Biopsychology

• What is the nervous system?

  • A specialised network of cells in the human body and is our primary internal communication system
  • Divided into the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system
• What is the role of the nervous system?

  • To collect, process and respond to information in the environment
  • To coordinate the working of different organs and cells in the body
• What is the Central Nervous System?

  Made up of the brain and spinal cord

  • The origin of all complex commands and decisions
• What is the brain?

  • The centre of all conscious awareness
  • Cerebral cortex is the outer layer of the brain + distinguishes human mental functions from those of animals
• What is the spinal cord?

  • An extension of the brain
  • Responsible for reflex actions
  • Passes messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to the PNS
• What is the Peripheral Nervous System?

  Transmits messages via millions of neurons to and from the central nervous system

  • Subdivided into autonomic and somatic nervous system
• What is the Autonomic Nervous System?

  • Governs vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate and stress responses (involuntary effect)
  • Subdivided into sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system
• What is the Sympathetic Nervous System?

  Activates internal organs and increases bodily activities
• What is the Parasympathetic Nervous System?

  Relaxes internal organs and decreases bodily activities
• What is the Somatic Nervous System?

  • Transmits information from receptor cells in the sense organs to the CNS
  • Receives information from the CNS that direct muscles to act voluntary
• What is the endocrine system?

  • One of the body's major information systems that instructs glands to release hormones directly into the blood stream
  • These hormones are carried towards target organs in the body
• What is a gland?


  An organ in the body that syntheses substances such as hormones
• What is a hormone?

  • Chemical substances that circulate in the bloodstream and only affect target organs
  • Produced in large quantities but disappear quickly
  • Effects are very powerful
• What is the putuitary gland?

  • Release lots of hormones
  • Master gland: hormones released control and stimulate the release of hormones from the other glands in the endocrine system
• What is the pineal gland?

  • Melatonin is released
  • Responsible for important biological rhythms
• What is the thyroid gland?

  • Thyroxine is released
  • Responsible for regulating metabolism
• What are testes?

  • Releases testosterone
  • Responsible for the development of male sex characteristics during puberty
  • Promotes muscle growth
• What are the ovaries?

  • Releases oestrogen
  • Controls the regulation of the female reproductive system including pregnancy and the menstrual cycle
• What is the adrenal gland?

  • Releases adrenaline
  • Responsible for the flight or fight response: stimulates heart rate, contracts blood vessels and dilates air passages
• What is the pancreas?

  • Releases insulin
  • Allows the body to use glucose from carbohydrates in food for energy or store energy for future use
  • Helps keep blood sugar levels stable
• What is a neuron?

  • Basic building blocks of the nervous system
  • nerve cells that process and transmit messages through electrical and chemical signals
• What is adrenaline?

  • A hormone produced by the adrenal glands (part of the body's stress response system
  • Has a strong effect on the cardiovascular system (stimulates the heart rate, contracting blood vessels and dilating air passages
• What are sensory neurons?

  • Carry nerve impulses from sensory receptors to the spinal cord and brain (PNS to the CNS)
  • Receptors of sensory neurons are located on/near the body's surface
  • Short axon
  • Long dendrites
• What are relay neurons?

  • Allow sensory and motor neurons to communicate with eachother
  • Most common type of neuron in the CNS
  • Located in the brain, spinal cord and visual system
  • Short axon
  • Short dendrite
• What are motor neurons?Carry nerve impulses from the spinal cord and brain to the effectors from the CNS to the PNS

  • Its axons are directly or indirectly linked to muscles
  • Long axon
  • Short dendrites
• What is the cell body?

  • Factory of the neuron
  • Consists of the nucleus and produces all proteins a neuron needs in order to function
• What is the nucleus?

  Contains the genetic material within the neuron
• What are dendrites?

  • Branch like features protrude from the cell body
  • Carry nerve impulses from neighbouring neurons towards the cell body
• What are axons?

  • Carries the electrical impulse from the cell body, down to the length of the neuron
  • Covered in myelin sheath
• What is the myelin sheath?

  • Fatty layer surrounding and protecting the axon
  • Helps speed up electrical transmission of the impulse
• What are the nodes of ranvier?

  • Gaps between the myelin sheath
  • Speeds up the transmission of the impulse, forcing it to jump across the gaps along the axon
• What ae terminal buttons?

  • Located at the end of the axon
  • Communicate with the next neuron that is on the other side of the synaptic cleft
• What is synaptic transmission?

  Process in which neighbouring neurons communicate with eachother by sending chemical messages across the synaptic cleft then separates them
• What are neurotransmitters?

  • Brain chemicals released from synaptic vesicles that relay signals across the synapse of one neuron to another
  • Can perform an inhibitory or excitatory function
• What is excitation?

  • When a neurotransmitter (e.g. adrenaline increase the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron)
  • Increases the likelihood the neuron will fire + pass on the electrical impulse
• What is inhibition?

  • When a neurotransmitter e.g. serotonin makes the charge of postsynaptic neuron more negative
  • Decrease the likelihood of the neuron passing on an electrical signal
• What is a synapse?

  • Junction between two neurons
  • Includes the presynaptic neuron, synaptic cleft and postsynaptic receptor site
• What is the synaptic cleft?

  The space between the pre and postsynaptic neuron
• What are vesicles?

  Small sacs at the end of a presynaptic neuron that contain neurotransmitters that will be released into a synapse
• What is the presynaptic neuron?

  The transmitting neuron, before the synaptic cleft