Psychology Lecture February 3 2015 Amino acids are general inhibitory and excitatory transmitters in the brain GABA inhibits relaxes drugs that mimic are used for anxiety or insomnia alcohol and sedatives have similar impacts on GABA receptors excess GABA unmotivated shortage anxiety epilepsy Huntington s Glutamate excites helps learning memory Getting Buzzed ecstasy serotonin is massively depleted terminal buttons often destroyed read Ecstasy article MMDA penicillin for the soul SHROOMS Amphetamines Cocaine increase Norepinephrine and dopamine block reuptake and increase release activate sympathetic nervous system inc heart rate and blood pressure Nicotine acts on same sites as Ach acetylcholine impacts learning and memory Benzodiazepines Valium increase response to GABA relaxes Valium is addictive Opiates morphine heroine codeine activate receptors that usually respond to endorphins increase dopamine activation in the nucleus accumbens binding with opiate receptors highly addictive due to dual activation of dopamine and opiate receptors Hallucinogenic drugs LSD similar structure to serotonin people experience dreamlike quality Marijuana most widely used illegal drug THC produces relaxed mental state uplifted contented mood and perceptual cognitive distortions Concentration of cannabinoid receptors are in the hippocampus Medicinal properties are controversial Overview How are neural messages integrated into communication systems The endocrine system communicates through hormones Actions of the nervous system and endocrine system are coordinated Afferent nerves sensory efferent nerves motor Somatic nervous system acts on skeletal muscles Endocrine system communicates through hormones and nervous system uses electrochemical signals Hypothalamus is a critical integrating structure next to pituitary gland Diverse types of CNS neurotransmitters play a central role in our psychological existence identity and experience of the world the machinery of the mind underlies psychological realities Part 2 Basic Brain Structures and Functions Brain plasticity capacity of the brain to change brain changes with use and how we use it We have a left and right amygdala hippocampus etc Brain stem is primitive part of our functioning Subcortical structures control basic drives and emotions Cerebellum essential for movement Damage to subcortical structures impacts cerebral cortex Midbrain tectum and tegmentum Hindbrain coordinates info coming into and out of the spinal cord and controls the basic functions of life Medulla vital involuntary functions Pons relays info from cerebellum Reticular formation sleep arousal attention Brainstem is important for gagging breathing swallowing Cerebellum motor learning important w empathy some cognitive processes Don t need to know the difference between tegmentum and tectum in this class these parts orient you towards sensory stimuli midbrain Limbic system above brainstem controls motivation emotion memory contains thalamus sensory relay system contains amygdala aggression center hippocampus hypothalamus regulate temp hunger activity of ANS hormone release site of pleasure center separates the older and newer parts of the brain basal ganglia Frontal thought planning movement temporal hearing memory occipital vision parietal lobe touch spatial relations Broca s area in frontal lobe produce speech and language Wernicke s area in temporal lobe interpret speech and language