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AP Psych Neurons and Neurotransmitters notes and flashcards

Types of Neurons

  • Sensory Neurons = AFFERENT NEURONS = Neurons that travel from the body to the brain.
  • Motor Neurons = EFFERENT NEURONS = Neurons that travel from the brain to the body.
  • Interneurons = connect the sensory and motor neurons located in the brain and spinal cord
  • Mirror neurons

Most common neurotransmitters:

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  • Acetylcholine: muscle movement, attention, arousal and memory.

    • Deficiency of Acetylcholine causes Alzheimer’s disease: They cannot produce acetylcholine.

  • Dopamine: voluntary movement, learning, memory, emotion.

    • Produces sensations of pleasure and reward
    • Excess of dopamine causes Schizophrenia
    • Deficiency of dopamine causes Parkinson’s: they cannot voluntarily move.
    • Drugs, shopping, eating: releases dopamine and causes your brain to want more. Sometimes your brain can’t keep up with producing dopamine and this leads to Parkinson’s in drug addicts.

  • Serotonin: sleep, wakefulness, appetite, mood, aggression, impulsivity, and sensory perception.

    • Excess of serotonin causes bipolar disorder: impulsivity, staying awake for a long time and high energy.
    • Deficiency of serotonin causes depression and OCD’s

  • Endorphins: pain relief and pleasure.

    • Opiate addiction lowers the natural levels of endorphins

  • Norepinephrine: mobilize the brain and body for action. (fight or flight)

    • Deficiency of norepinephrine causes depression, anxiety and problems sleeping.

  • GABA:  main inhibitory neurotransmitter in the brain

    • When GABA is present in the neuron, it prevents the neurons from firing.
    • Excess of GABA means not enough brain activity and can lead to hypersomnia
    • Deficiency of GABA causes anxiety and epilepsy

  • Glutamate: main excitatory neurotransmitter in the brain involved in learning and memory

    • Excess of glutamate causes multiple sclerosis, too much Acetylcholine, high levels of anxiety, fear or insomnia.
    • Deficiency of glutamate causes psychosis, coma and death.
    • Release of glutamate after a stroke can cause brain damage

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Agonists v.s. Antagonists:

  • They are both drugs
  • Agonists mimic neurotransmitters
  • Antagonists block neurotransmitters
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