Psychology 121: Biopsychology

Exam 3 Term List

Please note that this list is not exhaustive but reflects major “terms” presented in lecture.

• Ramon y Cajal-created neuron doctrine, work showed up that the nervous system was made up of separate
cells
• Neuron Doctrine-states that the nervous system is made up of individual cells called neurons
• Membrane-made up of double layer of phosolipids, semipermeable to ions
• Axon-carries electrical signal from soma (cell body) to axon terminal
• Axon Terminals-end of axon where neurotransmitter is released
• Unipolar Neuron-found in spinal cord, muscles and glands, somatosensory
• Bipolar Neuron-typical neuron makeup, transmits info in several sensory systems
• Multipolar-acts as bridge b/w sensory and motor neurons, very common in brain
• Interneuron
• Dendrites-collect electrical signals from other neurons and send to cell body
• Extracellular-outside of the cell
• Intracellular-inside of the cell
• Resting potential-net movement of ions across membrane is 0 and voltage difference is -70 mV
• Threshold
• Forces
• Electrostatic-opposites attract, magnetic connections of ions
• Chemical concentration gradient- diffusion of ions, also through semipermeable membranes
• Ion-electrically-charged particle involved in the action potential of neurons
• Sodium(Na+)-high concentration at resting potential outside cell
• Potassium(K+)-highest concentration at resting potential inside cell
• Chloride(Cl-)-located outside cell
• Calcium(Ca++)-triggers process of exocytosis
• Voltage-gated channel-mediate action potentials
• Depolarization-part of action potential where Na+ is rushing in and the cell becomes positive
• Hyperpolarization-part of action potential that occurs after Na+ channels have closed and potassium is rushing
out of the cell
• Nerst Potential-also known as equillibrium potential, potential difference at which K+ ions will move across a
membrane to balance the concentration gradient
• Excitatory postsynaptic potential-involved in initiation of action potential, depolarizing
• Inhibitory postsynaptic potential-involved in initiation of action potential, hyperpolarizing, combined with
EPSP produces net effect=no action potential
• Action potential-Na+ rushes into cell through voltage-gated channels and K+ rushes out thought voltage-gated
channels, propagates down the axon
• Propagation-the spread of an action potential down the axon of the neuron
• Saltutory conduction-relatively fast, propagates down the axon in jumps to the nodes of rainier
• Passive conduction-relatively slow, propagation is passive
• Axon hillock-site between the cell body and the axon
• Myelin Sheath-covers the axon to allow for faster propagation of action potentials
• Node of Ranvier-spaces in between the myelin on the axon through which the action potential passes, part of
saltutory conduction
• Synapse-the gap between one neuron and another where NT is released and bound
• Synaptic Vesicles-neurotransmitters are packaged into vesicles in synapse
• Inhibitory synapse
• GABA-mediates inhibition in the brain, works with glutamate (which mediates excitation)
• Excitatory synapse
• Neurotransmitter
• Vesicles
• Exocytosis-action potential opens Ca++ channels which allow ions to flow into cell which causes synaptic
vesicles to release microtubules
• Release-as vesicles fuse, they spill contents into synapse
 • Binding-NT binds to receptor on post-synaptic membrane
• Ionotropic receptor-NT binds to receptor which allows ions to flow
• Acetylcholine-example of ionotropic receptor
• Metabotropic receptor-release of G-protein leads to cascade of events leading to opening of ion
channel or other processes (gene transcription, etc)
• Norepinephrine-example of metabotropic receptor
• Pre-synaptic membrane-NT vesicle is fused and NT is released into synapse at this membrane
• Post-synaptic membrane-site of receptor, NTs are binded at this membrane
• Reuptake
• Diffusion
• Deactivating enzymes
• Neurotransmitter synthesis
• Classes of Neurotransmitters
• Drug
• Chemical substance used for its effects on bodily processes
• Any molecule that affects a biological process. More strictly, a molecule whose pharmacological activity
can be correlated with its chemical structure.
• A chemical compound or substance that can alter the structure and function of the body.
• Any substance, other than food, that is used to prevent, diagnose, treat or relieve symptoms of a disease or
abnormal condition.
• Routes of administration
• Oral
• Inhalation
• Intranasal
• Transdurmal
• Intravenous
• Intramuscular
• Subcutaneous
