Twenty flashcards covering the biological basis of behaviour. Includes the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems, key brain regions, neuron structure and synaptic transmission, major neurotransmitters, hemispheric lateralisation,...
Twenty flashcards covering the biological basis of behaviour. Includes the structure and function of the central and peripheral nervous systems, key brain regions, neuron structure and synaptic transmission, major neurotransmitters, hemispheric lateralisation, and neuroplasticity. Suited to A-Level and AP Psychology biopsychology units.
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How the brain, nervous system, hormones and genetics influence thoughts, emotions and behaviour.
The central nervous system (CNS) comprises the brain and spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system (PNS) connects the CNS to the rest of the body via nerves.
The somatic system controls voluntary muscle movement and carries sensory information. The autonomic system controls involuntary functions like heart rate and digestion.
The sympathetic system triggers the "fight or flight" response, increasing arousal. The parasympathetic system promotes "rest and digest," calming the body afterward.
The cell body (soma), dendrites (receive signals), axon (transmits signals), and axon terminals (release neurotransmitters to the next neuron).
A fatty layer insulating the axon, which speeds up electrical signal transmission via saltatory conduction between gaps called nodes of Ranvier.
An electrical impulse triggers release of neurotransmitters from the presynaptic neuron into the synaptic gap; they bind to receptors on the postsynaptic neuron, potentially triggering a new impulse.
A neurotransmitter involved in reward, motivation, and motor control; linked to conditions such as Parkinson's disease (deficiency) and schizophrenia (excess activity).
A neurotransmitter regulating mood, sleep and appetite; low levels are associated with depression, making it a target for SSRIs.
Coordinates balance, posture and fine motor movement, and contributes to motor learning — located at the back of the brain beneath the cerebrum.
A brain structure central to processing emotion, particularly fear and threat detection, and forming emotional memories.
Critical for forming new long-term declarative memories and spatial navigation; damage can cause anterograde amnesia.
Responsible for executive functions — planning, decision-making, impulse control and personality expression.
Severe damage to his frontal lobe from an iron rod dramatically altered his personality and impulse control, providing early evidence linking the frontal lobe to personality and behaviour regulation.
The idea that the brain's two hemispheres are specialised for different functions — broadly, the left hemisphere for language/logic and the right for spatial/creative processing.
Studies on patients whose corpus callosum was severed showed each hemisphere can process information somewhat independently, revealing specialised hemispheric functions.
The thick band of nerve fibres connecting the brain's left and right hemispheres, enabling them to communicate and coordinate.
The brain's ability to reorganise itself by forming new neural connections throughout life, in response to learning, experience, or injury.
Electroencephalography measures electrical activity in the brain via scalp electrodes, offering excellent temporal resolution but limited spatial precision.
Functional MRI measures brain activity by detecting blood-oxygen-level changes, offering excellent spatial resolution to show which brain regions are active during a task.
