Biopsychology
Nervous System
Nervous system splits into central nervous and peripheral nervous
system. The central splits into spine and brain. Peripheral splits into
somatic and autonomic which splits into sympathetic and
parasympathetic.
The central nervous system – brain and spine
Brain stem – regulates automatic functions necessary for life, neurones
pass through brainstem. Communication between brain and body
Cerebellum – motor skills and balance, coordinates muscles to allow
pressure movements
Cerebrum is divided into four lobes – frontal, occipital, parietal, temporal
Frontal – thought and speech production
Occipital – processing of visual images
Parietal – processes sensory information e.g., touch, pain
Temporal – hearing, memory, and comprehension of language
The peripheral nervous system is responsible for allowing communication
between the CNS and the rest of the body. Carries messages from the
brain to the body and body to the brain.
Somatic – voluntary movements of the skeletal muscle
Autonomic – unvoluntary movement
Parasympathetic – rest and digest, decreased heart rate,
Sympathetic – increased heart rate, vasoconstriction, reduced saliva,
glycogen to glucose
The structure and functions of neurons –
Dendrites, nucleus, myelin sheath, axon, nodes of Ranvier, terminal
button
, Three types of neuron, sensory, relay, motor
Sensory – connects us to world, carry impulses from sensory receptors to
CNS, some nerves terminate in spinal cord, reflex.
Relay – allow sensory and motor to communicate, located in the CNS,
brain spinal cord and visual system
Motor – control muscles contraction, neurotransmitters bind to receptors
on muscles, muscle relaxation is when firing in inhibited.
Stimulus – receptor – sensory – relay = CNS = relay – motor – effector –
response.
Reflex doesn’t go the CNS, they are immediate, straight relay to motor
neurone.
Synaptic transmission – process by which one neuron communicates with
another. Information passed down to the post synaptic neuron as
electrical impulse action potential from the terminal button to the
presynaptic receptor on the dendrite through a process of diffusion.
Excitatory pass on transmitters, inhibitory stop transmitters.
Summation – the addition of excitatory and inhibitory potentials post
synapse. More ex then more on, more in then stop movement.
Endocrine system
Major endocrine glands – adrenal, pituitary, sex glands (ovaries and
testes)
The endocrine glands all produce different hormones which regulate the
activity of the tissues and organs in the body. The hormones are
released into the bloodstream where they travel to target cells in the
body. A target cell is one which has the specific receptors for the
specific hormones being released. When enough of the receptors are
filled the target cell is stimulated. This can cause a physiological
process in the body or can stimulate other glands to produce other
hormones. A cell which is not a target cell is unaffected by the
hormones.
Pituitary split into posterior and anterior
Posterior – oxytocin (love drug). Anterior – ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic)
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Nervous System
Nervous system splits into central nervous and peripheral nervous
system. The central splits into spine and brain. Peripheral splits into
somatic and autonomic which splits into sympathetic and
parasympathetic.
The central nervous system – brain and spine
Brain stem – regulates automatic functions necessary for life, neurones
pass through brainstem. Communication between brain and body
Cerebellum – motor skills and balance, coordinates muscles to allow
pressure movements
Cerebrum is divided into four lobes – frontal, occipital, parietal, temporal
Frontal – thought and speech production
Occipital – processing of visual images
Parietal – processes sensory information e.g., touch, pain
Temporal – hearing, memory, and comprehension of language
The peripheral nervous system is responsible for allowing communication
between the CNS and the rest of the body. Carries messages from the
brain to the body and body to the brain.
Somatic – voluntary movements of the skeletal muscle
Autonomic – unvoluntary movement
Parasympathetic – rest and digest, decreased heart rate,
Sympathetic – increased heart rate, vasoconstriction, reduced saliva,
glycogen to glucose
The structure and functions of neurons –
Dendrites, nucleus, myelin sheath, axon, nodes of Ranvier, terminal
button
, Three types of neuron, sensory, relay, motor
Sensory – connects us to world, carry impulses from sensory receptors to
CNS, some nerves terminate in spinal cord, reflex.
Relay – allow sensory and motor to communicate, located in the CNS,
brain spinal cord and visual system
Motor – control muscles contraction, neurotransmitters bind to receptors
on muscles, muscle relaxation is when firing in inhibited.
Stimulus – receptor – sensory – relay = CNS = relay – motor – effector –
response.
Reflex doesn’t go the CNS, they are immediate, straight relay to motor
neurone.
Synaptic transmission – process by which one neuron communicates with
another. Information passed down to the post synaptic neuron as
electrical impulse action potential from the terminal button to the
presynaptic receptor on the dendrite through a process of diffusion.
Excitatory pass on transmitters, inhibitory stop transmitters.
Summation – the addition of excitatory and inhibitory potentials post
synapse. More ex then more on, more in then stop movement.
Endocrine system
Major endocrine glands – adrenal, pituitary, sex glands (ovaries and
testes)
The endocrine glands all produce different hormones which regulate the
activity of the tissues and organs in the body. The hormones are
released into the bloodstream where they travel to target cells in the
body. A target cell is one which has the specific receptors for the
specific hormones being released. When enough of the receptors are
filled the target cell is stimulated. This can cause a physiological
process in the body or can stimulate other glands to produce other
hormones. A cell which is not a target cell is unaffected by the
hormones.
Pituitary split into posterior and anterior
Posterior – oxytocin (love drug). Anterior – ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic)
2
