2.3 Neurotransmitters and Behaviors

Question 1

Agonist

Answer 1

a chemical that enhances the action of a neurotransmitter

Question 2

Antagonist

Answer 2

a chemical that inhibits the action of a neurotransmitter

Question 3

Aim and Context- Crockett et al. (2010)

Answer 3

investigated the effect of serotonin on prosocial behavior, Serotonin is an inhibitory neurotransmitter that is involved in sustaining stable mood and regulating sleep cycles

Question 4

Method- Crockett et al. (2010)

Answer 4

Repeated Measures Design, 30 healthy volunteers, -In the experimental group, participants were given a dose of citalopram, an SSRI.

-In the control group, participants were given a placebo.

-After taking the drug, participants were given a series of moral dilemmas (the personal or impersonal trolley problem), which made them choose between a utilitarian outcome (saving 5 people) and aversive harmful actions (letting 1 person be killed)

Question 5

Findings- Crockett et al. (2010)

Answer 5

Participant’s responses in the impersonal scenario were unaffected by citalopram. In the personal scenario, citalopram made participants less likely to interfere (less likely to push the man off the bridge)

Question 6

Conclusion - Crockett et al. (2010)

Answer 6

Citalopram reduces the acceptability of personal harm and in this scene promotes prosocial behavior. Increased levels of serotonin in the brain may cause people to be more opposed to the idea of inflicting harm on someone. Modulates reactions of the brian to emotionally salient situations so that inflicting harm on other people is judged as less acceptable

Question 7

Limitations- Crockett et al. (2010)

Answer 7

Citalopram intake induced slight nausea. Meaning participants could work out what condition they were in on that trial. However, it is not possible to estimate the extent to which this might have influenced the results.

Question 8

Aim- Freed et al (2005)

Answer 8

To investigate the effects of dopamine on the behavioural symptoms of Parkinson’s disease.

Question 9

Method- Freed et al (2005)

Answer 9

Repeated measures design, 17 participants who were “intensely in love” (but not with each other) were recruited for the study through word of mouth as well as through flyers. The mean age was 21 years and the mean reported duration of being in love was 7 months.

Question 10

Procedure - Freed et al (2005)

Answer 10

All participants were placed in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner and engaged in a standardized procedure involving looking at photographs while their brains were being scanned. There were 4 stages:

• viewing a photograph of their beloved person for 30 seconds
• for 40 seconds, participants were given a filler activity to count back from a given number
• viewing a photograph of their emotionally neutral acquaintance for 30 seconds
• for 20 seconds, participants were then asked to count back from a given number

Question 11

Findings - Freed et al (2005)

Answer 11

there was a specific pattern of activation in the participant’s brains in response to the photographs of their loved ones: activation was observed in dopamine rich neural systems, primarily the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and caudate nucleus.

Both of these regions form the key part of the so-called dopaminergic pathway — a system that generates and transmits dopamine and increases dopamine-related activity in the brain.

Question 12

Conclusion- Freed et al (2005)

Answer 12

Dopaminergic activity plays a role in feelings of romantic love