Chapter 4 (Chemistry of Behavior) Flashcards Preview

Physiological Psych (The Mind's Machine by Watson & Breedlove) > Chapter 4 (Chemistry of Behavior) > Flashcards

Flashcards in Chapter 4 (Chemistry of Behavior) Deck (72)
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1
Q

exogenous

A

Arising from outside the body

2
Q

endogenous

A

Produced inside the body

3
Q

exocytosis

A

A cellular process that results in teh release of a substance into the extracellular space

4
Q

ionotropic receptor

A

Also called ligand-gated ion channel. A receptor protein containing an ion channel that opens when the receptor is bound by an agonist.

5
Q

metabotropic receptor

A

A receptor protein that does not contain ion channels but may, when activated, use a G protein system to open nearby ion channels or to produce other cellular effects.

6
Q

gas neurotransmitter

A

a neurotransmitter that is a soluble gas. Examples include nitric (not nitrous) oxide and carbon monoxide.

7
Q

amine neurotransmitter

A

A neurotransmitter based on modifications of a single amino acid nucleus. Examples include ACh, serotonin, and dopamine.

8
Q

amino acid neurotransmitter

A

A neurotransmitter that is itself an amino acid. Examples include GABA, glycine, and glutamate.

9
Q

peptide neurotransmitter

A

Also called neuropeptide. A neurotransmitter consisting of a short chain of amino acid.

10
Q

ACh

A

Found in the autonomic nervous system, motor systems, and throughout the brain.

11
Q

cholinergic

A

Referring to cells that use ACh as their synaptic transmitter

12
Q

basal forebrain

A

A region, ventral to the basal ganglia, that is a major source of ACh in the brain.

13
Q

dopamine (DA)

A

A monoamine transmitter found in the midbrain–especially the substantia nigra–and in the basal forebrain.

14
Q

dopaminergic

A

referring to cells that use dopamine as their synaptic transmitter

15
Q

substantia nigra

A

A brainstem structure that innervates the basal ganglia and is the source of all dopaminergic projections

16
Q

ventral tegmental area (VTA)

A

A portion of the midbrain that projects dopaminergic fibers to the nucleus accumbens

17
Q

serotonergic

A

Referring to cells that use serotonin as their synpatic transmitter

18
Q

raphe nuclei

A

A string of nuclei in the midline of the midbrian and brainstem that contain most of the serotonergic neurons of the brain

19
Q

serotonin (5-HT)

A

A synaptic transmitter that is produced in the raphe nuclei and is active in structures throughout the cerebral hemispheres

20
Q

noradrenergic

A

Referring to cells using norepinephrine (noradrenaline) as a transmitter

21
Q

norepinephrine

A

(aka noradrenaline) A neurotransmitter that is produced and released by sympathetic postganglionic neurons to accelerate organ activity. It is also produced in teh brainstem and found in projections throughout the brain.

22
Q

locus coeruleus

A

A small nucleus in the brainstem whose neurons produce norepinephrine and modulate large areas of the forebrain

23
Q

lateral tegmental area

A

A brainstem region that provides some of the norepinephrine-containing projections of the brain.

24
Q

glutamate

A

An amino acid transmitter, the most common excitatory neurotransmitter

25
Q

GABA

A

A widely distributed amino acid transmitter, and the main inhibitory transmitter in teh mammalian nervous system.

26
Q

opioid peptide

A

A type of endogenous peptide that mimics the effects of morphine in binding to opioid receptors and producing marked analgesia and reward.

27
Q

retrograde transmitter

A

A neurotransmitter that diffuses from the postsynaptic neuron back to the presynaptic neuron

28
Q

ligand

A

A substance that binds to receptor molecules, such as a neurotransmitter or drug that binds postsynaptic receptors

29
Q

agonist

A

A molecule (usually a drug) that binds a receptor molecule and initiates a response like that of another molecule, usually a neurotransmitter

30
Q

antagonist

A

A molecule, usually a drug, that interferes with or prevents the action of a neurotransmitter

31
Q

binding affinity (or affinity)

A

The propensity of molecules of a drug (or other ligand) to bind to receptors

32
Q

efficacy (or intrinsic activity)

A

The extent to which a drug activates a response when it binds to a receptor

33
Q

dose-response curve (DRC)

A

A formal graph of a drug’s effects (on the y-axis) versus the dose given (on the x-axis)

34
Q

bioavailable

A

Referring to a substance, usually a drug, that is present in the body in a form that is able to interact with physiological mechanisms.

