Neurotransmitters

Question 1

Dopamine

Answer 1

Influences movement, learning, attention, and motion. Excess dopamine receptor activity linked to schizophrenia. Starved of dopamine, the brain produces the tremors and decreased mobility of Parkinson’s disease.

Question 2

Serotonin

Answer 2

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. Undersupply linked to Depression; Prozac and some other antidepressant drugs raise serotonin levels.

Question 3

Norepinephrine

Answer 3

Helps control alertness and arousal. Undersupply can depress mood.

Question 4

GABA

Answer 4

A major inhibitory neurotransmitter. Undersupply linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

Question 5

Glutamate

Answer 5

Major excitatory neurotransmitter; involved in memory. Oversupply can overstimulate brain, producing migraines or seizures, which is why some people avoid MSG, monosodium glutamate, in food.

Question 6

Acetylcholine

Answer 6

Enables muscle action, learning, and memory. With Alzheimer’s disease, ACH producing neurons deteriorate.