Lecture 7- NTs

Question 1

Biogenic amines

Answer 1

• Biogenic substance with one or more amine groups
• Catecholamines- have a catechol group snd amine
• Monoamines- contain a single amine group

Includes dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin

Question 2

Dopamine

Answer 2

• Involved with movement and reward
• Targeted by many drugs
• Involved in many neurologial diseases and mental illness
• Parkinson’s= loss of DA neurons
• Also inv. in drug/alcohol addiction, schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety

catecholamine

Question 3

Norepinephrine

Answer 3

• Mediates emotional arousal, attentiveness, initiation of eating
• Exists outside the brain (adrenaline rush)
• Targeted by many drugs
• Involved in depression, many anti-depressants also target the norepinephrine system

catecholamine

Question 4

Serotonin (5HT)

Answer 4

• Indolamine
• Involved with sleep and mood
• Targeted by many drugs
• Involved in depression and most mood disorders
• Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors

Question 5

Glutamic acid

Answer 5

• Glutamic acid (glutamate)
• Main excitatory- depolarizes neurons
• Transfers info from one neuron to the next
• target of hallucinogenic drugs like PCP and Ketamine

amino acid

Question 6

GABA

Answer 6

• Gamma-aminobutyric acid
• Main inhibitory- hyperpolarizes neurons (makes them more negative)
• Blocks/slows the transfer of info
• Target of most depressant drugs like alcohol, valium, and tranquilizers

amino acid

Question 7

Peptides

Answer 7

• Endorphins (opiod system)
• Corticotropin-releasing hormone/factor (CRF/CRH)

Question 8

Nervous Systems

Answer 8

• CNS
• PNS (everything but brain and spinal cord)
• ^ contains the autonomic nervous sytem that regulates the nonconscious, automatic functions (Sympathetic and parasympathetic)

Question 9

Sympathetic NS

Answer 9

• Activation associated with response to stress or excitation
• Norepinephrine/noradrenaline responsible for adrenaline rush

Question 10

Parasympathetic NS

Answer 10

• Activation associated w “normal” function
• Balances actions of the sympathetic branch
• Primarily cholinergic

Question 11

Hindbrain

Answer 11

• Brain stem
• Cerebellum
• Medulla oblongata
• Pons

Question 12

Medulla Oblongata

Answer 12

• Regulation of basic life functions like breathing, HR, vomiting, swallowing, BP, and digestive process
• Drugs that affect this area can lead to respiratory distress and cardiac failure
• Ingestion of toxic chemicals triggers vomitting to purge

Question 13

Pons

Answer 13

• Sleep and wakefulness
• Reticular activating system is connected to the Pons- alertness/arousal
• Barbiturates and tranquilizers may act on this region

Question 14

Cerebellum

Answer 14

• Motor control
• Executive function
• Senses
• Major target of alcohol

Question 15

Midbrain

Answer 15

• Inferior colliculi
• Superior colliculi
• Substantia nigra
• Ventral tegmental area

Question 16

Inferior Colliculi

Answer 16

Part of auditory system

Question 17

Superior Colliculi

Answer 17

functions in localization of visual stimuli

Question 18

Substantia Nigra

Answer 18

Dopamine neurons, involved in motor function

Question 19

Ventral Tegmental Area (VTA)

Answer 19

• Dopamine neurons, involved in reward

Question 20

Forebrain parts

Answer 20

• Thalamus/Hypothalamus
• Limbic System
• Basal Ganglia
• Cerebral cortex

Question 21

Thalamus and Hypothalamus

Answer 21

• Thalamus: relay station for rest of brain
• Hypothalamus: critical for motivation of behavior, involved in regulation of eating/drinking, body temperature, agression, sexual behavior, and arousal
• Besides the cortex, is the most important for interpreting complex behavior

Question 22

Limbic System

Answer 22

• Amygdala: emotion and aggression
• Hippocampus: memory
• Basal ganglia: motor movement initiation

Question 23

Basal ganglia (striatum)

Answer 23

• Important for motor control: caudate, putamen, and globus pallidus

Question 24

Mesolimbic Dopaminergic Pathway

Answer 24

• Major dopamine pathway that begins the the VTA of the midbrain region (major producer of dopamine)
• Projects to the nuclueus accumbens
• then to the frontal cortex- “pleasure center”
• Stimuli that “arouse” (attention-getters, alertness) activate mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway

Question 25

Nigro-Striatal Pathway

Answer 25

• Substantia Nigra- major producer of dopamine, transported to striatum (area of the brain composed mostly of basal ganglia; critical to the modulation and planning of movement)
• Parkinson’s- 80% of dopamine neurons are killed before symptoms appear

Question 26

Cortex

Answer 26

• Frontal: planning of movements, recent memory, some aspects of emotions
• Parietal: body sensations
• Occipital: vision
• Temporal: hearing, advanced visual processing

Question 27

Phineas Gage

Answer 27

• Showed the sole function of the brain is not only language and movement but also emotions and social behavior. Showed the role of the frontal cortex involved in control, personality, and decision making
• At the time, scientists thought the brain functioned globally, and lacked localized function

Question 28

Imaging techniques

Answer 28

• EEG (Electroencephalogram): electrodes measure electrical activity of the brain
• CT scan (computed tomography): uses series of X-rays put together to create images of the area scanned
• PET scan (positron emission tomography): uses radioactive drug called tracer
• MRI and fMRI (magnetic resonance imaging): uses magnets that produce a strong magnetic field that forces protons to align in that field