Chapter 4

Question 1

Exogenous/Endogenous

Answer 1

Exogenous-substances from outside the body (drugs etc)

Endogenous-substance from inside the body

Question 2

Exocytosis

Answer 2

When the action potential reaches the axon terminal and Ca2+ ions open and allow vesicles of neurotransmitter to bind with the membrane and spill into the synaptic cleft.

Question 3

Reuptake/Transmitters

Answer 3

Reuptake-When neurotransmitters are broken down by enzymes and brought back into the presynaptic terminal
Transporter-special protiens that bind molecules of transmitter and conduct the back inside.

Question 4

Ionotropic receptors/Metabotropic receptors

Answer 4

Ionotropic-“fancy” ion channels that change their shape to open or close the ion channel
Metabotropic- don’t contain ion channels and instead link across membrane to complicated chemical machinery inside the postsynaptic neuron.

Question 5

Amino Acid neurotransmitters

Answer 5

Most common in the brain. Gamma-aminobutyric (GABA-inhibitory), glutamate (excitatory)

Question 6

Amines

Answer 6

ex. Quaternary amines-Acetylcholine (ACh)
Monoamines-Cateholamines=Norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (adrenaline), dopamine (DA)
Indoleamines=Serotonin (5-HT), melatonin

Question 7

Neuropeptides

Answer 7

Opioid peptides(mimic the actions of opiate drugs like morphine marking analgesia and reward), oxytocin, vasopressin

Question 8

Gasses

Answer 8

ex. Carbon monoxide, Nitric oxides

soluble gas that diffuse between neurons and alter ongoing process.

Question 9

Cholinergic

Answer 9

ACh containing neurons that are found in the basal forebrain

Question 10

Basal Forebrain

Answer 10

Region, ventral to the basal ganglia, that is the major source of ACh in the brain

Question 11

Substantia Nigra

Answer 11

A brainstem structure innervates the basal ganglia and is a major source of dopaminergic predictions

Question 12

Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)

Answer 12

Portion of the midbrain that projects dopaminergic fibers to the nucleus accumbens

Question 13

Raphe nuclei

Answer 13

string of nuclei in the midline of the midbrain and brainstem that contain most of the serotonergic neurons of the brain

Question 14

Noradrenergic/Norepinephrine (NE)

Answer 14

known as noradrenaline, a neurotransmitter produced and released by the sympathetic post-ganglionic neuron to accelerate organ activity

Question 15

Locus coeruleus

Answer 15

A small neucleus in the brainstem whose neurons produce norepinephrine and modulate large areas of the forebrain

Question 16

Lateral tegmental area

Answer 16

brainstem region that provides some of norepinephrine-containing projections of the brain.

Question 17

Retrograde transmitter

Answer 17

Neurotransmitter that diffuses from the postsynaptic neuron back to the presynaptic neuron

Question 18

Ligand

Answer 18

A substance that binds to receptor molecules such as neurotransmitter or drug that binds postsynaptic receptors

Question 19

Binding Affinity

Answer 19

Chemical attraction which molecules of a drug bind to receptors

Question 20

Efficacy

Answer 20

“intrinsic activity” The extent to which a drug activates a response when it binds to a receptor.

Question 21

Bioavailable

Answer 21

substance, usually a drug, that is present in the body in a form that is able to interact with physiological mechanisms. Free to act on target tissue, not being eliminated.

Question 22

Biotransformation

Answer 22

Process of enzymes converting a drug into a metabolite that is active, could possibly have greatly different actions from the original substance

Question 23

Pharmacokinetics

Answer 23

the name for all the factors that affect the entire movement of a drug through the body.

Question 24

Tolerance (drug, metabolic, functional, cross)

Answer 24

Drug - repeated exposure to a drug allows the body to be less responsive to that drug.
Metabolic - body becomes more efficient at cleaning out the drug
Functional - receptors in synapse become accustom to drug, and change its sensitivity to down-regulate (decrease receptor availability) and up-regulate (increase receptor availability).
Cross - gain tolerance to another drug within the similar chemical class

Question 25

Autoreceptor

Answer 25

receptor located in the presynaptic membrane that tells the axon terminal how much transmitter has been released

Question 26

Understanding Drug Abuse

Answer 26

1. Moral model = addiction results form weakness or character or lack or control
2. Disease model = abusing drugs requires medical treatment or punishment
3. Physical development = people keep taking drugs to avoid unpleasant withdrawal symptoms
4. Positive reward model = people start with drug abuse and become addictive because it is a powerful reinforcement.

Question 27

Nucleus accumbens

Answer 27

region of forebrain that receives dopaminergic innervation from the ventral tegmental area, often associated with reward and pleasurable sensations

Question 28

Insula

Answer 28

region of cortex below the surface within the lateral sulcus of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes. Could be involved with addiction. Connections between Ventral Tegmental area (VTA) and this suggest the two regions interact to mediate addiction.