Brain Area and Neurotransmitter Functions Flashcards
Amygdala
Limbic system; Linked to emotions
(Amy, the girl with the almond-shaped
eyes, cries when she watches sad movies)
Glutamate
Major excitatory neurotransmitter that increases brain activity; learning & memory
Alzheimer’s disease; Migraines or Seizures
Norepinephrine
Helps control wakefulness, alertness & arousal(energy); fight or flight stress response system
Bipolar disorder
Occipital Lobe
Lies at the back of the head; conscious visual information
(Hit the back of your head, you see stars)
Substance P
Perception of pain - transmits pain signals from skin and muscles to CNS. Onset of experiencing a pain signal.
Inflammation response to injury
Acetylcholine
Enables muscle action; learning; memory functions
Alzheimer’s and Myasthenia Gravis
Endorphins
Pain-inhibiting neurotransmitter that triggers the release of dopamine and pleasure signaling to block pain sensations, especially when the sympathetic nervous system is activated
Natural opiate-like painkiller
Serotonin
Affects mood regulation, hunger, sleep and arousal. It is your everyday things and like motivation to do those things.
Depression, serotonin syndrome, insomnia( and other sleep disorders), anxiety
Thalamus
Switchboard for sensory info. It passes along incoming info from the eyes, ears, skin, mouth and nose
(Thelma, the switchboard operator,
directs incoming calls to the appropriate dept.)
Cerebellum
Near brainstem and at the base of the head; Coordinates voluntary and automatic movements such as posture, balance, coordination, and speech, resulting in smooth muscular activity; communicates with motor cortex
(Little Sara (“cere” sounds like Sara) was a
ballerina (“bellum”), full of poise, grace
and balance moving across the stage)
Dopamine
Influences body movement, motivation, learning, pleasure experiences (food, drugs, sex) & emotions.
Executive functions like attention, cognition, organization, emotional control, goal-directed behavior
Schizophrenia, ADHD, Parkinson’s disease, addiction
Hippocampus
Limbic system; linked to memory and navigation
(You’d remember if a hippo walked across campus)
Frontal Lobe
Lies behind the forehead. Involved in speaking and executive functions: planning, focused attention, organization, impulse control, emotional control
(If you play follow the leader (executive),,
the leader is in the front of the line. They
get to make the plans & everyone moves
the way they move. Once you’re out, “No
crying!” Also consider Freud’s reality
principle (responsible adult of the brain)
Corpus Callosum
Connects the two cerebral hemispheres
(Alliterate: Cut the corpus callosum, cut
central communication)
Reticular Activating System
In the brainstem; Controls alertness and arousal; If damaged, goes into coma and unable to be awaken
(Ret sounds like “net”, and you can fall
asleep in a net style hammock. When
flipped over, you wake up.)
Hypothalamus
Controls maintenance and survival functions like eating, thirst, body temperature and sexual behavior
(If you were stranded in the Arctic, you
could get “hypo-thermia”; you’d likely be
hungry, thirsty & need body heat)
Temporal Lobe
Lies above the ears, auditory areas
(Temporal is by your temples, where your ears are)
GABA
Major inhibitory neurotransmitter; decreased neural firing; motor control; anxiety regulation
Insomnia, seizures
Parietal Lobe
Located on the top of the head; Spatial awareness, motor cortex: voluntary movement and body positioning; somatosensory cortex: skin sensation across entire body
(This is the place where someone would
pat your head; Pat starts with a P, like
parietal – you would feel if someone
patted your head.)
Broca’s Area
Frontal lobe; with speech production; dysfunction leads to aphasia(issues with language comprehension)
(Broke a tooth? Best to say nothing.)
Wernicke’s Area
Speech interpretation(hearing); dysfunction leads to aphasia(issues with language comprehension)
(When Nicky talks, you listen)
Medulla Oblongata
Base of brain stem that controls breathing and heartbeat(vital functions)
(Seeing Medusa caused their hearts to
stop beating and lungs to stop breathing)
