Neurotransmitters and Drugs Quiz

Neurotransmitters and Drugs

• Endorphins: Chemicals within brain pain pathways and emotion centers; morphine mimics their effects. Runner's high is an example of endorphin release.
• Agonists: Drugs increasing neurotransmitter action.
• Antagonists: Drugs decreasing neurotransmitter function.
• Drugs can alter neurotransmitter production or release, or mimic neurotransmitters' chemical structure to bind to receptors.
• Parkinson's Disease: Caused by dopamine loss. L-dopa, a dopamine agonist, increases dopamine production, but effectiveness decreases over time.
• Amphetamines: Stimulate norepinephrine and dopamine release, and block their reuptake, causing excess neurotransmitters and activation.
• Cocaine: Prevents neurotransmitter reuptake (norepinephrine and dopamine), leading to euphoria, wakefulness, and energy bursts but also increased heart rate.
• Overdose of amphetamines/cocaine: Can cause rapid heart contractions, potentially leading to fainting and death.
• Opioids: Class of drugs acting as endorphin agonists, inducing calmness and euphoria. Widely prescribed for pain relief; they're also antagonists decreasing pain perception neurotransmitters.
• Opioid overdose: Can lead to asphyxiation and death.
• Naloxone (Narcan): Opioid antagonist, binding to opioid receptors and blocking agonist effects to prevent harmful effects.
• Prozac (SSRI): Serotonin reuptake inhibitor, used in depression treatment.

Brain Structures and Functions

• Hypothalamus: Regulates body temperature, hunger, thirst, and sexual behavior. Essential for maintaining optimal body functions. Lesions can cause overeating or lack of appetite.
• Limbic System: Group of forebrain structures (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and amygdala). Involved in motivation, emotion, learning, and memory. Connection between subcortical structures and cerebral cortex.
• Hippocampus: Critical for creating and storing new memories. Damage results in inability to retain newly acquired information after brief distractions; other memories are unaffected.
• Amygdala: Attached significance to events associated with fear, punishment, or reward; plays role in emotional memory formation, and during emotional arousal it stimulates hippocampus to remember details.
• Basal Ganglia: Set of subcortical structures directing intentional movements. The striatum (part of basal ganglia) controls posture and movement. Damage to parts of the midbrain supplying the striatum with dopamine (as in Parkinson's) impairs striatum function, causing tremors.
• Parkinson's disease symptoms: Uncontrollable shaking and limb jerks, difficulty initiating movements

Endocrine System

• Endocrine System: Network of glands producing hormones influencing bodily functions like metabolism, growth, sexual development; working in close relation with the nervous system, especially the limbic system, to regulate thoughts, emotions, and behaviors.
• Major Glands: Thyroid (regulates body functions), adrenals (stress responses), pancreas (digestion), pineal (melatonin, sleep-wake cycle), and pituitary ("master gland" directing other glands' functions).
• Hypothalamus role: Sends hormonal signals to the pituitary, which directs other glands for functions like stress, digestion, and reproduction.
• Reproductive glands: Ovaries (estrogen) and testes (testosterone) play key roles in sexual behavior and reproduction; not exclusive to one sex.