Bio Psych

The CNS is made up of

Brain and spinal cord

CNS

Central nervous system

The PNS is made up of

Everything else e.g: nerves, motor pathways, sensory pathways

PNS

Peripheral nervous system

Brain receives a constant blood flow from the heart of around

20%

Name 3 key brain structures

Cerebrum, Cerebellum and Brain stem

Contralateral

opposite side

Ipsilateral

Same side

Top of brain

superior or dorsal

Back of brain

Posterior or cadual

Bottom of brain

Inferior or ventral

Front of brain

Anterior or rostral

Towards the middle

Medial

Towards the side

Lateral

Pathway that connects the left and right side of hemisphere is called a

commissure

Fibre bundle that connects the two hemispheres of the brain

Corpus callosum

meninges

3 layers of tissue that protect the brain and spinal cord

cerebrospinal fluid CSF

a clear fluid that fills the subarachnoid space

functions of cerbrospinal fluid

shock absorber, bouyancy

Ventricles

hollow space filled with CSF. Helps with the exchange of materials between blood vessel and brain tissue

Capillaries in the brain have no

gaps

How thick is the cerebral cortex?

3mm

what are the folds in the cerebral cortex called?

gyri

4 lobes in the cerebral cortex

frontal, parietal, temporal and occipital

Grooves in the cerebral cortex

sulci

main functions of frontal lobe

motor and cognition

main functions of the parietal lobe

somatosensory

function of occipital lobe

vision

functions of temporal lobe

hearing, vision, cognition and emotion

the basal ganglia is

a collection of nuclei

the basal ganglia is important for

the control of movement, reward systems

lesions in the basal ganglia can cause disorders such as

parkinson’s and Huntington’s

The limbic system is important for

emotion and learning/memory

the limbic system involves

limbic cortex, hippocamous, amygdala and more

The basal ganglia consists of

the caudate nucleus, putamen and globus pallidus

The limbic system is important for

emotion and learning/memory

Thalamus receives and sends info to

the cortex

Hypothalamus is connected to

pituitary gland

Hypothalamus controls the

autonomic nervous system

forebrain

diencephalon

Midbrain

mescencephalon

Hindbrain

rhombencephalon

Metencephalon is made of

pons and cerebellum

Pons is involved in

sleep and arousal, relaying info to cerebellum

cerebellum is important for

the co ordination of movement

How many neurons do we have

86 billion

Soma

neuron cell body

neuron soma holds

the nucleus

dendrites

receive messages

axon

carries info from soma to terminal buttons

Myelin sheath

wraps around axon

terminal buttons

at the end of axon branches

Supporting cells for neurons such as glia help by

supplying nutrients, chemicals and waste services

All cells have an

electrical charge

Neurons can reverse their

electrical charge

Membrane’s are made of

2 layers of phosholipid molecules

ion channels span

the membrane

cations are

positively charged

Anions are

negatively charged

intercellular fluid contains

potassium ions and anions

extracellular fluid contains

sodium and chloride ions

the membrane potential is the difference

in electrical potential inside and outside the cell

Resting potential of a neuron

\-70mV

Resting potential is important to allow

stimulus response

depolarization

decrease from normal resting potential (brings membranes closer to 0)

hyperpolarization

increase relative to resting potential (more negative)

Action potential transmitted down axon via

propagation

neurons send messages via

synaptic transmission

neurotransmitters are released from one neuron and

attached to another neuron

EPSP

Excitary postsynaptic potential

IPSP

Inhibitory postsynaptic potential

Neurotransmitters bind by using

lock and key method

Ionotropic receptor

contains a binding site and an ion channel

metabotropic receptor

contains a binding site, starts a chain reaction, requires energy

Reuptake

transmitter taken back by the presynaptic terminal

enzyme deactivation

transmitter broken down by an enzyme

excitatory

increases the likelihood of neurons firing

inhibitory

decreases the likelihood of neuron firing

integration

summation of PSPs in control of neurons firing

inhibition of inhibitory neurons

more likelihood of behaviour

excitation of inhibitory neurons

less likelihood of behaviour

GABA

Most abundant inhibitory neurotransmitter in CNS (reduces chances of neuronal firing)

Glutamate

most abundant exciting neurotransmitter in CNS. Can bind to a number of receptors

Acetylcholine

found in CNS and PNS at neuromuscular junctions

Dopamine

Motor control, reward, addiction

serotonin

regulation of mood, eating, sleep

Antagonist

A drug that blocks a neurotransmitter e.g: botox

Agonist

A drug that mimics a neurotransmitter and enhances a synapse function

The visual pathway

Retina - lateral geniculate body - visual cortex

3 parts of the retina

photo-receptors, bipolar cells, retinal ganglion cells

Do photoreceptors have more rods or cones?

Rods

Roughly how many rods are in the human retina?

120 million

Rods are sensitive in

low light situations

Rods do not discriminate

colour (wavelength)

Rods have higher density in

periphery

Rods track

high rate changes

Aprox how many cones in human retina?

6 million

number of cones in the human eye

3

The 3 cones in the human eye help differentiate

wavelength

Eye cones are less

sensitive to low light