AP Psychology - Unit 1.3b Types of Neurotransmitters and Hormones

Acetylcholine

• neurotransmitter

• enables muscle action, learning, and helps store memories

Substance P

• neurotransmitter

• helps with transmitting pain signals from the sensory nerves to the central nervous system

• to remember: Substance P deals with pain

Dopamine

• neurotransmitter

• released during pleasurable experiences

• helps the body enact coordinated movements and regulate attention and emotions

Serotonin

• neurotransmitter

• impacts an individual’s well-being which includes hunger, sleep, arousal, and mood

• serotonin levels are affected by exercise

Endorphins

• neurotransmitter

• influence an individual's perception of pain and pleasure

• to remember: endorphins influence the perception of euphoria

Epinephrine

• neurotransmitter/hormone (epinephrine is also commonly known as adrenaline)

• produced in stressful situations and causes an increase in heart rate

Norepinephrine

• neurotransmitter/hormone (norepinephrine is very similar to epinephrine)

• helps control alertness and arousal

• can initiate the body’s fight or flight response

• redirects blood flow to vital organs and major muscles

Glutamate

• common excitatory neurotransmitter

• helps with long-term memory and learning

GABA

• major inhibitory neurotransmitter

• calms firing nerves

• slows down your nervous system

• helps with sleep and movement

Adrenaline

• neurotransmitter/hormone (also known as epinephrine)

• helps with the body’s response to high emotional situations

• involved with the body’s fight or flight response

Leptin 

• hormone

• helps regulate energy balance by inhibiting hunger

• reduces a person’s appetite by signaling to the brain that the body has enough stored fat

• to remember: leptin can help make a person more lean

Ghrelin 

• known as the hunger hormone

• signals to the brain that an individual is hungry

• helps promote the release of growth hormones

• to remember: ghrelin makes our stomachs go grrrrr

Melatonin

• hormone

• produced by the pineal gland

• helps regulate sleep-wake cycles, also known as circadian rhythm

• promotes sleep

• more prevalent in the evening in response to darkness

Oxytocin

• “us vs. them” hormone

• produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland

• promotes feelings of affection and emotional bonding between one’s own-group

•  can promote feelings of hostility and mistrust towards strangers

Cortisol

• stress hormone

• helps the body confront threats

Testosterone

• hormone

• creates sexual competition and arousal

Estrogen

• hormone

• involved in reproduction

• creates sexual desire