PSYCH 2010 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Acetylcholine, Naloxone, Morphine
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**neurotransmitter = chemical messengers that traverse the synaptic gaps between neurons and bind to receptor sites. Often times, when a neurotransmitter is released, not all of the chemical is needed to launch the sig(cid:374)al. This lea(cid:448)es so(cid:373)e e(cid:454)tra (cid:272)he(cid:373)i(cid:272)al i(cid:374) the s(cid:455)(cid:374)apti(cid:272) gaps after the sig(cid:374)al is se(cid:374)t, (cid:449)hi(cid:272)h (cid:272)a(cid:374)"t sta(cid:455) there because it will affect signals in the future. To solve this problem, two different processes happen simultaneously to deal with the excess chemical. They are referred to as reuptake and degradation. Acetylcholine - controls learning, memory, and muscle contractions. Dopamine (cid:272)o(cid:374)trols (cid:373)o(cid:448)e(cid:373)e(cid:374)t, lear(cid:374)i(cid:374)g, a(cid:374)d atte(cid:374)tio(cid:374) ((cid:373)a(cid:455) (cid:271)e li(cid:374)ked to parki(cid:374)so(cid:374)"s a(cid:374)d. Serotonin controls mood, hunger, sleep, and arousal. Norepinephrine / epinephrine - control alertness, arousal, and anxiety. Gaba an inhibitory neurotransmitter, may be involved in eating and sleeping disorders, a(cid:374)d ofte(cid:374) referred to as the (cid:862)(cid:271)rakes of the (cid:271)rai(cid:374)(cid:863)