Biopsychology
The divisions of the nervous system
• The nervous system: complex network of
nerve cells that carry messages to and from
brain and spinal cord, to the body.
• Central nervous system: the brain and sp
cord, controls behaviours, regulates physiol
processes. Sends messages to muscles and
glands
• Spinal cord: relays information between th
• brain and body, allows the brain to regulate
Brain: receives information from sensory receptors, occipital lobe- processes visua
bodily processes, coordinates voluntary
information, brain stem- regulates automatic functions (breathing, heart beat)
• movements
Peripheral nervous system: nerves outside the CNS, relay nerve impulses from
to the body and back
• Somatic nervous system: transmits and receives messages from the sense via
different types of neurons, sensory- send messages to CNS, motor- pass info from C
to body, controls internal organs and glands
• Autonomic nervous system: regulates involuntary movements, uses motor neur
controls skeletal muscles and movement
,• Sympathetic nervous system: uses noradrenaline, has stimulating effects, involved in
responses to do with emergencies, neurons from SNS travel to every organ and glands , p
the body for rapid action, slows down non-emergency bodily processes
• Parasympathetic nervous system: uses acetylcholine, had inhibiting effects, relaxes o
and gland once emergency has passed
The structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neu
• Neurons: specialised cells, move electrical impulses to and from CNS
• Dendrites: receive signals from other neurons/ sensory recep
• Cell body: the control centre of the neuron
• Axon: carries the impulse where it terminates at the axon ter
• Myelin sheath: insulting layer around the axon, allows nerve
impulses to transmit more rapidly, if damaged, impulses slow
• Sensory: tell brain about external/ internal environment by
processing information from senses
• Relay: carry messages from one part of the CNS to another,
connect sensory and motor neurons
• Motor: carry signals from CNS, helping organs, glands and muscle function
• Synapse: the specialised gap between neurons (synaptic cleft)
• Transmitted: signals in neurons- electrically, signals between neurons- chemically
, The process of synaptic transmission (neurotransmitters,
excitation and inhibition)
• Synaptic transmission: the process for transmitting messages between neurons
Nerve
• Electrical impulse travels down the neuron, prompts release of
impulses
Presynaptic
cell
neurotransmitters from the synaptic vesicles
• Diffused across the gap, binds to specialised receptors that are
Post synaptic
cell
activated by that particular neurotransmitter
• Taken up by post-synaptic receptor, chemical message is converted
back into electrical impulse
Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters
• Potential: right neurotransmitter meets the right receptor, specifi
ion channel in the membrane is opened up, ions flow through,
causes a potential in the dendrites
• Excitatory potential: more likely for the neuron to fire
• Inhibitory potential: less likely for the neuron to fire, message is likely to be stopped
at the post-synaptic neuron
• Summation: sum of excitatory and inhibitory influence- if net effect on post synaptic
neuron is inhibitory, neuron is less likely to fire, if net effect is excitatory, neuron will be
more likely to fire.
The divisions of the nervous system
• The nervous system: complex network of
nerve cells that carry messages to and from
brain and spinal cord, to the body.
• Central nervous system: the brain and sp
cord, controls behaviours, regulates physiol
processes. Sends messages to muscles and
glands
• Spinal cord: relays information between th
• brain and body, allows the brain to regulate
Brain: receives information from sensory receptors, occipital lobe- processes visua
bodily processes, coordinates voluntary
information, brain stem- regulates automatic functions (breathing, heart beat)
• movements
Peripheral nervous system: nerves outside the CNS, relay nerve impulses from
to the body and back
• Somatic nervous system: transmits and receives messages from the sense via
different types of neurons, sensory- send messages to CNS, motor- pass info from C
to body, controls internal organs and glands
• Autonomic nervous system: regulates involuntary movements, uses motor neur
controls skeletal muscles and movement
,• Sympathetic nervous system: uses noradrenaline, has stimulating effects, involved in
responses to do with emergencies, neurons from SNS travel to every organ and glands , p
the body for rapid action, slows down non-emergency bodily processes
• Parasympathetic nervous system: uses acetylcholine, had inhibiting effects, relaxes o
and gland once emergency has passed
The structure and function of sensory, relay and motor neu
• Neurons: specialised cells, move electrical impulses to and from CNS
• Dendrites: receive signals from other neurons/ sensory recep
• Cell body: the control centre of the neuron
• Axon: carries the impulse where it terminates at the axon ter
• Myelin sheath: insulting layer around the axon, allows nerve
impulses to transmit more rapidly, if damaged, impulses slow
• Sensory: tell brain about external/ internal environment by
processing information from senses
• Relay: carry messages from one part of the CNS to another,
connect sensory and motor neurons
• Motor: carry signals from CNS, helping organs, glands and muscle function
• Synapse: the specialised gap between neurons (synaptic cleft)
• Transmitted: signals in neurons- electrically, signals between neurons- chemically
, The process of synaptic transmission (neurotransmitters,
excitation and inhibition)
• Synaptic transmission: the process for transmitting messages between neurons
Nerve
• Electrical impulse travels down the neuron, prompts release of
impulses
Presynaptic
cell
neurotransmitters from the synaptic vesicles
• Diffused across the gap, binds to specialised receptors that are
Post synaptic
cell
activated by that particular neurotransmitter
• Taken up by post-synaptic receptor, chemical message is converted
back into electrical impulse
Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters
• Potential: right neurotransmitter meets the right receptor, specifi
ion channel in the membrane is opened up, ions flow through,
causes a potential in the dendrites
• Excitatory potential: more likely for the neuron to fire
• Inhibitory potential: less likely for the neuron to fire, message is likely to be stopped
at the post-synaptic neuron
• Summation: sum of excitatory and inhibitory influence- if net effect on post synaptic
neuron is inhibitory, neuron is less likely to fire, if net effect is excitatory, neuron will be
more likely to fire.
