Biopsychology

What is spatial resolution

• Refers to the ability of a brain imaging technique to distinguish between two separate point in the space

• Indicates how precisely a scan can locate brain activity within different areas or structures of the brain

• High spatial resolution scans (FMRI) can pinpoint where activity is occurring with great activity

What is temporal resolution

• Refers to the ability of a brain imaging technique to track changes in brain activity over time

• Indicates how quickly a scan can detect shifts in neural activity

• Can capture rapid changes in brain function from movement to structure

What is the nervous system

• A complex network of nerves in the human body

• It communicates via fast electrical signals (action potentials)

• 2 parts: CNS, Peripheral nervous system

2 Functions:

• To collect, process, and respond to information from the world

• To co-ordinate the various organs and cells in the body

What is the the peripheral nervous system

• Somatic nervous system

  • Receives incoming sensory information

  • Movement of skeletal muscles

• The autonomic nervous system

  • Governs bodily functions such as heart rate and breathing

  • Controls the endocrine system (glands and hormones)

  • 2 parts:

    • Sympathetic - fight or flight

    • Para-sympathetic - rest and digest

The endocrine system

• Regulates the activity of cells and organs throughout the body

• Uses slower, longer lasting chemical messengers called hormones

• Made up of glands and hormones

  • Each gland secretes a specific hormone into the bloodstream

  • Hormones stimulate specific chemicals

What are the parts of the Neurone cell

• The Soma: cell body which contains the nucleus

• Dendrites: receive information from other cells

• Axons: carry action potentials away from the soma, towards other cells

• Axon terminal: end of the axon where they pass neural information on to other cells

• Myelin sheath: fatty insulated layer which speeds up action potentials

What are sensory neurons

Structure:

• Myelin sheath present

Function:

• To carry information towards the nervous system

Location:

• In the peripheral nervous system

What are the parts of a sensory neurone

What are relay neurones

Structure:

• No myelin sheath

• Soma and dendrites together

Function:

• To relay neural information between sensory and motor neurones

Location:

• In the CNS and visual system

What are the parts of the relay neurone

What are motor neurones

Structure:

• Myelin sheath present

• Soma and dendrites together

Function:

• To relay neural information from the CNS to effectors (muscles and glands)

Location:

• Soma is in the central nervous system and axon extends into peripheral nervous system

What are the parts of the motor neurone

What is synaptic transmission

1) Action potential arrives at the pre-synaptic neurone

2) Vesicles containing neurotransmitters release the neurotransmitters into the synaptic gap via exocytosis

3) Neurotransmitters diffuse across the synaptic gap

4) Neurotransmitters bind to receptors

5) Excitatory NT increase the internal voltage, Inhibitory NT decreases the internal voltage

• At rest -70mV Action Potential happens at -55mV

• Summation = Excitatory + Inhibitiory effects are summed to determine

What is the excitation threshold

• Neurones are kept in a polarised state - this means their internal, voltage is around -70mV

• If the internal voltage increases to around -55mV, there will be an potential inside the neurone - this is the excitation threshold

What do Excitatory Neurotransmitters do

• They increase the voltage inside the neuron - this makes it more likely that the neurone will reach the excitation threshold

What do Inhibitory Neurotransmitters do

• Decrease the voltage inside the neurone

• By decreasing the internal voltage, it is more difficult to reach the excitation threshold

What is summation

• A neurone can receive a combination of excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters at the same time

• This means the internal voltage might change without crossing the excitation threshold

• Whether a neurone fires an action potential is determined by the sum of excitation and inhibition

What is localisation of function

• Refers to the idea that different areas of the brain are specialised to perform specific functions

• Opposed by the holistic view - suggests the whole brain actually works together

Who is phineas gage

• An explosion launched a steel rod through Phineas’ skull, causing massive damage to his frontal lobe

• Afterwards, he showed a lack of inhibition and became prone to intense anger

• The frontal lobe is responsible for behaviour

Name the labelled parts of the brain

• Pink: Motor Cortex

• Green: Somatosensory cortex

• Yellow: Visual cortex

• Blue: Auditory cortex

What is the motor cortex

• Located in the back of the frontal lobe and is responsible for voluntary movement

What is the somatosensory cortex

• Located in the front of the parietal lobe, and is responsible for sense of touch

What is the visual cortex

What is the Auditory cortex

What is the Broca’ Area

• Located in the left frontal lobe

• Thought to be responsible for speech production

• Broca studied the Brain of a patient who only says Tan

What is the Wernickes’s area

• Located in the left temporal temporal lobe

• Thought to be

How do the two hemispheres connect to the body

• Each hemisphere is connected to the opposite side of the body - contralateral

• The visual fields are also contralateral - the left field is processed by the right hemisphere and vice versa

• The two hemispheres are joined together by a bundle of nerve fibres called the corpus callosum

What is hemispheric lateralisation

It is the idea that each hemisphere of the brain is specialised to carry out certain tasks

What is split brain research

• Split brain research involves studying patients who have had the corpus callosum severed in order to treat severe epilepsy

• By severing the corpus callosum, the two hemispheres cannot communicate – meaning we can assess the functions of each hemisphere separately!

What is the Sperry research

• Sperry conducted research on 11 patients who had their corpus callosum severed

• He compared the patients to 11 healthy controls (who did not have epilepsy)

• Describing what you see: patients asked to verbally name objects presented to either the right or left visual field. Objects in the LVF could not be named but objects in the RVF could be named. This suggests language centres are in the left hemisphere

• Drawing task: Patients flashed various objects to the visual fields and asked to draw them. Patients drew more effectively with the left hand, despite being right handed.

• Composite words: Patients shows composite words with the word split across the visual fields, e.g. KEY + RING. Patients would say the word ring and then draw a key