these are condensed notes for the biopsychology unit in AQA a level psychology. these are easy to use and useful for a quick refresher before a practise exam or (I have found) the final exam itself
- Divided into the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system
- CNS: brain and spinal cord
- PNS: sends information to the CNS from the outside world
- Autonomic Nervous System: governs vital functions: breathing, heart rate
- Somatic Nervous System: muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
- ANS made up of sympathetic and parasympathetic
THE ENDOCRINE SYSTEM
- Glands that send chemical messages (hormones) throughout the bloodstream
- Pituitary gland controls the hormone release of all other glands, often called the ‘master gland’
- Works with sympathetic branch of the ANS to produce flight or fight response
- Adrenaline released from the adrenal gland, triggering physiological changes in the body creating the
physiological arousal necessary for the flight or fight response
- Once the threat is passed the parasympathetic nervous system returns the body to its resting state -
sometimes referred to as the rest and digest response
Sympathetic state Parasympathetic state
Increases heart rate Decreases heart rate
Increases breathing rate Decreases breathing rate
Dilates pupils Constricts pupils
Inhibits digestion Stimulates digestion
Inhibits saliva production Stimulates saliva production
Contracts rectum Relaxes rectum
NEURONS
- Motor neurons: carry messages from the CNS to muscles and glands
- Sensory: carry messages from the PNS to CNS
, - Relay: carry messages from sensory to motor neurons
Dendrites: carry impulses from neurons towards the cell body
Axon: carries impulses away from the cell body
Myelin sheath: protects axon and speeds up electrical transmission of the impulse
Nodes of Ranvier: speed transmission by forcing ‘jumps’
Terminal buttons: communicate with next neuron over the synapse
- When neuron is activated by a stimulus it becomes
positively charged for a split second causing action
potential
- Creates an impulse that travels down the axon towards
the end of the neuron
SYNAPTIC TRANSMISSION
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