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level: BIOPSYCHOLOGY

Questions and Answers List

level questions: BIOPSYCHOLOGY

Question	Answer
consists of the brain and the spinal cord and is the origin of all complex commands and decisions.	Central Nervous System
sends information to the CNS from the outside environment, and transmits messages from the CNS to muscles and glands in the body.	Peripheral Nervous System
transmits information from receptor cells in the sense organs to the CNS. It also receives information from the CNS directing muscles to act.	Somatic Nervous System
transmits information to and from internal bodily organs. It is 'autonomic' as the system operates involuntarily. It has two main divisons: the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.	Autonomic Nervous System
one of the body's major information systems that instructs glands to release hormones directly into the bloodstream. These hormones are carried towards target organs in the body.	Endocrine System
an organ in the body that synthesises substances such as hormones.	Gland
chemical substances that circulate in the bloodstream and only affect target organs. They are produced in large quanties but disappear quickly. They have very powerful effects and regulate the activity of certain cells or organs.	Hormones
the basic building blocks of the nervous system, neurons are nerve cells that process and transmit message through electrical and chemical signals.	Neuron
carry messages from the PNS to the CNS. They have long dendrites and short axons.	Sensory Neurons
connect the seonsry neurons to the motor neurons or other relay neuron. They have short dendrites and short axons.	Relay Neurons
connect the CNS to effectors such as muscles and glands. They have short dendrites and long axons.	Motor Neurons
the process by which neighbouring neurons communicate with each other by sending chemical messages across the gap that separates them.	Synaptic Transmission
brain chemicals released from synaptic vesicles that relay signals across the synapse from one neuron to another. They can be broadly dividedinto those that perform an exitatory function and those that perform an inhibitory function.	Neurotransmitter
when a neurotransmitter increases the positive charge of the postsynaptic neuron, increasing the likelihood that the neuron will fire and pass on the electrical impulse.	Excitation
when a neurotransmitter makes the charge of the postsynaptic neuron more negative, decreasing the likelihood that the neuron will fire and pass on the electrical impulse.	Inhibition
the theory that different areas of the brain are responsible for different behaviours, processes or activities.	Localisation of Function
a region of the frontal lobe involved in regulating movement.	Motor Area
an area of the parietal lobe that processes sensory information such as touch.	Somatosensory Area
a part of the occipital lobe that receives and processes visual information.	Visual Area
located in the temporal lobe and concerned with the analysis of speech-based information.	Auditory Area
an area of the left frontal lobe of the brain responsible for speech production.	Broca's Area
an area of the left temporal lobe (encircling the auditory cortex) responsible for language comprehension.	Wernicke's Area
the brain's tendancy to change and adapt (functionally and physically) as a result of experience and new learning.	Plasticity
a form of plasticity - following damage through trauma, the brain's ability to redistribute or transfer functions usually performed by a damaged area(s) to other, undamaged area(s).	Functional Recovery
the idea that two halves of the brain are functionally different and that certain mental processes and behaviours are mainly controlled by one hemisphere rather than the other, i.e. language.	Hemispheric Lateralisation
a method used to measure brain activity while a person is performing a task that uses MRI technology. This enables researchers to detect which regions of the brain are rich in oxygen and thus are active.	Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging
a record of the tiny electrical impulses produced by the brain's activity. By measuring characteristic wave patterns, the EEG can help diagnose certain conditions of the brain.	Electrogencephalogram
the brain's electrophysiological response to a spectific sensory, cognitive or motor event can be isolated through statistical analysis of EEG data.	Event-Related Potentials
the brain is analysed after death to detemine whether certain observed behaviours during the patients lifetime can be linked to abnormalities in the brain.	Post-Mortem Examinations
distinct patterns of change in body activity that conform to cyclical time periods. They are influenced by internal body clocks as well as external changes to the environment.	Biological Rhythms
a type of biological rhythm, subject to a 24-hour cycle, which regulates a number of body processes such as the sleep/wake cycle and changes in core body tempature.	Circadian Rhythm
a type of biological rhythm with a frequency of less than one cycle in 24 hours, such as menstruation.	Infradian Rhythm
a type of biological rhythm with a frequency of more than one cycle in 24 hours, such as sleep stages.	Ultradian Rhythm
internal body clocks that regulate many of our biological rhythms, such as the influence of the suprachiasmatic nucleus on the sleep/wake cycle.	Endogenous Pacemakers
external cues that may affect or entrain our biological rhythms, such as the influence of light on the sleep/wake cycle.	Exogenous Zeitgebers
a daily cycle of biological activity based on a 24 hour period that is influenced by regular variations in the environment such as the alternation of night and day.	Sleep/Wake Cycle