Biopsychology - AQA Psychology in 27 MINS! *NEW* Quick Revision for Paper 2

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The text summarizes key points in biological psychology with detailed explanations available in longer videos, along with an app for active knowledge testing and tutorial support on Patreon. It covers topics such as the divisions of the nervous system, endocrine system, neurotransmitters, fight or flight responses, brain plasticity, localization of function, brain imaging techniques, circadian rhythms, and practical applications of understanding biological processes.

Insights

  • The nervous system is divided into the Central Nervous System (CNS) with the brain and spinal cord, Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) with sensory and motor neurons, Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controlling internal glands, and Somatic Nervous System (SNS) controlling skeletal muscles, providing a foundational understanding of how the body and brain interact.
  • Brain plasticity and functional recovery showcase the brain's ability to adapt and reorganize after trauma through learning new skills, with practical benefits in therapy such as utilizing undamaged limbs for tasks, emphasizing the importance of rehabilitation efforts and individual characteristics in the recovery process.

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Recent questions

  • What are the divisions of the nervous system?

    The nervous system comprises the Central Nervous System (CNS) consisting of the brain and spinal cord, the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) with sensory and motor neurons, the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controlling internal glands, and the Somatic Nervous System (SNS) controlling skeletal muscles.

  • How does the endocrine system regulate bodily functions?

    The endocrine system regulates bodily functions by releasing hormones from glands such as the pituitary, hypothalamus, pineal, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testicles, which travel through the bloodstream to target organs and tissues to maintain homeostasis.

  • What is the fight or flight response?

    The fight or flight response is an involuntary reaction to threats, involving the activation of the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, leading to the release of cortisol and adrenaline from the adrenal glands. This response triggers psychological and physical effects to prepare the body to either confront or flee from a perceived danger.

  • How does plasticity and functional recovery occur in the brain?

    Plasticity and functional recovery in the brain involve the ability to adapt to changes by learning new skills, reorganizing functions after trauma, and factors like age, gender, access to therapy, and effort. The brain can form new connections and rewire itself to compensate for damage, aiding in recovery and rehabilitation.

  • What is the significance of circadian rhythms?

    Circadian rhythms regulate sleep, hormone release, and body temperature, influenced by endogenous pacemakers (EPs) and exogenous zeitgebers (EZs). Understanding these rhythms is crucial for combating jet lag, shift work effects, and timing drug treatments, with the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) acting as the master clock in controlling the sleep-wake cycle.

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Summary

00:00

Bioc Psychology: Key Points and Flashcards

  • Bioc psychology content summarized into a revision video for quick key points understanding, with detailed explanations available in longer videos.
  • Psych Boost app available for active knowledge testing using flashcards, free for all of paper one on IOS and Android.
  • Tutorial support videos with questions from all free papers and additional resources accessible on Patreon.
  • Divisions of the nervous system: Central Nervous System (CNS) includes the brain and spinal cord, Peripheral Nervous System (PNS) with sensory and motor neurons, Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) controlling internal glands, and Somatic Nervous System (SNS) controlling skeletal muscles.
  • Endocrine system regulates bodily functions through hormone release from glands like pituitary, hypothalamus, pineal, thyroid, thymus, pancreas, adrenal glands, ovaries, and testicles.
  • Structure and function of sensory, relay, and motor neurons in the reflex arc, including action potential transmission and synaptic communication.
  • Excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in synaptic transmission affecting action potential formation and neural communication.
  • Fight or flight response as an involuntary reaction to threats, involving the HPA axis, adrenal glands releasing cortisol and adrenaline, with psychological and physical effects.
  • Localization of function in the brain and hemispheric lateralization, with distinct regions for movement, speech, language, and memory, and specialized functions in each hemisphere.
  • Split brain research showing independent capabilities of hemispheres in processing information, with implications for consciousness and identity understanding.
  • Plasticity and functional recovery in the brain, adapting to changes through learning new skills, response to trauma, functional reorganization, and factors affecting recovery like age, gender, access to therapy, and focused effort.

14:29

Brain Plasticity and Recovery in Therapy

  • Research on brain plasticity and functional recovery has practical benefits in therapy, aiding patients in using more effective strategies like body language for communication or undamaged limbs for tasks.
  • Individuals recovering from loss of function can help psychologists understand brain regions' functions initially damaged, with a 2015 meta-analysis showing IQ and educational background positively correlate with better outcomes after traumatic brain injury.
  • Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) detects blood flow in the brain, offering good spatial resolution of approximately 1 mm, but with poor temporal resolution due to delays in blood flow post-activity.
  • Electroencephalograms (EEGs) use electrodes attached to a cap with conductive gel to measure brain cortex activation, displaying distinct patterns called brain waves with good temporal accuracy but poor spatial resolution.
  • Event-related potentials (ERPs) use EEG equipment to study cognitive processes in the brain after presenting stimuli multiple times, showing when these processes occur with good temporal resolution but poor spatial resolution.
  • Postmortem examinations allow precise study of microscopic brain structures, aiding in understanding brain functions and damage correlations, with the discovery of brain areas like the one responsible for language production in a patient named Tan.
  • Circadian rhythms regulate sleep, hormone release, and body temperature, with endogenous pacemakers (EPs) and exogenous zeitgebers (EZs) influencing the sleep-wake cycle, where the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) acts as the master clock.
  • Understanding circadian rhythms has practical applications in combating jet lag, shift work effects, and timing drug treatments, with studies showing how artificial light can disrupt these rhythms and how the SCN influences the sleep-wake cycle.
  • Infradian rhythms, like the menstrual cycle and seasonal affective disorder, involve longer-than-24-hour cycles regulated by hormones acting as EPs, with pheromones possibly synchronizing cycles among women living together, though not universally accepted.
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