Antagonist + Neurotransmitter + excitatory - Antonova SAQ

Antagonist

any substance that fits into a receptor site on the post-synaptic neuron, inhibiting the neuron.  This means that the neuron will not fire and therefore a behavior will not happen. 

Neurotransmitter

• Electrochemical Messenger

• Carry chemical signals from one neuron to the next.

• Influences various essential function

Achetylcholine - ACh

• Consolidation of memory in hippocampus

• Encoding of semantic and spacial memories

• excites nerve cells to fire action potential

• Activism of some muscles

• Breathing, Attention, Arousal, and Motivation

Aim of Antonova

to Investigate whether scopolamine affects the hippocampus activity in the formation of spatial memory

Results of Antonova

PP injected with scopolamine showed a significant reduction in the activation of the hippocampus compared to placebo condition

Conclusion of Antonova

In conclusion, scopolamine, which causes a lack of ACh, had an effect on the creation of spatial memory because the activity of the hippocampus decreased in the injection condition

Scopolamine

An acetylcholine antagonist that blocks the receptor sites of ACh.

Method of Antonova

• 20 healthy male with mean age of 28

• Double-Blind Procedure

• Two condition: Placebo and Scopolamine injection

• Fmri scanned brain activity while playing a virtual reality game made to test spatial memory creation

• 6 trials

• 4 week break between the swapping of conditions as study was repeated measures design

Hippocampus

• Plays crutial role in memory and navigation, specifically the formation of semantic and spatial memory

• Consolidation of memory

• Huge amounts of ACh receptors

Spatial memory

Ability to remember locations and navigate environments

Semantic Memory

Recollection of facts and information

Excitatory neurotransmitter

• stimulates a neuron

• makes neuron more likely to fire an action potential

• ACh is an example of an excitatory neurotransmitter