Biopsychology

Front 1

Osmotic thirst

Back 1

Losing fluid caused by eating salty foods

Front 2

Hypovolemic thirst

Back 2

Caused by losing fluid by sweating or bleeding

Front 3

Vasopressin

Back 3

Hormone released by posterior pituitary - it raises blood pressure by constricting blood vessels which compensates for decreased blood volume. Also known as anti diuretic hormone.

Front 4

Osmotic pressure

Back 4

The tendency for water to flow across a semipermeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high concentration.

Front 5

OVLT & subfornical organ (SFO)

Back 5

Receptors around the 3rd ventricle that detect osmotic pressure and sodium content of the blood.

Front 6

Aldosterone

Back 6

A hormone produced in the adrenal gland that causes the kidneys, salivary glands & sweat glands to retain salt.

Front 7

Angiotensin II

Back 7

Restricts the blood vessels, compensating for the drop in blood pressure; also helps trigger thirst.

Front 8

Lateral preoptic area

Back 8

In hypothalamus, controls drinking.

Front 9

Paraventricular nucleus & supraoptic nucleus

Back 9

In hypothalamus; control the rate at which the posterior pituitary releases vasopressin.

Front 10

Sodium-specific hunger

Back 10

Becoming deficient in sodium and showing an immediate preference for salty foods.

Front 11

Hebbian synapse

Back 11

A synapse that increase in effectiveness because of simultaneous activity in the presynaptic and postsynaptic neurons. This occurs through pairing eg food + tone strengthens CS synapse through plasticity so CS can cause salivation.

Front 12

Aldosterone

Back 12

Adrenal hormone that causes the body to retain salt.

Front 13

Adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH)

Back 13

Chemical released from the anterior pituitary gland which enhances metabolic activity and elevates blood sugar levels.

Front 14

Antisaccade task

Back 14

A voluntary eye movement away from the normal direction.

Front 15

Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis

Back 15

A set of neurons that connect to the amygdala

Front 16

Basal metabolism

Back 16

Energy used to maintain a constant body temperature while at rest.

Front 17

Behavioural activation system (BAS)

Back 17

Left brain hemispheric activity marked by low to moderate autonomic arousal and a tendency to approach which could characterise either happiness or anger.

Front 18

Behavioural activation system (BAS)

Back 18

Left brain hemispheric activity marked by low to moderate autonomic arousal and a tendency to approach which could characterise either happiness or anger.

Front 19

Behavioural inhibition system

Back 19

Right brain hemispheric activity which increases attention and arousal, inhibits action, and simulates emotions such as fear and disgust.

Front 20

Benzodiazepines

Back 20

Anti-anxiety drugs

Front 21

Cortisol

Back 21

Hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that elevates blood sugar and enhances metabolism.

Front 22

Cortisol

Back 22

Hormone secreted by the adrenal cortex that elevates blood sugar and enhances metabolism.

Front 23

Cytokines

Back 23

Small proteins that combat infections and communicate with the brain to elicit appropriate behaviours.

Front 24

General adaptation syndrome

Back 24

A generalised response to stress

Front 25

HPA axis

Back 25

The hypothalamus, pituitary gland and adrenal cortex

Front 26

James Lange theory

Back 26

Proposal that an event first provokes the autonomical arousal and skeletal responses and that the feeling aspect of emotion is the perception of these responses

Front 27

James Lange theory

Back 27

Proposal that an event first provokes the autonomical arousal and skeletal responses and that the feeling aspect of emotion is the perception of these responses

Front 28

Ionotropic effects

Back 28

Synaptic effects that depend on the rapid opening of some kind of gate in the membrane

Front 29

Lateral inhibition

Back 29

The reduction of activity in one neuron by activity in neighbouring neurons

Front 30

Lateral inhibition

Back 30

The reduction of activity in one neuron by activity in neighbouring neurons

Front 31

Ligand-gated channels

Back 31

A channel that opens when a neurotransmitter attaches

Front 32

Potentiated

Back 32

To become more responsive to new input of the same type after a burst of intense stimulation (potentiation can last minutes, days or weeks)

Front 33

LTP - long term potentiation

Back 33

When one or more axons connected to a dendrite bombard it with a rapid series of stimuli. This leaves some of the synapses potentiated, for minutes, days or weeks.

Front 34

LTP - property 1 of 3 - specificity

Back 34

If some of the synapses onto a cell have been highly active and others have not, only the active ones become strengthened

Front 35

LTP - property 1 of 3 - specificity

Back 35

If some of the synapses onto a cell have been highly active and others have not, only the active ones become strengthened

Front 36

LTP - property 2 of 3 - cooperativity

Back 36

Nearly simultaneous stimulation by two or more axons produces LTP much more strongly than does repeated stimulation by just one axon.

Front 37

LTP - property 3 of 3 - associativity

Back 37

Pairing a weak input with a strong input enhances later response to the weak input. LTP matches what we would expect of Hebbian synapses. In some cases, the a synapse that was almost completely inactive before LTP becomes effective after.