**completed**
Biological psychology concise notes
Topic One – neuroanatomy 1
The nervous system
o The central nervous system
Brain
Spinal cord
o Peripheral nervous system
Contains all other nerves – spread through the body connecting all
organs and systems to CNS
Motor pathways send info to muscles or tissue FROM the CNS
Sensory pathways bring info from sensory surfaces INTO the CNS
The brain is encased in bone (skull)
Spinal cord also encased in bone (vertebral column)
The brain
o Cerebrum
o Cerebellum
o Brain stem
Brain split into two halves = hemispheres. Left and a right hemisphere
o Many functions are contralateral (opposite side of the brain controls body)
o Ipsilateral is when same side of brain controls a function
Brain receives constant flow of blood (approx. 20% of blood flow from heart) to
maintain oxygen levels
Unconsciousness occurs when brain is deprived of oxygen
A stroke is a bleed or blockage in brain, resulting in brain cells dying as they have not
received oxygen
Ways to remember anatomical directions
o Dorsal Fin is on the back – superior is always at top of something
o Rostral rhymes with nostril and so is at the front – anterior is the opposite of
posterior and so is at the front
o Inferior always at the bottom of something – ventral is near your throat
o Posterior is a bottom/back – caudal
Different ways to view internal structures – slicing sections
o Frontal (coronal) – parallel to forehead
Coronal means a crown – have to cut down crown parallel to
forehead
o Saggital – arrow to the side
Sagittarius is an archer and these often stand to the side
o Horizontal – parallel to the ground
Always a horizontal line
Grey matter
o Cell bodies and dendrites
o More to the side of brain
o E.g. cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus
,**completed**
White matter
o Myelinated axons
o E.g. the corpus callosum
o pathway that connects left and right side of hemisphere is called a
commissure
o more in the centre of the brain
corpus callosum
o “hard body”
o Largest fibre bundle that connects the two hemispheres of the brain
o One of the biggest comissures
Meninges – 3 layers of tissue protecting the CNS
o Outer layer called the dura matter is thick and tough
o Middle layer called arachnoid membrane is spiderlike
o Inner layer called the pia matter covers the brain
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, resulting from viral or bacterial
infection
Brains float in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
o A clear liquid that fills subarachnoid space
o Functions: shock absorber, buoyancy (weight of brain is reduced)
Ventricles
o Hollow cavities filled with CSF
Lateral ventricles x2 – membrane called choroid plexus produces CSF
by filtering blood
Third ventricle
(cerebral aqueduct)
Fourth ventricle
o Function of CSF and ventricles seems to be exchange of materials between
blood vessels and brain tissue – nutrients are supplied and waste is removed
The blood brain barrier
o A semipermeable barrier
o Small molecules (oxygen, CO2) and lipid solubles substances can pass through
o Substances with large molecules (e.g. glucose) must be acitvey transported
through walls
Purpose of blood brain barrier
o Maintain a stable environment
o Provide protection from potentially disruptive/damaging chemicals
^can make it difficult for certain medicines to get into brain e.g chemotherapy drugs.
Lots of research being done on how to get these types of useful chemicals into brain,
one method being using a Trojan horse
Cerebral cortex
o It is the outer surface of cerebrum (3m thick), folded to allow a bigger surface
area – allow more brain cells in one space (more neurons). Contains about 16
billion neurons
o Clefts/cracks/grooves = sulci
o Major grooves = fissures
o Folds/bulges = gyri
,**completed**
Four lobes in cerebral cortex – named after parts of the skull they sit under
o Frontal
o Parietal
o Occipital
o Temporal
Major sulci and gyri
o Central sulcus (divides frontal and parietal lobe)
o Precentral gyrus
o Postcentral gyrus
o Sylvian fissures / lateral fissures (divides the temporal lobe from frontal and
parietal)
Frontal lobe
o “front”
o The anterior area of the cortex, rostral to parietal lobe, dorsal to temporal
lobe
o Divided from parietal lobe by central sulcus
o Functions
Motor and cognition such as thinking and moving around (executive
functions like, decision making organising, planning)
Parietal lobe
o “wall”
o Caudal to frontal lobe, dorsal to temporal
o Function: somatosensory – helps body know where you are in environment,
directs movement
Occipital lobe
o “in the back of the head”
o Caudal to parietal and temporal lobes
o Function: visual processing
Temporal
o “Temple”
o Rostral to occipital lobe and ventral to parietal and frontal lobes
o Functions: hearing, vision, emotion, cognition
Primary areas
o Primary somatosensory cortex
o Primary visual cortex
o Primary auditory cortex
^^receive info from senses
Primary motor cortex is connected to muscles in body
All contralateral except olfaction and taste
Primary association areas
o Sensory association areas receive and analyse info from primary regions
, **completed**
Topic 2 – neuroanatomy 2
The brain (encephalon) – encephalon means in the head
