Neurotransmitters and Hormones

Question 1

What are the important neurotransmitters?

Answer 1

• Dopamine
• Serotinin
• Norephrine
• Endophrin

Question 2

Dopamine

Answer 2

• Generates good feelings and voluntary goal-directed approach responses
• Anticipations and events trigger dopamin release
• Learning what situations are rewarding, and not rewarding
• Unexpected events gives higher dopamine release

Question 3

Which 3 hormones are important for motivation and emotion?

Answer 3

• Cortisol
• Testosterone
• Oxytocin

Question 4

Cortisol

Answer 4

• Stress hormone
• Often in social-evaluative threats or ones social status is in doubt or challenged
• Associated with poor intellectual functioning, negative affect and poor health outcomes

Question 5

Testosterone

Answer 5

• High sexual motivation
  Mating effort, encourages competition
• Responsive to changing environmental conditions

Question 6

Oxytocin

Answer 6

• Bonding hormone
  Tend and befriend stress response
• Seek help, confides in others
• Motivation for women
  Coping response

Question 7

Which parts of the brain structure is involved with dopamine?

Answer 7

• VTA (ventral tegmental area)
  Regulate dopamine output
• Striatum
• Nucleus Accumbens
• Basal Ganglia
  Translate reward-based motivation to action

Question 8

What is the HPA axis and its role with motivation as well as emotion?

Answer 8

Its an axis involved in a stress-response system
- Cortisol
- Hypothalamus, pituitary gland and Adrenal gland
- Several negative feedback loops, impaired with chronic stress
- Elevated cortisol levels can result in persistence of depressive symptoms (hypoactivity in elderly) as well anxiety symptoms