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Physiological Psychology > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

1
Q

what does a neurotransmitter do?

A

helps neurons communicate with one another by activating specific receptors on nearby neurons

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2
Q

What are the 4 neurotransmitter categories?

A

Monoamines, amino acids, peptides, other

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3
Q

At what pace should neurons return to their baseline functions after being activated

A

quickly

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4
Q

what does enzymatic deactivation do?

A

enzymes break down the neurotransmitter

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5
Q

what does reuptake do?

A

transports the neurotransmitter back to the presynaptic neuron and repackaged for reuse

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6
Q

what is a monoamine?

A

-has one amine group
-examples: dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, serotonin

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7
Q

what part of the neuron sends and receives the neurotransmitter

A

-presynaptic neuron sends the neurotransmitter
-postsynaptic neuron receives the neurotransmitter

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8
Q

what is an amino acid

A

compounds with amino and carboxyl groups

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9
Q

What is the most abundant neurotransmitter in the CNS?

A

amino acids

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10
Q

what type of neurotransmitter is glutamate?

A

amino acid neurotransmitter

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11
Q

what does glutamate do?

A

-involved in brain plasticity, helps create synapses and strengthen connections
-helps facilitate learning and memory

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12
Q

what are the 2 glutamate receptors

A

NMDA and AMPA

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13
Q

What is GABA

A

primary inhibitory neurotransmitter

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14
Q

what can GABA inhibition lead to?

A

leads to seizures

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15
Q

What does an agonist do?

A

mimics or enhances the effects of a specific neurotransmitter

this activation results in inhibition of the brains cognitive and behavioral systems

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16
Q

examples of GABA agonist drugs

A

alcohol and muscimol (found in mushrooms)

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17
Q

examples of hallucinogen drugs

A

LSD, mushrooms, peyote, psilocybin

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18
Q

what do antagonists do?

A

block or decrease the effects of specific neurotransmitters

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19
Q

what is glycine? what is it involved with?

A

-another inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brainstem and spinal cord
-involved in sensory and motor pathways

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20
Q

inhibitory = _______
excitatory = _______

A

-don’t fire
-fire

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21
Q

what are peptides?

A

larger amino acid grouping of 3-40 amino acids

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22
Q

what type of transmitter are endorphins?

What are they involved in?

A

-one type of peptide neurotransmitter
-involved in pain and reward processes

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23
Q

oxytocin and vasopressin are examples of ________ neurotransmitters

A

peptide

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24
Q

oxytocin and vasopressin are involved in what?

A

regulation of specific fluids and social relationships

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25
Q

What is Acetylcholine involved with?

A

-motor function
-memory, cognition, and attention
-parasympathetic function

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26
Q

what happens when acetylcholine is release?

A

binds in the muscle and retracts

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27
Q

how do agonists and antagonists work?

A

-they bind to postsynaptic receptors where the neurotrnamitter would bind
-Agonist: after they bind, ion channel opens and they do just what the neurotransmitter would (like a lock and key)
-Antagonist: connect on the receptor and keep the ion channel closed (key goes in but doesn’t unlock). This prevents the actual neurotransmitter from entering

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28
Q

what is the route of administration?

A

inhalation, injection, pill

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29
Q

dose response curve

A

lowest amount of drug necessary to produce optimal responses

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30
Q

absorption and distribution

A

the areas of the brain and body that the drug affects

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31
Q

what are stimulants

A

drugs that facilitate arousal

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32
Q

what kind of drug is caffein

A

stimulant

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33
Q

what is the most widely used psychoactive drug in the world

A

caffeine

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34
Q

what does it mean for a drug to be psychoactive?

A

it can cross the blood brain barrier and is active in the brain

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35
Q

psychological effects of caffeine

A

-increased energy
-self confidence
-alertness
-increased focus

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36
Q

what is the key neurotransmitter in caffeine

A

adenosine

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37
Q

what is adenosine and what happens when it is released?

A

-an inhibitory neurotransmitter
-it stops/prevents activity

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38
Q

How does caffeine affect adenosine in the body

A

Normally when adenosine is working neurons will not fire, but when we have caffeine, it inhibits adenosine leading to firing action potential and more activity

39
Q

is caffeine an agonist or antagonist

A

antagonist, it blocks adenosine receptors

40
Q

what type of drug is nicotine?

A

stimulant

41
Q

psychological effects of nicotine

A

-heightened tension/arousal
-sustained attention
-stimulate metabolism
-increased heart rate/blood pressure

42
Q

is nicotine an antagonist or agonist?

A

it is a acetylcholine agonist

43
Q

what does nicotine bind to

A

nicotinic cholinergic receptors

44
Q

nicotinic cholinergic receptors

A

-what nicotine binds to
-w/o nicotine, acetylcholine would bind to these receptors
-These receptors are presynaptic, influences what happens at the synapse such as what or how much of the neurotransmitter gets released

45
Q

what makes smoking rewarding

A

-it is naturally rewarding
-activates dopamine “reward system” in the nucleus acumens

46
Q

what type of drug is cocaine?

A

stimulant

47
Q

psychological effects of cocaine

A

-euphoria
-increased energy/alertness
-feeling competent/powerful

48
Q

is cocaine an antagonist or agonist?

A

agonist, it blocks reuptake of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

49
Q

what does reuptake of dopamine entail and how does cocaine change it?

