Biopsychology

Central nervous system

Brain, spinal cord

Brain

Occipital, temporal, parietal, frontal lobe

Occipital lobe

Visual information

Temporal lobe

Auditory information

Parietal lobe

Spatial navigation

Frontal lobe

Logical, reasoning, planning

Spinal cord

Transfer between brain and body, simple reflexes

Peripheral nervous system

Replay information between CNS and body

Somatic nervous system

Communicate CNS and environment, sensory and motor neurons, skeletal muscles

Autonomic nervous system

Homeostasis, maintain internal processes, motor neurons, smooth muscle and glands

Sympathetic nervous system

Fight/flight, increase heart hate, blood pressure, breathing, to organs

Parasympathetic nervous system

Restore body to normal

Motor neuron

info from CNS to muscle/glands in PMS, lower spine to muscle, upper brain and spine

Neurons

Send signals using neurotransmitters in the brain to body

Relay neuron

in CNS, pass info from sensory to motor neuron, short distance no myelin sheath

Sensory neuron

info from receptor in SNS to CNS, psychounipolar, axon 2 extension, cell body in middle

Reflex arch

Stimuli - Receptor - Sensory Neuron - Relay Neuron - Motor Neuron - Gland/muscle

Endocrine system

a network of glands across the body that secrete hormones in the blood to target cells

Hypothalamus

connected to pituitary gland and controls release of its hormones

Pituitary gland

master gland, hormone released stimulates release of other hormones

Anterior lobe

release ACTH stimulates adrenal cortex and cortisol

Posterior lobe

release oxytocin causing uterus contraction

Pineal gland

release melatonin responsible for biological rhythms

Thyroid gland

release thyroxine responsible for regulating metabolism

Adrenal gland

adrenal medulla and adrenal cortex

Adrenal medulla

inside, release adrenaline and noradrenaline for fight/flight

Adrenal cortex

outside, release cortisol stimulating glucose release and supress immune system

Testes

release androgens, testosterone, for puberty and muscle growth

Ovaries

release oestrogen for regulating reproductive system (menstrual cycle and pregnancy)

Synaptic transmission

messages passed through synaptic gap between neurons

Neurotransmitter

Chemicals realised from synaptic vesicle into synapse which affect transfer of impulse. They are broken down by enzyme or reuptake after

Action potential

Neuron sends info from cell body down axon as electrical activity causing resting potential to move forward. It diffuses across synaptic cleft to post synaptic cell

Excitatory

Synaptic connection which increases likelihood of next neuron firing based on action or NT at post synaptic receptor (accelerator)

Inhibitory

Synaptic connection which decreases likelihood of next neuron firing based on action or NT at post synaptic receptor (brake)

Synaptic transmission process

Nerve impulse in axon reach synaptic terminal which trigger NT release into synaptic gap. NT bind to adjacent dendrite receptors and is taken up by post synaptic neuron where message is passed along by electrical impulses.

Fight/flight response

CNS perceive stress, sympathetic NS actives response, adrenal gland produce adrenaline causing increase heart rate, breathing and stops digestion. Stress over, parasympathetic NS takes over resume digestion and reduce heart rate/breathing.

Taylor et al

Women more flight than fight/flight as they have higher oxytocin. They prefer ‘tend and befriend’

Van Dawes et al

Study during 9/11 found high human connection and greater cooperation between men and women. People don’t necessarily act on fight/flight when stressed.

Lee and Harley

Genetic basis for fight/flight, SRY gene on Y chromosome promotes aggression so men may react differently to stress than women.

Localisation of function

Certain functions have certain locations within the brain

Motor area

Frontal lobe, controls voluntary movements by sending signal to muscles

Somatosensory area

Parietal lobe, relieve sensory info from skin and produces sensation related to pressure, pain, temperature. Different parts receive messages from different locations

Visual area

Occipital lobe, receive and process visual info with different parts processing different info (colour, shape, movement)

Auditory area

Temporal lobe, analysing and processing acoustic info, primary antidote area processes simple features of sound (loudness, pitch)

Brocas area

Left frontal lobe responsible for speech production

Wernickes area

Left temporal lobe responsible for language comprehension

Lashley

Equipotentiality theory, basic motor and sensory are localised but intact areas of context can take responsibility for some cognitive functions after injury, brain damage by extent not location

Gage

Iron went through skull damaging frontal cortex, led to loss of inhibition and anger

Dronkers et al

Brocas patients re-examined found other areas contributed to reduced speech ability not just Brocas

Hemispheric lateralisation

2 halves of the brain operates differently with specialisation for function

Left hemisphere

Language dominant, RVS, Broca

Right hemisphere

Visual motor tasks, LVS, Wernicke

Corpus callosulm

Connects hemispheres through nerve fibres allowing communication between them, commissurotomy severs this

Sperry and Gazzaniga

Use split brain patients to examine extent to which extent hemispheres are specialised linking visual fields (opposite to hemisphere) to tasks

Describe what you see

Patients shown image and asked to describe it

Tactile test

Patients given object and asked to describe feel and chose an alternative similar object

Drawing test

Patients shown word and asked to draw it in opposite hand to VF

LH results

Describe what you see, describe object feeling, identify alternative object

RH results

Identify alternative object, draw clear picture regardless of dominant hand

Andrewes

Commissarotary is rare, patients previously had physical disorders, unrepresentative, temporal validity, confounding variable

Rogers et al

Chickens brain lateralisation associated with enhanced ability to perform simultaneous tasks

JW

Able to speak out of RH after using LVS despite RH responsible for visual motor skills

Szaflarski et al

Language becomes more lateralised to LH from children to adolescence but 25+ decreases with age