Neurotransmitters and drugs

Acetylcholine

• Learning and memory

• Muscle contractions

• Regulates attention, memory, sleep

• Too much: muscle spasms

• To little: Alzheimer’s (memory struggle)

Monoamines

affect (emotion), arousal, motivation

Epinepherine

• Same thing as adrenaline

• Connected to sympathetic nervous system

• Pupil dilation and increase blood flow and blood sugar

Norepinepherine

• Increase arousal

• Too much: mania

• Too little: depression

Serotonin

• Arousal

• Sleep-wakefulness

• Too low: Aggression

• Role in schizophrenia (too high)

• Shortage: depression

• Excess: mania 

Dopamine

• Movement 

  • Parkinson’s disease: dopamine neurons are falling apart in basal ganglia (voluntary movement) 

• Motivation, reward, pleasure

• Shortage: depression

• Excess: schizophrenia

Amino acids

general excitatory and inhibitory processes

GABA

• inhibits/relaxes: inhibits sending neurons

• Drugs that mimic GABA to treat anxiety and insomnia

• Too little: anxiety, epilepsy, huntington’s

• Too much: unmotivated

Glutamate

• Excitatory

• Helps learning and memory: speeds up synaptic connections

Peptides

modulate neurotransmission

CCK

• Digestion and fullness

• Too much: anxiety

• Administer CCK to stop panic attacks

Endorphines

• Natural pain relievers

• Calmness and pleasure

• Emotion and pain pathways

• Too little: chronic pain, no self-soothing

• Bind to same sites as heroin and morphine

Substance P

• Pain perception

• Mood disorder

• Anxiety, stress

SSRI’s

• stops the reuptake of serotonin so it stays in the synapse longer

MAOI

• limits breakdown of serotonin so there is more available

Naloxone (used for overdose)

• a drug has taken over the receptor and naloxone will knock the drug off receptor and bind to it instead

Tricyclic antidepressants

• Agonist

• Inhibit reuptake of norepinephrine

• Treatment for depression, ADHD, chronic pain

Antopsychotics

• Dopamine and serotonin antagonists

• Block the receptors

Alcohol, Sedatives

• Glutamate inhibitors

• Mimic affects of GABA

Amphetamines, Cocaine

• Agonists

• Activate sympathetic nervous system

Nicotine

• Agonist

• Acts on same sites as Ach

• Excess of Ach then brain produces less Ach so then you become addicted to nicotine

Benzodiazepines

• Agonists for GABA

• Relaxing

Opioids

• Activate receptors for endorphins

• Highly addictives because they activate endorphin system but also increases dopamine levels

Marijuana

• THC

• Stimulates release of dopamine

• Receptors in hippocampus are bound to and can lead to memory impairment