AP Psych UNIT 2 Neurotransmitters, imaging, structures

agonist

increase neurotransmitter

antagonist

decrease neurotransmitter

brocas area

speech production (aphasia)

wernickes area

speech comprehension (aphasia)

medulla

vital functions (circulating blood, breathing muscle tone, reflexes)

pons

sleep + arousal + dreams

linked to spinal cord, unconscious movement and process

cerebellum

(little brain)

movement, balance, muscle memory

reticular formation

relay message to body

sleep wake cycles

arousal

brain stem

mid brain + pons + medulla

thalamus

sensory switch board (relay system)

all sensory info (except smell) must pass to get to the cerebral cortex

limbic system

emotion, memory

hippocampus

memory relay station, durable memory

hypothalamus

4 F’s (fighting, fleeing, feeding, mating)

pre-frontal cortex

planning, organization, risk assessment

frontal lobe

motor cortex, mirror neurons, planning, reasoning, working memory, attention, executive function

motor cortex

apraxia; movement

parietal lobe

somatosensory cortex (temp, pressure, texture)

angular gyrus

reading, writing

temporal lobe

auditory cortex, AUDIO

agnosia

recognize things

occipital lobe

visual cortex

pituitary gland

master gland, directed by hypothalamus

regulates growth & metabolism

adrenal gland

stress hormones

thyroid glands

controls/regulates speed of bodily processes (metabolism)

EEG

monitors the electrical activity of brain over time

sleep studies

(function)

PET Scan

radioactive glucose to see functioning of the brain OR where is activity occurring in the brain?

(function)

fMRI

functional neuroimaging procedure using MRI tech that measures brain activity by detecting associated changes in blood flow

(function)

lesioning

destroying piece of brain and observing effects (animals)

(structure)

CT scan

uses x-rays to create a 3D image

diagnosis of therapy

bone structure / soft tissue

cross-sectional image

(structure)

MRI

magnets / radiowaves to see structure of soft tissue

(structure)

gluatmate

EXCITATORY

main

basis of learning/long-term memory

too much: migraines/seizures

too little: n/a

ACH

EXCITATORY

muscle function, learning/memory, attention

too much: muscle spasm

too little: Alzhemier’s

norepinephrine

EXCITATORY

arousal/alertness, fight or flight, mood elevation

too much: anxiety

too little: mental disorder (depression)

GABA

INHIBITORY

main

regulates sleep-wake cycles

too much: sleep/eating disorder

too little: anxiety, epilepsy, insomnia, Huntingtons

dopamine

INHIBITORY

mood / emotion / arousal

too much: schizophrenia, drug addict

too little: parkinsons

serotonin

INHIBITORY

mood regulation, hunger, sleep

too much: hallucination

too little: depression, mood disorder

endorphins

INHIBITORY

pain control, stress reduction, positive emotion

too much: artificial highs, inadequate response to pain

too little: addiction (opiates)