P? Biopsychology

What is the central nervous system (CNS)?

Brain and spinal cord - processes information and controls body functions

What is the peripheral nervous system (PNS)?

All nerves outside brain and spinal cord - connects CNS to rest of body

What is the somatic nervous system?

Controls voluntary muscle movements and receives sensory information

What is the autonomic nervous system?

Controls involuntary functions like heart rate, breathing, digestion

What are the two divisions of autonomic nervous system?

Sympathetic (arousal/fight-flight) and parasympathetic (rest/digest)

What is a sensory neuron?

Carries information from sensory receptors to CNS - long dendrites, short axon

What is a relay neuron?

Connects sensory and motor neurons in CNS - short dendrites and axon

What is a motor neuron?

Carries signals from CNS to muscles/glands - short dendrites, long axon

What is synaptic transmission?

Process of communication between neurons across synaptic gap using neurotransmitters

What happens at the synapse?

Action potential triggers release of neurotransmitters from presynaptic neuron into synaptic cleft

What are neurotransmitters?

Chemical messengers that transmit signals across synapses between neurons

What is excitation?

Neurotransmitter increases likelihood of postsynaptic neuron firing action potential

What is inhibition?

Neurotransmitter decreases likelihood of postsynaptic neuron firing action potential

What is the endocrine system?

Network of glands that secrete hormones directly into bloodstream

What are hormones?

Chemical messengers released by endocrine glands that affect target organs

How do hormones differ from neurotransmitters?

Slower but longer-lasting effects, travel through bloodstream not synapses

What is the fight or flight response?

Physiological reaction to perceived threat preparing body for action

What triggers fight or flight?

Sympathetic nervous system activation and adrenaline release from adrenal glands

What does adrenaline do in fight or flight?

Increases heart rate, blood pressure, breathing rate, glucose release for energy

What is functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?

Brain scanning technique measuring blood flow changes to show brain activity

What does fMRI study?

Which brain areas are active during specific tasks by detecting oxygen use

Evaluation of fMRI - strengths

Non-invasive, good spatial resolution, real-time brain activity, safe to use repeatedly

Evaluation of fMRI - weaknesses

Expensive, poor temporal resolution (slow), indirect measure of neural activity

What is electroencephalogram (EEG)?

Records electrical activity of brain using electrodes on scalp

What does EEG study?

Overall brain activity patterns, sleep stages, epilepsy, consciousness levels

Evaluation of EEG - strengths

Excellent temporal resolution, non-invasive, useful for studying brain states

Evaluation of EEG - weaknesses

Poor spatial resolution, only detects surface activity, affected by muscle movement

What are event-related potentials (ERPs)?

EEG responses to specific stimuli averaged over many trials

What do ERPs study?

Brain's electrical response to specific events like sounds, words, faces

Evaluation of ERPs - strengths

Good temporal resolution, measure specific cognitive processes, non-invasive

Evaluation of ERPs - weaknesses

Poor spatial resolution, requires many trials, background electrical noise

What are post-mortem examinations?

Study of brain tissue after death to identify structural abnormalities

What do post-mortem studies examine?

Brain damage, disease effects, relationship between structure and function

Evaluation of post-mortem studies - strengths

Detailed structural analysis, historical importance, identifies lesions

Evaluation of post-mortem studies - weaknesses

Can't establish cause-effect, ethical issues, brain changes after death

What is localisation of function?

Different brain areas have specific functions and responsibilities

What is the motor cortex?

Brain area controlling voluntary muscle movements - located in frontal lobe

What is the somatosensory cortex?

Processes touch sensations from different body parts - located in parietal lobe

What is the visual cortex?

Processes visual information from eyes - located in occipital lobe

What is the auditory cortex?

Processes sound information - located in temporal lobe

What is Broca's area?

Left frontal lobe area responsible for speech production

What is Wernicke's area?

Left temporal lobe area responsible for speech comprehension

What was Broca's case study?

Patient Tan could understand speech but only say "tan" - showed localized speech production area

What was Wernicke's case study?

Patients with damage could speak fluently but meaninglessly - showed localized comprehension area

What is hemispheric lateralisation?

Left and right brain hemispheres have different specialized functions

What is split-brain research?

Studies patients with severed corpus callosum to understand hemispheric functions

What did Sperry's split-brain studies show?

Left hemisphere: language, logic. Right hemisphere: visual-spatial, creativity

Evaluation of split-brain research - strengths

Provided evidence for lateralisation, controlled studies, practical applications

Evaluation of split-brain research - weaknesses

Small sample, unusual patients, limited generalizability, ethical concerns

What is brain plasticity?

Brain's ability to change and adapt throughout life by forming new connections

What evidence supports plasticity?

London taxi drivers have larger hippocampus, musicians have larger motor cortex areas

What is functional recovery?

Brain's ability to redistribute functions after trauma or damage

How does functional recovery work?

Neuronal unmasking, axonal sprouting, recruitment of homologous areas

What factors affect recovery?

Age (younger better), rehabilitation, severity of damage, individual differences

Case study of plasticity - Maguire et al taxi drivers

Found taxi drivers had larger posterior hippocampus from navigating London streets

What did taxi driver study show?

Brain can physically change in response to environmental demands

Evaluation of taxi driver study - strengths

Objective brain scanning, real-world application, showed adult plasticity

Evaluation of taxi driver study - weaknesses

Correlational not causal, self-selection bias, only studied males

Case study of recovery - EB brain trauma

Woman recovered language after left hemisphere stroke through right hemisphere compensation

What did EB case show?

Brain can reorganize functions to undamaged areas after trauma

Evaluation of EB case - strengths

Detailed longitudinal study, shows recovery potential, practical implications

Evaluation of EB case - weaknesses

Single case study, individual differences, limited generalizability