Mental Health and Monoamines

Question 1

What are the 4 types of Neurotransmitters?

Answer 1

Monoamines, peptides, Amino acids, and other

Question 2

What is the function of amino acids and what are the main NTs?

Answer 2

They are important in most functions and include GABA, glutamate, and glycine

Question 3

What is the function of monoamines and what are the main NTs?

Answer 3

They are important for attention, cognition, and emotion and include dopamine, epinephrine, and NE

Question 4

What is the function of peptides and what are the main NTs?

Answer 4

They modulate pain and include endorphines

Question 5

What is the function of the other category of NTs and what are the main NTs?

Answer 5

They are responsible for ANS and motor function, and acetylcholine is a main one.

Question 6

Out of the amino acids, which NTs are excitatory/inhibitory?

Answer 6

Glutamate is excitatory, and GABA and glycine are inhibitory.

Question 7

What is the role of neuron-neuron, point-point nervous communication?

Answer 7

It is precise

Question 8

What are the 4 types of nervous system communication?

Answer 8

neuron-neuron
hypothalamic (lots of hormone effect)
ANS (one neuron -> direct to roughly 100 effector neurons)
Modulatory NT system (diffusion to surrounding neurons)

Question 9

What are the 4 types of diffuse modulatory systems based off of their NT?

Answer 9

1. Noradrenergic
2. Serotonergic
3. Dopaminergic
4. Cholinergic

Question 10

What do the 4 diffuse modulatory systems have in common? (4)

Answer 10

1. They have a small set of neurons at the core
2. They arise from the brain stem
3. One neurons influences many others
4. Synapses release transmitter molecules into the extracellular fluid

Question 11

What is the part of the brain that is noradrenergic?

Answer 11

The Locus Coeruleus

Question 12

Where is the locus coeruleus located?

Answer 12

The brainstem (pons)

Question 13

What parts of the CNS are innervated by the locus coeruleus?

Answer 13

Spinal cord, cerebellum, neocortex, thalamus, hypothalamus

Question 14

What are the catecholamines (That respond to catecholaminergic staining)?

Answer 14

Dopamine, NE, epinephrine

Question 15

What functions are the noradrenergic coeruleus responsible for? (9)

Answer 15

1. Attention
2. arousal
3. sleep/wake cycle
4. learning
5. memory
6. anxiety
7. pain
8. mood
9. brain metabolism

Question 16

What causes the most rapid firing of noradrenergic neurons?

Answer 16

Wakeful response to new stimuli

Question 17

What is the positive function of the Locus Coeruleus when exposed to NE?

Answer 17

Brain responsiveness, efficiency of sensory and motor processes

Question 18

What is the serotonergic part of the brain called?

Answer 18

The Raphe Nuclei

Question 19

Where are Raphe nuclei found and where do they project?

Answer 19

Around the midline of the brain, and they project to all levels of the CNS

Question 20

When do Raphe Nuclei fire the most?

Answer 20

Waking hours

Question 21

What systems in the brain are responsible for sleep/wake cycles and include the serotonergic Raphe Nuclei?

Answer 21

The reticular activating system, and the extrathalamic control modulatory system

Question 22

What is the most important diffuse modulatory system for mood regulation?

Answer 22

The serotonergic raphe nuclei

Question 23

What foods impact the serotonergic systems positively?

Answer 23

Carbs

Question 24

What is the role of a MAO inhibitor?

Answer 24

It prevents the synaptic enzymatic destruction of NE, 5HT

Question 25

What is the other name for serotonin as a NT?

Answer 25

5-HT

Question 26

How do tricyclics differ from MAOIs?

Answer 26

Tricyclics block the reuptake of NE, 5HT

Question 27

What is the type of antidepressant that blocks the reuptake of serotonin

Answer 27

SSRIs

Question 28

What are the big precursors to Epinerphrine?

Answer 28

L-DOPA -> Dopamine -> Norepinephrine -> epinephrine

Question 29

Where is the dopaminergic modulatory system located?