• Drug metabolism-eliminated from body through liver enzymes and enzymes in the brain
• Synaptic Transmission
• Definition of a neurotransmitter
• Synthesized in the neuron
• Released in a quantity sufficient to produce effect on post-synaptic neuron
• There is a mechanism for terminating its action
• Effect can be mimicked by activating its receptors
• Neurotransmitter pathways
• Cholinergic-Throughout entire brain, specifically the Thalamus, Hippocampus, Amygdala, and Neocortex
• Dopaminergic-Frontal Lobe, nucleus accumbens
• Noradrenergic-Neocortex, Cerebellum, Temporal Lobe, Locus Coeruleus
• Serotonergic-Neocortex, Thalamus, Cerebellum, Hindbrain
• Neurotransmitter receptors
• Sites of action of neurotransmitters
• Synthesis
• Metabolisms
• Storage
• Release
• Binding
• Reuptake-the collecting of Neurotransmitters by the pre-synaptic neuron following binding
• Agonist-mimics the effect of the neurotransmitter on the receptor
• Antagonist -blocks the effect of the neurotransmitter at the receptor
• Metabolic Tolerance-bodyʼs physiological response to drugs, breaking it down though enzymes
• Functional Tolerance-conditioned tolerance, on a cellular level-specifically with psychoactive drugs
• Cross Tolerance-a tolerance to one drug will produce a similar tolerant effect in another related drug
• Sensitization-opposite to tolerance, body will respond readily to a small amount of drug
• Withdrawal-adverse effects of discontinuing drug use, symptoms are typically opposite of those facilitated by
drug
• Alcohol withdrawal-more likely to cause death than opiate withdrawal, can last several weeks
 • Cocaine withdrawal
• Heroin withdrawal-insomnia, diarrhea, increased respiratory rate and depth, increased heart rate; opposite
effects of drug
• Role of Environment in Drug Addiction-
• maximum tolerance is found the the drug-associated environment
• rats given usual dose of morphine in unfamiliar environment -> overdose
• more withdrawal in drug-environment
• Vietnam Vets-when returning from vietnam, soldiers who had been addicted to heroin showed no signs of
addiction or withdrawal; environment-based addiction
• Pavlovian conditioning
• Pavlovian drug conditioning-experiments in which rats are administered a drug in an environment to
condition them to the environment so they can be tested for role of environment in drug addiction
• Role of New Environment-drug-dependent rats showed less pain sensitivity while on the same dose of
morphine in an unfamiliar environment (through tail flick and warm plate)
• Compensatory conditioned response-increased pain sensitivity, elevation in blood pressure, pulse,
respiratory rate, body temp, loss of appetite, insomnia and depression-all symptoms paired with the conditioned
stimulus (environment)
• Classes of drugs
• Stimulants
• Caffiene
• Nicotine-acetylcholine agonist
• Amphetamine-dopamine agonist
• Cocaine-dopamine agonist
• Depressants
• Alcohol-GABA agonist and glutamate antagonist
• Berbiturates
• Anxiolytic
• Benzodiazapines-GABA agonist
• Buspar-serotonin agonist
• Narcotics-opiate agonists
• Halluciongens
• LSD-serotonin agonist
• Marijuana
• Mescaline
• MDMA
• Ketamine
• Cocaine-originally used by field workers who chewed on the leaves for energy, and was advocated by freud for
depression and fatigue
• Behavioral effects of cocaine-increased energy, decreased appetite, mental alertness, increased heart
rate and blood pressure, constricted blood vessels, increased temp, dilated pupils
• Long Term- addiction, irritability/mood disturbances, restlessness, paranoia, auditory hallucinations
• Physiological effects-blocks the reuptake of dopamine, so dopamine stays in synapse longer
• Reuptake blocker
• intracranial self-stimulation (ICSS)-Experiment by Olds and Milner in which rats would administer bursts of
electrical stimulation to their own brains, mediated effects of natural rewards
• rats stopped pressing lever when ICSS was turned off, and had to be primed to return to self-stimulation
• when combined with dopamine agonists (eg. cocaine), ICSS will occur at lower frequency
• Dopamine pathways in the brain (Dopaminergic)-ICSS pathways are located within mesolimbic and
mesolimbocortical pathways
• Ventral Tegementum-starting site of dopaminergic projections in brain, travel to...
• Nucleus Accumbens-site of dopamine release, especially during ICSS; both are very important in cocaine
addiction
• Conditioned place preference-dopamine agonists produce effect in which the rat will prefer to be in an
distinctive compartment where a drug was administered in the past