Summary
Summary Biopsychology Notes
- Module
- Biopsychology
- Institution
- AQA
AQA Psychology Paper 2 - notes on Biopsychology topic including AO1 and AO3
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The Nervous System and the Endocrine SystemAO1 - knowledge AO1 - knowledge
The Nervous System The Endocrine System
This is a specialised network of cells,
based on electrical and chemical Glands and hormones
signals. The endocrine system works alongside the nervous system using hormones
It has two main functions: instead of electrical and chemical signals. It works slower than the nervous
1. To collect, process and system but has widespread and powerful effects.
respond to information in the The ‘master gland’ in the body is called the pituitary gland as it controls the
environment. release of hormones for all other glands in the endocrine system. The pituitary
2. To coordinate the workings gland is activated by the hypothalamus.
of different cells and organs
in the body. Endocrine and ANS working together: fight or flight
It is divided into two main parts, the central and the peripheral nervous system. 1. When a stressor is perceived (your friend jumps out to frighten you), the
hypothalamus activates the pituitary gland, triggering activity in the
The central nervous system sympathetic branch of the ANS. The ANS will change from the
The CNS is made up of two parts, the brain and the spinal cord. parasympathetic state to the aroused sympathetic state.
- Brain - the centre for all conscious awareness. 2. The stress hormone, adrenaline is released from the adrenal gland,
- Spinal cord - acts as an extension for the brain and carries messages to causing physiological changes like an increased heart rate. This creates
and from it. It is also responsible for reflex actions, like pulling your hand the arousal necessary for the fight or flight response.
away instinctively from a hot object. 3. All of this will happen instantly and automatically. Physiological changes
associated with the sympathetic response include dilated pupils,
The peripheral nervous system increased breathing rate and inhibited saliva production.
The PNS carries messages to and from the CNS via millions of neurons. The 4. Finally, once the threat has passed, the parasympathetic nervous
peripheral nervous system is further subdivided into the: system returns the body to its resting state. In this way, it acts as a
- Autonomic Nervous System - governs vital functions like breathing, ‘brake’ for the actions caused by the sympathetic nervous system.
includes sympathetic and parasympathetic branches.
- Somatic Nervous System - governs muscle movement and receives
information from sensory receptors.
, Neurons and Synaptic Transmission
AO1 - knowledge AO1 - knowledge
The structure and functions of neurons Synaptic transmission
Types of neurons Chemical transmission
There are three types of neurons: sensory, relay and motor. Neurons communicate with each other
1. Sensory neurons carry messages from the PNS to the CNS, detecting within groups known as neural
stimulus and forming electrical impulses. They have long dendrites and networks. Electrical impulses are
short axons. transmitted chemically across the
2. Relay neurons connect the sensory neurons to the motor neurons. They synapse.
have short dendrites and short axons.
3. Motor neurons connect the CNS to effectors (muscles or glands). They Neurotransmitters
have short dendrites and long axons. When an electrical impulse reaches the end of a neuron (the presynaptic
terminal) it triggers the release of neurotransmitters from synaptic vesicles. These
The structure of neurons then diffuse across the synapse to the next neuron in the chain. One it is taken
Dendrites carry electrical impulses from neighbouring neurons towards the cell up by the postsynaptic receptor site, it is converted back into an electrical
body. The cell body contains the nucleus, where genetic material is stored. The impulse. This process means that the direction of travel can only be one-way.
axon carries electrical impulses away from the cell body. The axon is protected by
a the myelin sheath that insulates the electrical impulse. Nodes of ranvier creates Excitation or inhibition
gaps in the myelin sheath for the electrical impulse to jump across, speeding it Neurotransmitters have an excitatory or inhibitory effect on the neighbouring
up. Finally, terminal buttons communicate with the next neuron across a synapse. neuron. Positively charged neurons, like dopamine and adrenaline, are more
likely to create action potential when they pass through the synapse, making
Electrical transmission them excitatory. Negatively charged neurons like serotonin, are less likely to
When a neuron is in its resting state, the inside of the neuron is negatively create action potential, making it inhibitory.
charged. When a neuron is activated by an external stimulus, the inside of the
cell becomes positively charged for a split second, causing an action potential to Summation
occur, creating an electrical impulse. Whether the postsynaptic neuron fires is due to summation. If the net sum of the
positive and negative charges reaches a certain threshold, it is more likely to fire.
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