BIOPSYCHOLOGY
The Nervous System:
AO1-
Nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord
Spinal cord ensures that signals from the brain are transmitted to the rest of the
body
Peripheral nervous system relays messages from the environment to the CNS
The PNS is divided into the Autonomic Nervous system and the Somatic Nervous
system
Autonomic- involuntary movements, organs
Somatic- voluntary movements, receives info from the senses, responsible for the
reflex arc
Autonomic sub divided into the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous
system
Sympathetic- increase heart rate, breathing rate, cause pupil dilation
Parasympathetic- decrease heart and breathing rates and causes pupil constriction
The Endocrine System:
AO1-
Main chemical messenger system of the body
A hormone is a chemical secreted by endocrine glands
Hormones secreted into the bloodstream from glands and are transported to target
cells with complementary receptors
Pituitary gland considered the ‘master gland’
Secreted by pituitary gland:
o ACTH- triggers adrenal glands
o Follicle-stimulating hormone- sexual development
o Luteinising hormone- encourage ovulation
o Oxytocin- encourage attachment
o Thyroid stimulating hormone- triggers release of thyroxine
Hormones secreted by other glands:
o Melatonin- sleep wake cycle, pineal gland
o Cortisol
o Adrenaline- adrenal gland
o Insulin- pancreas
o Thyroxine- thyroid gland
Hypothalamus is connected to the pituitary gland
It is responsible for stimulating hormone release from the pituitary gland
It is the control system which regulates the endocrine system
Fight or Flight:
AO1-
Threat -> Amygdala -> Hypothalamus -> Sympathetic nervous system triggered ->
Parasympathetic nervous system kicks in
Stages:
o Body becomes aware of a stressor in the environment
, o Through sensory receptors and sensory neurones in the PNS this info is sent
to the hypothalamus which coordinates a response
o Adrenaline is released from the adrenal medulla and is transported to target
effectors
o This triggers the physiological response
o Once the stressor is no longer a threat the hypothalamus triggers the
parasympathetic branch to work
Physiological changes- increase blood flow to brain and muscles, dilated pupils,
increased breathing rate etc.
AO3-
Stressors of modern-day life can stimulate fight or flight unnecessarily
Taylor et al- research that women tend and befriend instead
Lee and Harley linked SRY gene to the flight or fight response
Research cannot be generalised to women
Gray first instinct is to avoid confrontation
Neurons and Synaptic Transmission:
AO1-
Neurons send electrical and chemical signals around the body
A neuron has: cell body with a nucleus, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, nodes of
ranvier
Three Neurons- Sensory, Motor and Relay
Sensory- send info from PNS towards the CNS, keeps brain informed about external
and internal environment info, one-way, long dendrites short axons, cell body to side
Motor- carry signals from the CNS towards organs muscles glands, both transmit and
receive signals, physical movements, short dendrites and long axons
Relay- connect sensory to motor, located in the CNS, transmit and receive, short
axons and short dendrites
Synaptic transmission allows neurons to communicate with each other
Process of synaptic transmission:
o Action potential arrives at presynaptic membrane
o Presynaptic membrane release neurotransmitters from vesicles
o Diffuse across the synaptic cleft down conc gradient
o Bind to complementary receptors on the post synaptic neurone
o Resultant action potential will be transmitted along the axon of the following
neuron as chemical is converted to an electrical signal
Neurotransmitters have an inhibitory or excitatory effect
If excitatory effect is greater than the inhibitory effect then the neuron will fire but if
the inhibitory is greater than the neuron won’t fire
Excitatory Neurotransmitter- Adrenaline
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter- Serotonin
Localisation of Function:
AO1-
Temporal Lobe- auditory processing and language comprehension
o Auditory area- analyse speech-based information
o Wernicke’s area- language comprehension and processing
The Nervous System:
AO1-
Nervous system is made up of the brain and the spinal cord
Spinal cord ensures that signals from the brain are transmitted to the rest of the
body
Peripheral nervous system relays messages from the environment to the CNS
The PNS is divided into the Autonomic Nervous system and the Somatic Nervous
system
Autonomic- involuntary movements, organs
Somatic- voluntary movements, receives info from the senses, responsible for the
reflex arc
Autonomic sub divided into the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous
system
Sympathetic- increase heart rate, breathing rate, cause pupil dilation
Parasympathetic- decrease heart and breathing rates and causes pupil constriction
The Endocrine System:
AO1-
Main chemical messenger system of the body
A hormone is a chemical secreted by endocrine glands
Hormones secreted into the bloodstream from glands and are transported to target
cells with complementary receptors
Pituitary gland considered the ‘master gland’
Secreted by pituitary gland:
o ACTH- triggers adrenal glands
o Follicle-stimulating hormone- sexual development
o Luteinising hormone- encourage ovulation
o Oxytocin- encourage attachment
o Thyroid stimulating hormone- triggers release of thyroxine
Hormones secreted by other glands:
o Melatonin- sleep wake cycle, pineal gland
o Cortisol
o Adrenaline- adrenal gland
o Insulin- pancreas
o Thyroxine- thyroid gland
Hypothalamus is connected to the pituitary gland
It is responsible for stimulating hormone release from the pituitary gland
It is the control system which regulates the endocrine system
Fight or Flight:
AO1-
Threat -> Amygdala -> Hypothalamus -> Sympathetic nervous system triggered ->
Parasympathetic nervous system kicks in
Stages:
o Body becomes aware of a stressor in the environment
, o Through sensory receptors and sensory neurones in the PNS this info is sent
to the hypothalamus which coordinates a response
o Adrenaline is released from the adrenal medulla and is transported to target
effectors
o This triggers the physiological response
o Once the stressor is no longer a threat the hypothalamus triggers the
parasympathetic branch to work
Physiological changes- increase blood flow to brain and muscles, dilated pupils,
increased breathing rate etc.
AO3-
Stressors of modern-day life can stimulate fight or flight unnecessarily
Taylor et al- research that women tend and befriend instead
Lee and Harley linked SRY gene to the flight or fight response
Research cannot be generalised to women
Gray first instinct is to avoid confrontation
Neurons and Synaptic Transmission:
AO1-
Neurons send electrical and chemical signals around the body
A neuron has: cell body with a nucleus, dendrites, axon, myelin sheath, nodes of
ranvier
Three Neurons- Sensory, Motor and Relay
Sensory- send info from PNS towards the CNS, keeps brain informed about external
and internal environment info, one-way, long dendrites short axons, cell body to side
Motor- carry signals from the CNS towards organs muscles glands, both transmit and
receive signals, physical movements, short dendrites and long axons
Relay- connect sensory to motor, located in the CNS, transmit and receive, short
axons and short dendrites
Synaptic transmission allows neurons to communicate with each other
Process of synaptic transmission:
o Action potential arrives at presynaptic membrane
o Presynaptic membrane release neurotransmitters from vesicles
o Diffuse across the synaptic cleft down conc gradient
o Bind to complementary receptors on the post synaptic neurone
o Resultant action potential will be transmitted along the axon of the following
neuron as chemical is converted to an electrical signal
Neurotransmitters have an inhibitory or excitatory effect
If excitatory effect is greater than the inhibitory effect then the neuron will fire but if
the inhibitory is greater than the neuron won’t fire
Excitatory Neurotransmitter- Adrenaline
Inhibitory Neurotransmitter- Serotonin
Localisation of Function:
AO1-
Temporal Lobe- auditory processing and language comprehension
o Auditory area- analyse speech-based information
o Wernicke’s area- language comprehension and processing
