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Psych: Neurotransmitters
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- 2. Pair-share How do youthink chemicals in our bodies impact our behavior? (Discuss with your table partner).
- 3. Nervous System Q: Whydo psychologists study the brain and the nervous system? A: Some biological functions underly human behavior, and in order to form a fuller understanding of ourselves, it’s important to recognize what aspects of our behavior we can attribute to our own bodies. Psychologists who examine behavioral problems based on the ways in which our bodies affect our behavior are using the “biological” or “neuroscience” approach. Psychologists who specialize in studying the effects of biological functions on behavior are called “behavioral neuroscientists.”
- 4. Nervous System You haveabout 1 trillion nerve cells in your body, and 100 chemicals that transfer messages between those nerves. (Those chemicals are called neurotransmitters).
- 5. Nerve Ending (outgoing) Neurotransmitters Neurotransmittersstimulate the nerve endings, or transmit electrical impulses from the brain to the body. Nerve Ending (incoming) Neurotransmitters (Chemicals that travel between neurons) (Axon) (Dendrite) Synapse (gap)
- 7. Neurotransmitters Neurotransmitter Name Function AcetylchlolineMovement control, thinking/comprehending Glutamate Memory Gamma-amino butyric acid (GABA) Eating, sleeping, aggression Dopamine Movement control, attention, pleasure and reward feelings Serotonin Eating, sleeping, mood, pain, depression, coping with stress Endorphins Pain suppression, pleasurable feelings, appetite
- 8. Neurotransmitters An excess orlack of neurotransmitters can impact our behavior. For example, Parkinson’s Disease causes the brain cells that produce dopamine to die.The lack of dopamine in the body leads to shaking, irregular movements, and loss of motion control. Lack of dopamine also depresses your mood, which affects your personality and habits.
- 9. Neurotransmitters An excess orlack of neurotransmitters can impact our behavior. Dopamine is also associated with motivation and reward. When we do things like eating, exercise, and romancing, dopamine is released in our brains. Too much is also bad: studies show that unusually high amounts of dopamine in our bodies is related to schizophrenia.
- 10. Drugs & TheBrain Certain drugs like cocaine cause a temporary overproduction of dopamine, mimicking the reward sensation. In other words, cocaine gives you a greater feeling of reward than the things that naturally cause dopamine production.The result of this is addiction. DopamineRelease DopamineRelease Time Time Cocaine Exercise, eating, kissing/sex, winning
- 11. Neurotransmitters Endorphins block painin your body, and are also responsible for feelings of pleasure or happiness. A lack of endorphins may be responsible for certain forms of mental illness such as obsessive-compulsive disorder. Endorphins are released when you exercise, and also when you experience pain. Some people who engage in self-hurting behaviors may do so in part to feel the feelings of euphoria prompted by controlled amounts of self-inflicted pain.
- 12. Neurotransmitters Acetylcholine deficiency isan abnormally low level of acetylcholine.This neurotransmitter is involved in the control of muscle movement, learning, and memory formation. A lack of it causes uncontrolled muscle movements and difficulty forming and retrieving memories. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter greatly involved in your mood. If you’re feeling pessimistic, sad, distrustful, unconfident, or have panic attacks, you may have a serotonin deficiency.
- 13. Neurotransmitters Today in modernmedicine, drugs that stimulate neurotransmitter production are being tested to see if they help relieve symptoms of clinical depression. Symptoms of depression: Loss of interest Loss of appetite Loss of energy Feelings of loneliness Feelings of worthlessness Anger or irritability Concentration problems Reckless behavior
- 14. Causes What causes youto have too much or too little of a neurotransmitter in your body? Genetics: If family members have a chemical deficiency, it may be passed on genetically. Poor Nutrition: Your diet impacts your bodily chemicals (and obesity does too). Stress: Stress can raise or lower certain your bodily chemicals. Disease: Related to genetics: Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and other diseases cause chemical imbalances. Drugs: Taking certain drugs confuses your body into releasing chemicals when it has no natural reason to. Lack of Exercise: Can cause problems like high blood pressure that lowers blood-flow to your brain. Alcohol, Smoking: Both cause direct damage to the brain tissues. Lack of Sleep: Lowers blood flow to your brain.
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- 16. Brain Imaging Two typesof brain scans - PET scans and SPECT scans - show how much activity is going on in the brain. “Activity” is measured by neurons firing, increased blood flow, and/or release of brain chemicals. This is a PET scan. After scanning thousands of brains, researchers identified what “normal” levels of brain activity looks like. If a brain shows activity higher or lower than a normal brain, we know there is something wrong.
- 17. Brain Imaging Two typesof brain scans - PET scans and SPECT scans - show how much activity is going on in the brain. “Activity” is measured by neurons firing, increased blood flow, and/or release of brain chemicals. This is a SPECT scan. The healthy brain will have a smoother shape with even brain activity. A brain with problems will be shaped with holes or lumps.
- 18. Brain Imaging Two typesof brain scans - PET scans and SPECT scans - show how much activity is going on in the brain. “Activity” is measured by neurons firing, increased blood flow, and/or release of brain chemicals. For example, a SPECT scan can help us see if a person’s brain is not producing enough of a neurotransmitter, or is producing too much.