A

after dopamin has done its job, we vacuum it up and save it for next time but cocaine blocks the vacuum and we can’t get the dopamine back to the presynaptic neuron which causes dopamine to stay there longer and have a bigger effect on the postsynaptic neuron

50
Q

what happens to dopamine when cocaine breaks down?

A

dopamine will go back in the short term but changes with addiction cycle

51
Q

what type of drug is amphetamine?

A

stimulant

52
Q

what is amphetamine used for?

A

-antiasthmatic
-boost alertness, well being, reduce fatigue
-treatment for ADHD and narcolepsy

53
Q

is amphetamine an agonist or antagonist?

A

agonist, blocks reuptake of catecholamine

54
Q

what neurotransmitter does amphetamine interfere with

A

-catecholamine
-boosts presynaptic catecholamine release

55
Q

what type of drug is MDMA (ecstasy)

A

stimulant

56
Q

what does MDMA enhance

A

enhances social connection, sensory perception, well being

57
Q

is MDMA an antagonist or agonist? what neurotransmitter is impacted?

A

monoamine agonist

58
Q

how does MDMA negatively affect people?

A

-as a monoamine agonist is affects stored serotonin and dopamine release
-Theres not enough left over afterwards, creating that low feeling
-Long term impact on bodies ability to create serotonin and dopamine

59
Q

What is a depressant?

A

drug that inhibits neural firing

60
Q

what is the second most used psychoactive drug?

A

alcohol

61
Q

psychological effects of alcohol

A

-improved mood
-drowsiness
-increased self confidence
-impaired judgement
-impaired muscle coordiantion

62
Q

psychological effects of alcohol

A

-improved mood
-drowsiness
-increased self confidence
-impaired judgement
-impaired muscle coordination

63
Q

what is the first area that alcohol affects

A

cerebellum (movement)

64
Q

what excitatory neurotransmitter does alcohol interfere with and is it an agonist or antagonist?

A

glutamate antagonist

65
Q

what receptor does alcohol bind to

A

NMDA receptor

66
Q

where is NMDA found?

A

hippocampus

67
Q

why do people forget what happens when they black out?

A

since alcohol is a glutamate antagonist that binds to NMDA found in the hippocampus, connections cannot be made to create memories

68
Q

what inhibitory neurotransmitter does alcohol interfere with and is it an agonist or antagonist

A

GABA agonist

69
Q

what happens when alcohol binds to GABA receptors

A

-mimics their effects
-makes our neuron more negative and less likely to fire action potential
-less and less action potential equals less brain activity

70
Q

what are analgesics used for?

A

pain relief

71
Q

where do analgesics come from and what are some examples

A

-derived from opium
-found from poppy plant
-morphine, codeine, heroin

72
Q

how are analgesics administered into the body

A

injection

73
Q

psychological effects of analgesics

A

-euphoria
-pain relief

74
Q

physiological effects of analgesics

A

impacts muw, delta, and kappa receptors

75
Q

what neurotransmitter do analgesics interfere with and is it agonist or antagonist?

A

GABA antagonist

76
Q

how does use of analgesics affect dopamine in the body

A

leads to increased secretion of dopamine

77
Q

what are hallucinogens?

A

drugs that alter our sense of sensation and perception

78
Q

what kind of drug is LSD

A

hallucinogen

79
Q

psychological effects of LSD

A

-hallucinations/illusions
-changing perception of time and space
-synesthesia

80
Q

what is synesthesia

A

2 different sensations blend
ex: you can see and taste color

81
Q

which neurotransmitter does LSD interfere with and is it an agonist or antagonist

A

serotonin agonist

82
Q

psychological effects of cannabis

A

-alters sensation
-alter appetite
-can create a sense of euphoria
-disinhibition
-relaxation
-impaired memory/motor ability

83
Q

what are long term effects of cannabis use?

A

lack of motivation, more cognitive decline in adulthood if used in adolescence

84
Q

what receptors does cannabis interefer with

A

cannabinoid recpetors

85
Q

what is the role of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway in addiction?

A

activation of this pathway can motivate/sustain drug use, it tells the brain that what you just did felt good and to do it again

86
Q

how do drugs alter the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway?

A

the pathway becomes more sensitive to drug use and other things that use to be motivating may no longer be motivating which can lead to addiction

87
Q

what is drug dependence

A

need for the drug to maintain physiological function, the body needs the drug to produce enough of what you need

88
Q

what is tolerance

A

develops when a bodys reaction to a drug decreases over time

89
Q

why does tolerance happen?

A

your body is trying to protect you from the substance and builds up this tolerance to decrease your reaction and increases metabolic ability to break the drug down

90
Q

how does environment impact drug use

A

your brain associates certain environments with certain actions such as drug use, then physiologically prepares you for ingesting that drug

91
Q

stages of drug addiction cycle

A

-binge phase
-withdrawal
-craving

92
Q

what happens in the binge phase

A

-acute drug effects
-influences dopaminergic pathway
-leads to reward/feelings of pleasure

93
Q

what happens during withdrawal

A

-heightened stress response
-activation of extended amygdala region: perceived threats
-increased anxiety

94
Q

what happens in the craving stage

A

-can occur for months or years after discontinued use
-leads to relapse
-psychological and physiological components

Physiological Psychology (3 decks)

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