatosensory area 


  Located in the parietal lobe. Receives sensory information from skin to produce sensations related to pressure, pain, temperature etc.
• What is the visual area 


  Located in the parietal lobe . Receives and processes visual information.
• What is the auditory area 


  Located in the temporal lobe. Responsible for analysing and processing acoustic information
• What is Broca's area 


  Located in the left frontal lobe. Involved in speech production
• What is Wernicke's area 


  Located in the left temporal lobe. Responsible for language comprehension
• Strength of localisation - research to support 


  One strength of localisation is that it has research to support for example, patient Tan. Through a post mortem examination it was found that he had a lesion on his left frontal lobe causing broca's aphasia. This meant that he could understand speech but could not produce it, which is why he could only say the word 'tan'.
• limitation of patient tan - issues with localisation 


  One limitation of patient Tan is that there are issues with localisation. This is because Dronkers et al conducted an MRI on patient tans brain to try and confirm Broca's findings and found that although there was a lesion, other areas of the brain could have contributed to the failure of speech production. This suggests that broca's area might not be the only area responsible for speech production and that deficits found in patients with aphasia could also be the result of damage to neighbouring areas.
• Limitation of localisation - higher cognitive functions may not be localised 


  One limitation of localisation is that higher cognitive functions such as learning may not be localised to one area. For example, Lashley removed areas of the brain in rats while they were learning a maze. It was found that no one area appeared to be more important in terms of the rats ability to learn the maze and learning appeared to require every part of the brain. This is because the brain is so complex that no one area can act independently from the rest. Strict localisation is a biological reductionist.
• Limitation of Localisation - biological reductionist 


  One limitation of strict localisation is that it is a biological reductionist and a more thorough understanding of the brain is needed to understand complex cognitive functions. It may be more important to investigate how areas of the brain communicate with each other rather than focusing on specific brain regions.
• Limitation of localisation - fails to consider individual differences 


  One limitation of localisation is that it fails to consider individual differences. For example, Herasty found that women have a larger broca's area and wernicke's area than men. This suggests that there is a level of beta bias in localisation where the difference between men and women are ignored or minimised.
• What is plasticity 


  The brains ability to change and adapt because of experience
• What is synaptic pruning 


  Between the ages of 2-3 the brain experiences its most rapid growth in the number of synaptic connections.
• Strength of plasticity - research to support

  One strength of plasticity is that it has research to support. for example, Maguires london taxi driver study. In this study they carried out MRI scans on taxi drivers and found significantly more grey matter in the posterior hippocampus than the control group. They also found a positive correlation between time in the job and pronounced structural difference. This shows that the brain can permanently change in response to frequent exposure to a certain task.
• What is functional recovery after trauma

  • Denervation supersensitivity
  • Neuronal unmasking
  • Axon sprouting
• What is denervation supersensitivity 


  This is the transfer of functions from a damaged area of the brain after trauma to other undamaged areas
• what is neuronal unmasking


  this is when dormant synapses open connections to compensate for damaged areas of the brain
• What is axon sprouting

  This is when new nerve endings connect with undamaged cells
• strength of plasticity and FRAT - practical applications 


  One strength of plasticity and FRAT is that it has practical applications. for example understanding the processes of plasticity and FRAT led to the development of neurorehabilitation which uses motor therapy and electrical stimulation of the brain to counter the negative effects and deficits in motor and cognitive functions following accidents, injuries and/or strokes. This demonstrates the positive application of research in this area to help improve the cognitive functions of people suffering from injuries.