Physiological Psychology and Psychopharmacology Glossary

Vocabulary flashcards covering key physiological psychology and psychopharmacology concepts from the lecture notes.

Adoption Method

Quasi-experimental design using adopted children to separate genetic from environmental influences.

Amygdala & Kluver-Bucy Syndrome

Limbic structure for emotion; bilateral lesions cause docility, hyperorality, hypersexuality, and psychic blindness.

Anticholinergic Effects

Drug-induced dry mouth, blurred vision, tachycardia, urinary retention, constipation, memory problems, confusion.

Aphasia (Broca’s, Wernicke’s, Conduction)

Language impairments: Broca’s—non-fluent speech; Wernicke’s—fluent but nonsensical speech & poor comprehension; Conduction—impaired repetition with relatively intact comprehension.

Atypical Antipsychotics (Clozapine)

Newer antipsychotics that act on dopamine, serotonin, glutamate; treat positive & negative symptoms with lower TD risk but possible agranulocytosis and NMS.

Autonomic Nervous System

Peripheral system controlling visceral functions; sympathetic branch initiates fight-or-flight, parasympathetic promotes rest and digestion.

Basal Ganglia

Caudate nucleus, putamen, globus pallidus, substantia nigra; plan and coordinate voluntary movement; implicated in Huntington’s, Parkinson’s, Tourette’s, OCD, ADHD.

Beta-Blockers (Propranolol)

Block adrenergic effects of epinephrine/norepinephrine; treat CV disorders, glaucoma, migraine, somatic anxiety; may cause bradycardia, dizziness, sexual dysfunction.

Brain Lateralization / Split-Brain

Left hemisphere—verbal, logical, positive emotion; right—visuospatial, negative emotion; revealed in patients with severed corpus callosum.

Cerebellum & Ataxia

Hindbrain structure for coordination, balance; damage produces ataxia—slurred speech, tremor, loss of balance.

Cerebral Ventricles / Hydrocephalus

CSF-filled cavities; blockage causes fluid buildup leading to hydrocephalus.

Cerebrovascular Accident (Stroke)

Brain damage from blocked or ruptured vessel; symptoms include contralateral hemiplegia, hemianesthesia, visual field loss.

Contralateral Representation

Each cerebral hemisphere controls sensory & motor functions of opposite side of body.

Corpus Callosum

Largest inter-hemispheric fiber tract; severing isolates hemispheres.

Depth Perception / Retinal Disparity

Binocular cue wherein closer objects create greater image difference between eyes, aiding depth judgment.

Dopamine Hypothesis

Theory that schizophrenia results from excessive dopaminergic activity or receptor sensitivity.

Effects of Psychoactive Drugs

Agonists mimic NT; inverse agonists produce opposite effect; partial agonists produce weaker similar effect; antagonists block NT action.

Emotion – Brain Areas

Amygdala for perception & emotional tagging; hypothalamus translates emotion to physiology; left cortex—positive, right—negative emotions.

Frontal Lobe / Broca’s Area / Prefrontal Cortex

Region for motor control, executive functions, personality; Broca’s damage → expressive aphasia; prefrontal damage → personality & executive deficits.

Gate-Control Theory of Pain

Spinal mechanisms can block pain signals before they reach the brain.

General Adaptation Syndrome

Selye’s stress response: alarm, resistance, exhaustion; prolonged stress risks illness or death.

Genetic Screening Methodologies

Cytogenetic, biochemical, and molecular tests detect chromosomal, protein, or DNA abnormalities.

Hippocampus

Limbic structure essential for spatial and declarative memory consolidation.

Huntington’s Disease

Autosomal dominant degeneration of basal ganglia causing motor chorea, cognitive decline, psychiatric symptoms; involves GABA loss & glutamate toxicity.

Hypertension

Primary (no known cause) or secondary (due to disease) high BP; major risk for heart, kidney failure, stroke; prevalence increases with age and in African Americans.

Hyperthyroidism / Hypothyroidism

Excess thyroxine → fast metabolism, weight loss, anxiety; deficit → slow metabolism, lethargy, depression.

Hypoglycemia

Low blood glucose from excess insulin; causes hunger, dizziness, palpitations, anxiety, confusion.

Hypothalamus & Suprachiasmatic Nucleus

Hypothalamus controls ANS, endocrine, drives; SCN regulates circadian rhythms.

Learning & Memory – Brain Areas

Temporal lobes (declarative storage), hippocampus (consolidation), amygdala (emotional learning), prefrontal cortex (STM & episodic), thalamus (relay to cortex).

Learning & Memory – Neural Mechanisms

Long-term potentiation at glutamate synapses and protein/RNA synthesis enable long-term memory formation.

MAOIs & Hypertensive Crisis

MAOI antidepressants inhibit monoamine oxidase; tyramine interaction can trigger severe headache, stiff neck, hypertension, possible stroke.

Medulla

Hindbrain structure regulating breathing, heartbeat, blood pressure; conduit between spinal cord and brain.

Menopause / Hormone Replacement Therapy

Estrogen decline causes hot flashes, mood swings, bone loss; HRT relieves symptoms and reduces osteoporosis risk.

Methylphenidate

Stimulant (Ritalin) for ADHD; side effects: appetite loss, insomnia, dysphoria, growth suppression.

