Lesson 12 - Neurotransmitter Networks Flashcards
Who Is Phineas P. Gage
- Iron bar went through his skull
- He survived
- Change in his personality
What did the Phineas P. Gage case study teach us
Different areas of the brain are “networked” to create different emergent properties (ex. personality, rational decision making and emotion processing)
Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Scan
Radioactive substance is injected into the blood stream (similar to glucose so can cross the blood brain barrier)
Tells us what parts of the brain are being used
(Tracks glucose uptake)
Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
tracks blood flow through brain activity
Will affect magnetic properties of the brain
Important discovery about brain from imaging
Activity is not precisely confined within a region of the brain, but stretched across many different regions
Neurotransmitter Driven Networks
- Norepinephrine
- Serotonin
- Acetylcholine
- Dopamine
Norepinephrine Network Modulates:
Stimulatory actions - fight or flight response (ex. Attention, arousal, learning, memory, pain, anxiety, depression)
Norepinephrine Network Stimulants
- Methamphetamine
- Caffine
- Ratlin (Adderall and Nootropics also)
Serotonin Network Modultes:
- Pain
- Sleep-wake cycle
- Emotion: feelings of well-being and happiness
How do antidepressants work?
Increasing serotonin levels
What are migraines associated with?
Low Serotonin Levels
Acetylcholine Network Modulates:
- Arousal
- Sleep-wake
- Learning Memory
- Sensory information
Alzheimer’s Disease
- Massive loss of cholinergic neurons
- Low acetylcholine levels
Drugs available to treat Alzheimer’s Symptoms are
Cholinesterase Inhibitors - enzyme that rapidly breaks down acetylcholine and mid agates Alzheimer’s symptoms
Dopamine Network Modulates:
- Motor Control
- Reward/pleasure centers
What does the loss of dopamine or dopamine inhibiting medicine lead to?
Increasing healthspan of people with Parkinson’s Disease
What does too much dopaminergic medication lead to?
Hypersexuality, motor control issues and problems controlling impulses
What is dopamine
Feel Good Hormone and neurotransmitter “pleasure network”
Network associated with addictions
What is GABA inhibited by?
Heroin and Morphine (increase dopamine levels)
Dopamine network is associated with…
Addictions and can be increased with drugs such as cocaine (blocks dopamine reuptake)
What does GABA do?
Inhibits dopamine signals
What increases natural endorphins?
Exercise and food
What is PKU
Alterations to the PAH pathway in phenylketonuria
- Affects 1 in 12,000 infants born in canada
What happens on the phenylalanine hydroxylase pathway (PAH)
Converts phenylalanine to tyrosine
What does does excess phenylalanine result in?
Decreases dopamine and serotonin in the brain
What are possible health implications of altering the PAH pathway
- Hyperactivity (ADHD)
- Anxiety
- Impulsivity
- Mental Illness
- Low motivation and self-esteem
What is a treatment diet for PKU?
Little intake of foods containing phenylalanine (protein and animal based foods)
