Neurotransmitters, Hormones, and Neuroimaging Techniques

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering the functions and malfunctions of major neurotransmitters, endocrine hormones and their release sites, and key neuroimaging technologies.

Acetylcholine (ACh)

A neurotransmitter that enables muscle action, learning, and memory. An undersupply is linked to Alzheimer's disease, while an oversupply is linked to paralysis (such as from Black Widow venom).

Dopamine

A neurotransmitter that influences voluntary movement, learning, attention, and emotion. An undersupply is linked to Parkinson's disease, and an oversupply is linked to schizophrenia.

Serotonin

A neurotransmitter that affects mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. An undersupply is linked to depression.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter that helps control alertness and arousal. An undersupply is linked to depression, while an oversupply is linked to anxiety and mania.

GABA

An inhibitory neurotransmitter and natural tranquilizer involved in calming you down. An undersupply is linked to seizures, tremors, and insomnia.

Glutamate

An excitatory neurotransmitter involved in memory. An undersupply is linked to concentration problems, whereas an oversupply is linked to seizures and migraines.

Endorphins

Chemical messengers that influence the perception of pain and pleasure. An undersupply is linked to depression, while an oversupply can make people anxious or wired.

Substance P

A neurotransmitter involved in pain perception and immune response. An oversupply can lead to chronic pain.

Adrenaline

A hormone released by the adrenal glands that prepares the body for emergencies through the fight-or-flight response.

Oxytocin

A bonding hormone released by the pituitary gland that facilitates lactation and improves interpersonal relationships.

Melatonin

A hormone released by the pineal gland that plays a key role in managing the sleep-wake cycle and circadian rhythm.

Leptin

A hormone released by white adipose tissue (subcutaneous fat, visceral fat, and bone marrow fat) that regulates the long-term balance between food intake and energy expenditure by inhibiting hunger when the body does not need calories.

Ghrelin

A hormone released by the stomach, small intestines, and brain that signals hunger to the body and triggers stomach growling.

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

A technique in which electrodes placed on the scalp measure electrical activity in neurons, used to correlate conditions like depression and anxiety with increased activity in specific areas such as the right frontal lobe.

Magnetoencephalography (MEG)

A brain imaging procedure where a head coil records magnetic fields generated by the brain's natural electrical currents, such as detecting elevated visual cortex fields in soldiers with PTSD viewing trauma-related images.

Computed Tomography (CT)

A neuroimaging method using X-rays of the head to generate cross-sectional images that locate brain damage and help predict cognitive or memory impairments.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET)

A technique that tracks the movement and consumption of a temporarily radioactive form of glucose in the brain while an individual performs a specific task.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)

A structural neuroimaging scan where an individual sits or lies in a chamber that uses magnetic fields and radio waves to generate a detailed anatomical map of brain structure.

Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

A brain imaging technique that measures blood flow and neural activity across brain regions by comparing continuous MRI scans taken in real time.