Neural Communication, Neuroplasticity, and Brain Damage

Different types of neurotransmitters exist, with endorphins being a popular category.
Endorphins are commonly referred to as morphine within, focusing on pain control and pleasure/rewarding behavior.
Neurotransmitters affect brain processes like emotions and stability.
Charts in textbooks and notes provide information on various neurotransmitters.
The focus is on neurotransmitters that occur naturally in the brain and body.

Agonists: Increase the effect of neurotransmitters by mimicking receptor sites or making it easier for neurotransmitters to get in. They can mimic or block reuptake production.
Antagonists: Block or inhibit neurotransmitters by blocking the receptor sites or stopping the reuptake process. They prevent neurons from releasing neurotransmitters, prolonging their effect.

Drugs work by targeting receptor sites.
Agonists mimic neurotransmitters, creating more of a sensation or making it easier for neurotransmitters to enter neurons.
Antagonists block neurotransmitters or stop the reuptake process.
Reuptake inhibitors prevent neurons from releasing neurotransmitters, prolonging their effect.

The endocrine system involves hormones, which function similarly to neurotransmitters but affect organs instead of the brain.
Hormones work slower than neurotransmitters.
Hormones are created by endocrine glands and travel through the bloodstream.
Some hormones are identical to neurotransmitters but take different routes.
The adrenal and pituitary glands are important for hormone production within the autonomic nervous system.

Biopsych involves biological factors, behavioral science, neuroscience, behavior genetics, and physiology.
Psychology cannot be divorced from biology; they work together.
The modern biopsychosocial approach integrates biological, psychological, and social factors.
Brains are roughly the same size from person to person, though larger now than in cavemen.
Each sub system must be integrated.

Neuroplasticity is the brain's ability to change and adapt.
It is easier and faster in children, but adults can also reorganize and build new pathways.
The brain is always changing and building new pathways as you learn.
Neuroplasticity is what sets humans apart from animals, allowing for faster adaptation.
The more you practice, the more you develop pathways

Lesions refer to tissue destruction, often in the brain in the context of psychology.
The brain still wants to rewire after lesions, especially in childhood.

Different imaging systems are specialized for different things.
EEG (Electroencephalogram): Reads activity as it goes through the brain, showing where neurons are active.
MEG (Magnetoencephalography): Looks at magnetic fields from brain's neural activity.
CT Scan (Computed Tomography): Takes x-rays from different angles to build an image of the brain.
PET Scan (Positron Emission Tomography): Tracks activity by tracking glucose with a dye, showing where activity is happening.
MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging): Uses radio waves to create a computer model of soft tissue.
fMRI (functional MRI): Looks at natural blood flow to show brain activity and structural abnormalities.

Neurogenesis is the ability to form new neurons as the brain learns and adapts.
The brain has a limited ability to repair itself; it can rewire but not fully repair.
Younger brains can reorganize more easily.
Severely injured areas of the spine and brain cannot regenerate.

The corpus callosum connects the left and right hemispheres, enabling communication.
Split brain surgery separates the hemispheres, often to treat severe epilepsy.
Cutting the corpus callosum doesn't affect personality because the lobes are still intact.
The two sides of the brain are close together but not fused; the corpus callosum keeps them connected.

In experiments, split-brain patients focus on a dot with words on either side. Normal brains perceive "heart," but split brains see "he" and "art" separately.
Verbal responses come from the left side (e.g., saying "art"), while motor responses come from the right side (e.g., pointing to "he").
The right side of the brain controls the left side of the body, specializing in facial recognition and spatial awareness.
The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body, specializing in logic, math, and spatial reasoning.
Each hemisphere has control of the opposite side of the body.
Right side: facial recognition, spatial awareness, self-awareness.
Left side: logical, mathematical, spatial reasoning.