Migraine Headache

Unilateral throbbing vascular headache often triggered by foods, lights, stress; may have aura.

Molecular Genetic Methods

Techniques to identify specific genes influencing behavior.

Mood-Stabilizing Drugs

Lithium for classic bipolar; anticonvulsants (e.g., carbamazepine) for rapid cycling or dysphoric mania.

Multiple Sclerosis

Autoimmune demyelination in CNS; causes optic neuritis, fatigue, motor and cognitive impairments.

Naltrexone

Opioid antagonist that reduces alcohol craving; side effects include GI upset, insomnia, muscle pain.

Narcotic-Analgesics (Opioids)

Provide sedation & pain relief; long-term use → tolerance, dependence; withdrawal resembles severe flu.

Neuroimaging Techniques

CT & MRI show structure; PET, SPECT, fMRI reveal functional brain activity.

Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome

Rare fatal reaction to antipsychotics with rigidity, hyperthermia, autonomic instability; requires drug cessation.

Neuron: Action Potential & All-or-None

Depolarization triggers action potential that propagates unchanged; fires fully once threshold reached.

Neurotransmitters: ACh, Dopamine, Serotonin, GABA

ACh—muscle, memory; Dopamine—motor inhibition, emotion; Serotonin—mood, sleep; GABA—major inhibitory NT, low in Huntington’s.

Occipital Lobe & Visual Agnosia / Prosopagnosia

Visual cortex; lesions cause object or color agnosia, word blindness; occipito-temporal damage → face recognition loss.

Papez’s Circuit

Hippocampus → mammillary bodies → anterior thalamus → cingulate gyrus loop underlying emotion.

Parietal Lobe Disorders

Damage can cause apraxia, anosognosia, or Gerstmann’s syndrome (finger agnosia, R-L confusion, agraphia, acalculia).

Parkinson’s Disease

Degeneration of substantia nigra dopamine neurons; tremor, rigidity, bradykinesia; relieved temporarily by L-dopa.

Postconcussional Syndrome

Cognitive, emotional, physical symptoms persisting after TBI; classified as Major/Mild NCD due to TBI in DSM-5.

Practical Clinical Trial (PCT)

Randomized study evaluating interventions in real-world community settings.

Psychophysical Laws

Weber—JND proportional; Fechner—logarithmic relation; Stevens—sensation magnitude follows power function of stimulus.

Quantitative Genetic Methods

Statistical approaches estimating relative genetic vs environmental contributions to traits.

Reticular Activating System

Brainstem network controlling wakefulness, arousal, consciousness.

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Gonadal Axis

Hormonal cascade at puberty producing secondary sex characteristics via gonadotropins.

Sedative-Hypnotics (Benzodiazepines)

CNS depressants for anxiety, sleep, seizures; dose-dependent effects; abrupt stop → rebound; side effects drowsiness, ataxia.

Seizures: Tonic-Clonic, Absence, Partial

Generalized: tonic-clonic with stiffening then jerking; absence with brief loss of consciousness; partial begin focal, may generalize.

Sexual Dimorphism

Sex-related structural brain differences, e.g., in corpus callosum, hippocampus, SCN.

Sleep Stages & Age Effects

Stage 1-4 NREM then REM; infants start in REM; total sleep, stage 4, and REM decrease with age.

Somatic Nervous System

Sensory & motor nerves governing voluntary skeletal muscle actions.

Spinal Cord Injuries

Cervical damage → quadriplegia; thoracic damage → paraplegia; cord relays info and controls reflexes.

SSRIs (Fluoxetine)

Antidepressants blocking serotonin reuptake; side effects GI upset, sexual dysfunction, insomnia; safer than TCAs.

Synesthesia

Rare condition where stimulation of one sense evokes perception in another, e.g., tasting shapes.

Tardive Dyskinesia

Potentially irreversible rhythmic involuntary movements after long-term traditional antipsychotic use.

Temporal Lobe & Wernicke’s Area

Primary auditory cortex; lesions cause auditory agnosia, memory deficits, receptive aphasia.

Thalamus & Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome

Sensory relay; thiamine-deficiency damage (often alcoholism) leads to confusion, ataxia, severe amnesia with confabulation.

Theories of Color Vision

Trichromatic—three cones (RGB); Opponent-Process—paired receptors (red-green, yellow-blue, white-black).

Theories of Emotion

James-Lange—emotion follows bodily reaction; Cannon-Bard—simultaneous via thalamus; Lazarus—cognitive appraisal determines emotion.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring (TDM)

Measuring blood drug levels to optimize dosage and safety.

Traditional Antipsychotics

Phenothiazines block dopamine; treat positive psychotic symptoms; side effects include EPS, anticholinergic effects, NMS.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

External force causing cognitive, emotional, physical deficits; posttraumatic (anterograde) amnesia predicts recovery.

Tricyclic Antidepressants (Imipramine, Clomipramine)

Block reuptake of NE, DA, 5-HT; treat depressive vegetative symptoms; side effects anticholinergic, CV; imipramine for enuresis, clomipramine for OCD, panic.

Twin Method

Behavior-genetic approach comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twins to assess heritability.

Type A Behavior Pattern

Competitive, time-urgent, hostile style; hostility component linked to coronary heart disease, especially in men.