Answer 29

In the substantia nigra and the Ventral tegmental area are located in the midbrain

Question 30

Where does the substantia nigra project to?

Answer 30

The striatum

Question 31

Where does the ventral tegmental area project to?

Answer 31

The limbic and frontal cortical regions

Question 32

What neurotransmitter has been recently found to initiate motor control and voluntary movement?

Answer 32

Dopamine

Question 33

What condition is seen when monoamine blockers and given to a patient? What NT when injected can restore the patients condition?

Answer 33

Parkinsonism is seen, and the injection of dopamine can restore the patients function

Question 34

Out of L-DOPA and norepinephrine, which one can pass through the BBB?

Answer 34

L-DOPA

Question 35

Where do the cholinergic modulatory systems of the brain reside?

Answer 35

The basal forebrain and brain stem.

Question 36

Where do cholinergic neurons project to?

Answer 36

Most of the brain, the cortex + hippocampus, and the thalamus + forebrain

Question 37

What disease causes cholinergic neurons to die first?

Answer 37

Alzheimer's

Question 38

Is the treatment of the cholinergic system treatment for Alzheimer's?

Answer 38

NO

Question 39

What NT is affected by potent hallucinogenics?

Answer 39

Serotonin

Question 40

What are the two stimulant drugs and what are their physiological effects?

Answer 40

Cocaine and amphetamine increases alertness and self-confidence, exhilaration and euphoria, and is an appetite suppressant

Question 41

What are the NT effects of cocaine?

Answer 41

Cocaine targets dopamine reuptake

Question 42

What are the NT effects of amphetamine?

Answer 42

It blocks NE and dopamine reuptake, and also stimulates dopamine release

Question 43

What kind of disorder is SZ schizophrenia?

Answer 43

A developmental disorder

Question 44

What are the two NTs that play a role in SZ, and how are they affected? How does this manifest in symptoms?

Answer 44

Glutamatergic receptors have hypofunction that cause early cognitive deficits, and altered dopaminergic homeostasis accounts for the more recognized SZ symptoms (hallucinations, delusion, disorganized behaviour)

Question 45

What is the current treatment for SZ? Why is this considered an incomplete treatment?

Answer 45

Dopamine is targeted with antagonists, which is considered incomplete as this only treats the positive symptoms of SZ, not the negative ones

Question 46

What are the two hypotheses of SZ?

Answer 46

The dopamine hypothesis: Psychotic episodes are triggered by excess triggering of Dopamine receptors The Glutamate hypothesis: SZ reflects diminished activation of NMDA receptors in the brain

Question 47

What are the two factors that will predispose a child to SZ?

Answer 47

It is heritable, and is also correlated to strong immune system response in the pregnant mother

Question 48

What are the physiological differences found in SZ patients? (4)

Answer 48

Increased ventricle to brain ratio Defects in cerebral cortex myelin sheaths Abnormal neuron clusters Alterations in chemical synaptic transmission mediated by DA and GLU

Question 49

What are Neuroleptic drugs?

Answer 49

They are antipsychotics and block D2R (dopamine receptors)

Question 50

How was the glutamate hypothesis of SZ discovered?

Answer 50

PCP (phencyclidine) inhibits NMDA (glutamate) receptors, which caused SZ-like symptoms

Question 51

What two types of receptor are responsive to glutamate in the brain?

Answer 51

NMDA and AMPA

Question 52

Where in the brain is dopaminergic activity and SZ seen to link?

Answer 52

In the mesolimbocortical pathway

Question 53

What is the leading hypothesis for why extrapyramidal side effects are present along with neuroleptics.

Answer 53

EPS are thought to stem from blocking dopamine receptors in the striatum. Blocking dopamine receptors in the mesolimbocortical system, however, treats the positive SZ effects

Question 54

What receptors do PCPs block?

Answer 54

Glutamate gated ion channels

Question 55

What happened to mice who had PCPs given to them (blocked NMDA receptors)?

Answer 55

They avoided social contact.