35
Q

biotransformation

A

The process in which enzymes convert a drug into a metabolite that is itself active, possibly in ways that are substantially different from the actions of the original substance.

36
Q

drug tolerance

A

A condition in which, with repeated exposure to a drug, an individual becomes less responsive to a constant dose.

37
Q

metabolic tolerance

A

The form of drug tolerance that arises when repeated exposure to the drug causes the metabolic machinery of the body to become more efficient at clearing the drug

38
Q

functional tolerance

A

The form of tolerance that arises when repeated exposure causes receptors to be up-regulated or down-regulated

39
Q

down-regulation

A

Compensatory decrease in receptor availability at the synapses of a neuron

40
Q

up-regulation

A

A compensatory increase in receptor availability at the synapses of a neuron.

41
Q

cross-tolerance

A

A condition in which the development of tolerance for one drug causes an individual to develop tolerance for another drug

42
Q

autoreceptor

A

A receptor for a synaptic transmitter that is located in the presynaptic membrane and tells teh axon terminal how much transmitter has been released.

43
Q

neuroleptics or antipsychotics

A

Antischizophrenia drugs (typically block dopamine receptors)

44
Q

atypical neuroleptic

A

An antipsychotic that has actions other than the typical D2 receptor antagonism.

45
Q

monoamine oxidase (MAO)

A

An enzyme that breaks down monoamine transmitters, thereby inactivating them.

46
Q

trycyclic antidepressants

A

An antidepressant that acts by increasing the synaptic accumulation of serotonin and norepinephrine.

47
Q

SSRI

A

A drug that blocks the reuptake of transmitter at sertonergic synapses.

48
Q

barbiturate

A

An early anxiolytic drug and sleep aid that has depressant activity in the nervous system

49
Q

benzodiazepine

A

Any of a class of antianxiety drugs that are agonists of GABA-a receptors in the CNS (Valium and Xanax)

50
Q

opium

A

An extract of the seedpod juice of the opium poppy (Papaver somniferum). Potent painkiller

51
Q

heroin

A

Diacetylmorphine; an artificially modified, very potent form of morphine

52
Q

periaqueductal gray

A

The neuronal body-rich region of the midbrain surrounding the cerebral aqueduct that connects the third and fourth ventricles; it is involved in pain perception.

53
Q

endogneous opioid

A

Any class of opium-like peptide transmitters that have been called the body’s own narcotics. The three kinds are enkephalins, endorphins, and dynorphins.

54
Q

tobacco

A

A highly addictive North American plant whose leaves (usually dried and smoked) are a major source of nicotine

55
Q

nicotine

A

A compound found in plants, including tobacco, that acts as an agonist on a large class of cholinergic receptors.

56
Q

alcohol

A

a neuroactive compound (primarily ethyl alcohol) that first stimulates and then depresses neural activity, with varied behavioral consequences

57
Q

fetal alcohol syndrome

A

A disorder, including intellectual disability and characteristic facial abnormalities, that affects children exposed to too much alcohol (through maternal ingestion) during fetal development.

58
Q

marijuana

A

A dried preparation of the Cannabis sativa plant, usually smoked to obtain THC.

59
Q

delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC)

A

Major active ingredient in marijuana

60
Q

endocannabinoid

A

an endogenous ligand of cannabinoid receptors; thus, an analog of marijuana that is produced by the brain.

61
Q

anandamine

A

An endogenous substance that binds the cannabinoid receptor molecule.

62
Q

caffeine

A

A stimulant compound found in coffee, cacao, and other plants.

63
Q

cocaine

A

a drug of abuse, derived form the coca plant, that acts by enhancing catecholamine neurotransmission

64
Q

amphetamine

A

A molecule that resembles the structure of the catecholamine transmitters and enhances their activity.

65
Q

hallucinogen

A

A drug that alters sensory perception and produces peculiar experiences

66
Q

LSD

A

Also called acid. Lysergic acid diethylamide, a hallucinogenic drug

67
Q

MDMA

A

Also called Ecstasy, 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine, a drug of abuse

68
Q

dissociative

A

a type of drug that produces a dreamlike state in which consciousness is partly separated from sensory inputs

69
Q

withdrawal symptom

A

An uncomfortable symptom that arises when a person stops taking a drug that he or she has used frequently, especially at high doses.

70
Q

dysphoria

A

Unpleasant feelings; the opposite of euphoria

71
Q

nucleus accumbens

A

A region of the forebrain that receives dopaminergic innervation from the ventral tegmental area

72
Q

insula

A

A region of cortex lying below the surface, within the lateral sulcus, of the frontal, temporal, and parietal lobes.