Neurons
What is the long part of the neuron that carries signals away from the cell body?
The axon
Mood regulating hormone
Serotonin
What is brain plasticity?
Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize and form new neural connections in response to injury or learning.
A witness can describe the gun perfectly but not the criminal’s face. What effect is this?
Weapon Focus Effect
What part of the neuron is damaged in MS?
Myelin Sheath
What part of the neuron receives signals from other neurons?
Dendrites
A neurotransmitter that increases and decreases the activity of a neuron is categorised as
Excitatory, Inhibitory
Explain the term pruning
Pruning is the process in the brain where extra or unused neurons and connections are removed to make the brain’s networks more efficient. This usually happens during childhood and adolescence as the brain develops.
In a lineup, a witness picks someone because the officer asked, "Is it the man in red?" Which effect is this?
Leading question
Name one environmental factor that may increase MS risk.
Lack of sunlight (vitamin D), smoking, or viral infections.
What helps speed up the transmission of electrical signals in a neuron?
Myelin Sheath
Natural Painkiller
Endorphins
Explain the term sprouting
Sprouting is when the brain grows new connections by forming new branches on neurons. This helps the brain adapt and recover after injury by creating new pathways for communication.
A witness remembers the suspect being aggressive, but later admits they were influenced by the suspect's tattoos. Which effect is this?
Halo effect
Name one biological factor that may increase MS risk.
Genetics, Age, Gender
These are the small endings of an axon that release chemicals to send messages to the next neuron.
Axon Terminals
What is glutamate responsible for?
Memory and Learning
Mark suffered a stroke that damaged the part of his brain responsible for speech. At first, he was unable to speak clearly. After months of speech therapy, Mark gradually regained his ability to communicate.
With reference to brain plasticity, explain how Mark was able to speak again.
Mark was able to regain his speech because of brain plasticity, which is the brain’s ability to reorganize and adapt after injury. The undamaged areas of his brain formed new neural connections and took over the functions lost due to the stroke. Intensive speech therapy helped stimulate these changes, allowing Mark to gradually recover his communication skills.
How can post-event information affect memory of a crime?
By altering or confusing what a person originally saw
What happens when the myelin sheath is damaged?
Signals slow down or stop, causing symptoms like muscle weakness.
What happens at the synapse?
Neurotransmitters are released to send signals to the next neuron.
Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is the most common _________ neurotransmitter in your central nervous system.
Inhibitory
Jen had a traumatic injury to her occipital lobe, affecting her vision. Initially, she experienced partial blindness. Over time, with visual training exercises, Jen's brain adapted, and her vision improved significantly.
Using brain plasticity, explain how Jen's vision improved after the injury.
Through brain plasticity, Jen's brain rewired itself by strengthening existing connections or creating new pathways in undamaged areas to compensate for the injured parts. This helped her recover some visual function after training.
Explain the ‘self-fulfilling prophecy’
A self-fulfilling prophecy happens when a person’s belief or expectation about themselves or a situation causes them to behave in ways that make that belief come true.
MS is idiopathic which means?
A disease with an unknown cause