Midterm 3 Exam Prep PDF

**Midterm 3 Prep** The following is provided to help you review L13-L15 in preparation for the midterm exam. It is NOT an exhaustive list of information that we learned this quarter, nor is it a list of everything that will be tested on the midterm exam. If something is not included below it does n...

**Midterm 3 Prep** The following is provided to help you review L13-L15 in preparation for the midterm exam. It is NOT an exhaustive list of information that we learned this quarter, nor is it a list of everything that will be tested on the midterm exam. If something is not included below it does not mean that it is not important. **[Definitions]** **Retrograde amnesia:** inability to remember anything prior to the event that triggered amnesic onset. **Anterograde amnesia:** inability to form new memories after the event that triggered amnesic onset. **Alzheimer's disease:** Irreversible progressive brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and cognitive abilities (dementia), and eventually the ability to carry out the simplest tasks **Reward pathway:** brain circuit (VTANucleus Accumbens/ventral striatum Prefrontal cortex) that processes stimuli important for survival. Uses dopamine, the "feel good" chemical, to produce motivated behavior. \*\*Different from the substantia nigra/striatum pathway responsible for regulation of movement, although both pathways use dopamine and D1/D2 receptors. **Opiates:** natural products of the opium poppy. They bind to opioid receptors and in the nervous system, and they inhibit the firing of neurons that transmit pain information to the brain (**analgesic** action). Synthetic opiates = **opioids**. **Spinothalamic tract:** Axons that carry information about pain on the contralateral side of the body. **Endorphins**: peptides which activate the body\'s opioid receptors, causing an analgesic effect. ("natural/endogenous opioids") **Tolerance:** is a person\'s diminished response to a drug, which occurs when the drug is used repeatedly and the body adapts to the continued presence of the drug. **Withdrawal**: the physiological disturbance that happens upon abrupt cessation of the drug of abuse, after tolerance has settled in. **Schizophrenia**: Disease characterized by episodes in which a person is unable to distinguish between real and unreal experiences. Has positive, negative, and cognitive symptoms. **[Key topics/concepts to know: ]** ADDICTION Types of addiction Sources of addiction Reward pathway Areas (prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens "NA", ventral tegmental area "VTA") Conditional stimuli Dopamine Direct vs indirect pathway Drug addiction DA thresholds for addiction Routes of drug administration Cocaine Dopamine reuptake transporter Morphine/heroin/opioids Opioid receptors Synthetic opioids Pain pathway Effect of opioids Spinothalamic tract Opioid receptor mechanism Inhibitory Pre vs postsynaptic effect Heroin/morphine act through opioid receptor Side effects of opioids Overdose Antidote: Naloxone Tolerance and Withdrawal Reduced levels of D2 receptors SCHIZOPHRENIA AND ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE Schizophrenia Risk factors Symptoms Positive, negative, cognitive Antipsychotic drugs D2 receptor Side effects Tardive dyskinesia Dopamine signaling Memory Short vs long-term memory Hippocampus Amnesias Patient HM Anterograde vs retrograde Alzheimer's disease Dementia Symptoms Progression Pathology Amyloid plaques and tau tangles Neurodegeneration Etiology/risk factors Treatments **[Disorders: ]** Drug addiction Schizophrenia Tardive dyskinesia Amnesias (anterograde/retrograde) Alzheimer's disease **[Test Your Understanding:]** 1. Which of the following disorders are neurodegenerative?\ a. Alzheimer's disease\ b. Parkinson's disease\ c. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy\ d. All of these disorders are neurodegenerative 2. All of the following are correct about the hippocampus EXCEPT\ a. it is located in the temporal lobe\ b. it is necessary for navigating through space\ c. it contains dopaminergic neurons\ d. It degenerates in Alzheimer's disease 3. Which of the following is TRUE regarding the mechanisms of action of glutamate receptor antagonists and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer\'s disease? 4. What is the expected impact of drugs of abuse on dopamine levels in the reward system [during drug use]? 5. What is the primary function of the spinothalamic tract? 6. Which type of neurons do opioids primarily act on in the pain pathway, and what is the mechanism by which they inhibit neuronal activity? 7. Look at the neural circuit below. Opioid receptors (black) are found on the red neuron, GABA receptors (red) are found on the blue neuron, and dopamine D1 receptors (blue) are found on the green neuron. The blue neuron releases dopamine, the red one releases GABA. Answer the following questions: \ In the presence of morphine:\ 1. What will happen to the activity of the red neuron? 2\. What about the activity of the blue neuron? 3\. Will the release of the blue neurotransmitter (DA) be affected? How? 4\. What will the consequence be for the activity of the green neuron? **Test Your Understanding (ANSWERS):** 1. Which of the following disorders are neurodegenerative?\ a. Alzheimer's disease\ b. Parkinson's disease\ c. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy\ ***[d. All of these disorders are neurodegenerative]*** 2. All of the following are correct about the hippocampus EXCEPT\ a. it is located in the temporal lobe\ b. it is necessary for navigating through space\ *[**c. it contains dopaminergic neurons**\ ]*d. It degenerates in Alzheimer's disease 3. Which of the following is TRUE regarding the mechanisms of action of glutamate receptor antagonists and acetylcholinesterase (AchE) inhibitors in the treatment of Alzheimer\'s disease? 4. What is the expected impact of drugs of abuse on dopamine levels in the reward system [during drug use]? 5. What is the primary function of the spinothalamic tract? 6. Which type of neurons do opioids primarily act on in the pain pathway, and what is the mechanism by which they inhibit neuronal activity? 7. Look at the neural circuit below. Opioid receptors (black) are found on the red neuron, GABA receptors (red) are found on the blue neuron, and dopamine D1 receptors (blue) are found on the green neuron. The blue neuron releases dopamine, the red one releases GABA. Answer the following questions: \ In the presence of morphine:\ 1. What will happen to the activity of the red neuron? **It will go down; opioids decrease neuronal activity.** 2\. What about the activity of the blue neuron? **It will go up; with a lack of inhibition from the red neuron, the blue neuron will be disinhibited and free to activate.** 3\. Will the release of the blue neurotransmitter (DA) be affected? How? **Release will go up; because it is disinhibited, it will depolarize and release more dopamine.** 4\. What will the consequence be for the activity of the green neuron? **It will go up; dopamine has an excitatory effect on D1 receptor containing neurons.**