Brain development:
Biological psychology concise notes
Topic One – neuroanatomy 1
The nervous system
o The central nervous system
Brain
Spinal cord
o Peripheral nervous system
Contains all other nerves – spread through the body connecting all
organs and systems to CNS
Motor pathways send info to muscles or tissue FROM the CNS
Sensory pathways bring info from sensory surfaces INTO the CNS
The brain is encased in bone (skull)
Spinal cord also encased in bone (vertebral column)
The brain
o Cerebrum
o Cerebellum
o Brain stem
Brain split into two halves = hemispheres. Left and a right hemisphere
o Many functions are contralateral (opposite side of the brain controls body)
o Ipsilateral is when same side of brain controls a function
Brain receives constant flow of blood (approx. 20% of blood flow from heart) to
maintain oxygen levels
Unconsciousness occurs when brain is deprived of oxygen
A stroke is a bleed or blockage in brain, resulting in brain cells dying as they have not
received oxygen
Ways to remember anatomical directions
o Dorsal Fin is on the back – superior is always at top of something
o Rostral rhymes with nostril and so is at the front – anterior is the opposite of
posterior and so is at the front
o Inferior always at the bottom of something – ventral is near your throat
o Posterior is a bottom/back – caudal
Different ways to view internal structures – slicing sections
o Frontal (coronal) – parallel to forehead
Coronal means a crown – have to cut down crown parallel to
forehead
o Saggital – arrow to the side
Sagittarius is an archer and these often stand to the side
o Horizontal – parallel to the ground
Always a horizontal line
Grey matter
o Cell bodies and dendrites
o More to the side of brain
o E.g. cortex, basal ganglia, thalamus
,**completed**
White matter
o Myelinated axons
o E.g. the corpus callosum
o pathway that connects left and right side of hemisphere is called a
commissure
o more in the centre of the brain
corpus callosum
o “hard body”
o Largest fibre bundle that connects the two hemispheres of the brain
o One of the biggest comissures
Meninges – 3 layers of tissue protecting the CNS
o Outer layer called the dura matter is thick and tough
o Middle layer called arachnoid membrane is spiderlike
o Inner layer called the pia matter covers the brain
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges, resulting from viral or bacterial
infection
Brains float in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)
o A clear liquid that fills subarachnoid space
o Functions: shock absorber, buoyancy (weight of brain is reduced)
Ventricles
o Hollow cavities filled with CSF
Lateral ventricles x2 – membrane called choroid plexus produces CSF
by filtering blood
Third ventricle
(cerebral aqueduct)
Fourth ventricle
o Function of CSF and ventricles seems to be exchange of materials between
blood vessels and brain tissue – nutrients are supplied and waste is removed
The blood brain barrier
o A semipermeable barrier
o Small molecules (oxygen, CO2) and lipid solubles substances can pass through
o Substances with large molecules (e.g. glucose) must be acitvey transported
through walls
Purpose of blood brain barrier
o Maintain a stable environment
o Provide protection from potentially disruptive/damaging chemicals
^can make it difficult for certain medicines to get into brain e.g chemotherapy drugs.
Lots of research being done on how to get these types of useful chemicals into brain,
one method being using a Trojan horse
Cerebral cortex
o It is the outer surface of cerebrum (3m thick), folded to allow a bigger surface
area – allow more brain cells in one space (more neurons). Contains about 16
billion neurons
o Clefts/cracks/grooves = sulci
o Major grooves = fissures
o Folds/bulges = gyri
,**completed**
Four lobes in cerebral cortex – named after parts of the skull they sit under
o Frontal
o Parietal
o Occipital
o Temporal
Major sulci and gyri
o Central sulcus (divides frontal and parietal lobe)
o Precentral gyrus
o Postcentral gyrus
o Sylvian fissures / lateral fissures (divides the temporal lobe from frontal and
parietal)
Frontal lobe
o “front”
o The anterior area of the cortex, rostral to parietal lobe, dorsal to temporal
lobe
o Divided from parietal lobe by central sulcus
o Functions
Motor and cognition such as thinking and moving around (executive
functions like, decision making organising, planning)
Parietal lobe
o “wall”
o Caudal to frontal lobe, dorsal to temporal
o Function: somatosensory – helps body know where you are in environment,
directs movement
Occipital lobe
o “in the back of the head”
o Caudal to parietal and temporal lobes
o Function: visual processing
Temporal
o “Temple”
o Rostral to occipital lobe and ventral to parietal and frontal lobes
o Functions: hearing, vision, emotion, cognition
Primary areas
o Primary somatosensory cortex
o Primary visual cortex
o Primary auditory cortex
^^receive info from senses
Primary motor cortex is connected to muscles in body
All contralateral except olfaction and taste
Primary association areas
o Sensory association areas receive and analyse info from primary regions
, **completed**
Topic 2 – neuroanatomy 2
The brain (encephalon) – encephalon means in the head
Brain development:
