Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM

Browse over 1 million classes created by top students, professors, publishers, and experts.


See full index

BioPsych Exam 2 > Chapter 4 > Flashcards

Chapter 4 Flashcards

1
Q

4 major categories of neurotransmitters

A
  • monoamines
  • amino acids
  • peptides
  • other
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

monamines

A
  • contains a single “mono” amine group
    ex. include catecholamine (a group composed of dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine) and indolamines (represented by the neurotransmitter serotonin)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

Dopamine

A
  • produced in the substantia nigra and central tegmental area
  • involved in movement, reward system, and increased vigilance
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

nigrostriatal pathway

A

pathway from the substantia nigra to the striatum

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

mesolimbic pathway

A

pathway from the ventral tegmental area to the brain reward area

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Norepinephrine

A
  • produced in locus coeruleus

- involved in increased vigilance, focused attention, and enhanced energy

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

locus coeruleus

A

a brainstem area involved in arousal, and in sympathetic nerves

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

epinephrine

A
  • structurally similar to norepinephrine but is releases from the adrenal glands (sits atop the kidney)
  • response to acute stress
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

serotonin

A

tassa

  • affects mood regulation
  • sleep/wake cycles
  • temperature regulation
  • sexual activity
  • aggression
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

most abundant neurotransmitter in the CNS?

A

amino acid neurotransmitters

include:

  • glutamate
  • GABA
  • glycine
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

glutamate

A

main excitatory NT

  • causes excitatory postsynaptic potentials
  • involvement in synaptogenesis (brain plasticity mechanisms) as neural networks are formed
  • -> once formed, glutamate plays a role in strengthening existing synapses, a process facilitating learning and memory
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

Gamm (y)-aminobutyric acid (GABA)

A
  • inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain
  • leads to seizures and death
    subject to activation by various ingested substances
  • alcohol, a GABA agonist, or any drug that mimics or enhances the effects of specific neurotransmitters –> activation results in the inhibition of the brain’s cognitive and behavioral systems
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

two types of receptors that glutamate molecules activate

A
  • NMDA receptor

- AMPA receptor

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Glycine

A
  • inhibitory neurotransmitter (same as GABA, but it’s in the spinal cord and brainstem)
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

Peptides

A
  • composed of ~3-40 amino acids

include:

  • oxytocins and vasopressin
  • endorphins
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Other neurotransmitters:

Acetylcholine (ACh)

A

synthesized from acetyl coenzyme A (from metabolism) and choline (from metabolism and diet)

  • involved in motor functions and parasympathetic functions outside of the CNS
  • involved in memory and cognitive functions inside the CNS
  • -> nitric oxide and carbon monoxide have been found to alter synaptic function
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

Goal of Neuropsychopharmacology

A

identify specific drugs that interact with the nervous system to alter behavior that has been disrupted by disease, injury, or environmental factors

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

Psychoactive drug

A

affect neural transmission by enhancing (agonists) or blocking (antagonists) the actions fo natural transmitters in the synpase

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Antagonist

A
  • block or decrease the effects of specific neurotransmitters
  • block receptor sites
  • increase the speed of neurotransmitter removal from synapse
  • decrease production of neurotransmitters

ex. beta (B)-blockers decrease the effects of epinephrine, typically experienced during the stress response

20
Q

Agonist

A
  • mimic or enhance the effects of specific neurotransmitters
  • stop the removal of neurotransmitters from the synapse
  • increase the production of neurotransmitters

ex. alcohol

21
Q

efficacy

A

ability to produce desired effects for a targeted condition

  • most important goal when developing drugs
22
Q

How to test efficacy

A
  • controlled study involving a placebo
  • -> placebos may cause the patients to believe that the treatment will improve their condition (placebo effect)
  • blind studies, meaning that patients do not know to which group they have been assigned
  • double-blind studies, in which neither the patients nor the researchers know the group assignments
23
Q

For a drug to be considered a safe and effective treatment option for a specific disorder, what questions must be investigated and eventually answered

A
  • route of administration
  • absorption and distribution
  • binding
  • inactivation
  • excretion
24
Q

route of administration

A
  • inhalation, injection, or oral administration in pill form

- dose-response curves should be established

25
Q

dose-response curves

A
  • is a graph of the relationship b/n drug doses and the effects
  • determines the lowest amount of drugs necessary to produce optimal responses
  • a tool to understand pharmacodynamics–focuses on what does the drug does to the body: the effects of the drug and the mechanism of how the drug works
26
Q

absorption and distribution

A
  • which areas of the brain does the drug effect?

