AP Psychology Unit 1: Hormones and Neurotransmitters

Norepinephrine

helps control alertness and arousal; increases your blood pressure, heart rate, alertness, and helps with body’s fight or flight response

Ghrelin

A hunger-arousing hormone secreted by an empty stomach

Glutamate

A major excitatory neurotransmitter; helps with long-term memory and learning

Acetylcholine

enables muscle action, learning, and memory

Dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Serotonin

Affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal

GABA

a major inhibitory neurotransmitter; helps with sleep, movement, and slows down your nervous system

Endorphins

Painkiller and mood enhancer

Substance P

a neurotransmitter involved in transmitting pain signals from sensory nerves to CNS

Epinephrine (Adrenaline)

Response to highly emotional situations and helps form memories; increases respiration, blood pressure, and heart rate

Leptin

Regulates appetite, inhibits hunger

Melatonin

produced by pineal gland; promotes sleep, regulates sleep/wake cycle and circadian rhythm; typically increases as it gets darker outside

Oxytocin

"Love hormone"; produced in the hypothalamus and released by the pituitary gland; influences social bonding and reproduction