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Biopsychology - Coggle Diagram
Biopsychology
The endocrine system
The key features of the endocrine system:
- The endorcrine system works alongside the nervous system to control vital functions in the body through the action of hormones.
- It works more slowly than the nervous system but has widespread and powerful effects.
The endocrine system and the ANS work together:
- Often the endocrine system and the ANS work in parallel, for instance during a stressful event.
- Stressor percieved by hypothalamus which activates the pituitary.
- The sympaethic nervous system is now aroused.
- Adrenaline is released from the adrenal medulla into the blood stream. This delivers the aroused state causing changes in target organs in the body, e.g., increased heart rate. This is called the flight or fight response.
- Immediate and automatic - this response happens the instant a threat is perceived.
- Parasympathetic nervous system takes over once the threat has passed. This returns the body to its resting state. This acts as a 'brake' and reduces the activities of the body that were increased by the actions of the sympathetic branch.
Glands:
- Glands are organs in the body that produce hormones.
- The key endocrine gland is the pituitary gland located in the brain. It's called the 'master gland' because it controls the release of hormones from all the other endocrine glands in the body.
Hormones:
- Hormones are secreted in the bloodstream and affect any cell in the body that has a receptor for that particualr hormone.
- For example, thyroxine produced by the thyroid gland affects cells in the heart and cells throughout the body which increases metablic rates. This in turn affects growth rates.
The nervous system
The key features of the nervous system:
- The nervous system is a specialised network of cells and our primary communication system. It's nased on electrical signals.
- The nervous system has 2 main functions:
- To collect, process and respond informarion in the environment.
- To co-ordinmate the working of different organs and cells in the body.
The structure and function of the PNS:
- The PNS transmits messages, via millions of neurons, to and from the nervous system.
- The nervous system is further divided into:
- Autonomic nervous system (ANS): Governs vital functions in the body such as breathing, heart rate, digestion etc...
- Somatic nervous system (SNS): Governs muscle movement and receives information from sensory receptors
The structure and function of the CNS:
- The CNS is made up of the brain and spinal cord.
Brain:
- The brain is the centre of conscious awareness.
- The outer layer, the cerebral cortex (3mm thick), is highly developed in humans and is what distinguishes our higher mental functions from those of animals.
- The brain is divided into 2 hemispheres.
Spinal Cord
- The spinal cord is an extension of the brain and is responsible for reflex actions.
- It passes messages to and from the brain and connects nerves to the PNS.
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