- how quickly do these effects occur?

27
Q

binding

A

in addition to the active target site for which the drug was developed where else does it bind or find itself

28
Q

inactivation

A

what metabolic processes eventually make the drug inactive

- most drugs are metabolized by the liver via the actions of specific enzymes

29
Q

excretion

A

how are the substances produced by metabolism eliminated from the body

30
Q

ED50 values

A
  • relative potency of two drugs can be compared by their ED50 values
  • drug that acts at a lower does is obviously stronger
  • the therapeutic index is the separation b/n the effective dose and a toxic one
31
Q

endorphins

A

type of peptide neurotransmitter that are involved in both pain and reward processes

32
Q

oxytocin and vasopressin

A

oxytocin - females
vasopressin - males

both are involved in the regulation of specific fluids and social relationships

33
Q

4 major drug types

A
  • stimulant
  • depressant
  • narcotic
  • psychedelic
34
Q

stimulate

A
  • drugs that facilitate arousal

ex. caffeine, and cocaine

35
Q

Cocaine

A
  • combats the effects of hunger and fatigue
  • affects dopamine in the rewards system and motor systems to produce many of tis effects
  • effect include euphoria, a sense of increase energy, heightened mental alertness, and feelings of competence and power
  • once it enters the CNS, cocaine blocks the reuptake of three monoamine neurotransmitters: dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin
  • -> cocaine binds to the proteins that act as transporters for neurotransmitter reuptake back into the presynaptic membrane
36
Q

caffeine

A
  • most widely used psychoactive drug
  • produces psychoactive effects by blocking receptors of adenosine (an inhibitory neurotransmitter)
  • -> by blocking adenosine, caffeine consumption may result in an overall increase in excitatory neurotransmitter releases
  • -> adenosine works to match the rate of energy supply with energy consumption and, if called for, decrease the firing rate of neurons
  • adenosine agonists activate receptors and lead to sleep, whereas adenosine antagonists, such as caffeine, suppress the activation of the receptor, keeping the person awake
37
Q

Depressant

A

drugs that suppress arousal

ex. alcohol

38
Q

Alcohol

A
  • Most used psychoactive drug in the United States, is the most abused drug
  • Low doses include an improved mood, drowsiness, and increased self-confidence, as well as impaired judgement and motor coordination
  • High doses allow for further cognitive and reflexive impairment to occur
  • Alcohol causes the individual’s CNS to slow down, leading to extreme confusion and disorientation, as well as slow and irregular breathing patterns
39
Q

Narcotic

A

ex. heroin and fentanyl

40
Q

Heroin

A

“to sleep”

  • manufactured form of morphine, highly potent when injects
  • affects the reward system, brain stem, and spinal cord
  • very dangerous and should only be used for severe pain
  • feel nauseous at first b/c your body says to get rid of the poison
41
Q

What are the two main affected areas of heroin?

A
  1. Mesolimbic system (VTA & NA) ~ Euphoria
    - reward via dopamine release
    - habit, addition formation
  2. Brainstem/Spinal Cord ~ Analgesia (This is what kills in an overdose. Heroin will slow breathing and heart function to the point of lethality.)
    - Pain pathway
    - Wakefulness, breathing, BP and alertness
42
Q

Fentanyl

A
  • heroin’s synthetic and much stronger cousin
  • much more dangerous
  • -> enters the brain more quickly, reaching and binding to its receptors before standard morphine
43
Q

Psychedelics (hallucinogens)

A
  • comes from the greek words ‘psyche’ and ‘delos’, meaning “mind-manifesting”
44
Q

LSD

A

hallucinogen

  • is not physiologically addictive
  • -> doesn’t act on the mesolimbic pathway

primary effects of LSD on the brain:

  • widespread activity
  • enhances the effects of the serotonin system
45
Q

two major types of receptors

A
  • ion channels that open/close

- tropic receptors that take slightly longer to open

46
Q

stages of drug addiction

A
  • binge/intoxication stage
  • withdrawal/ negative affect stage
  • preoccupation/ anticipation (craving) stage

BioPsych Exam 2 (3 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2024 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions