SUMMARY OF important NEUROTRANSMITTERS 

Neurotransmitter
Function
Effect of Deficit
Effect of Excess
Increases Activity
Decreases Activity
Acetylcholine Stimulates muscle contraction; involved in memory, learning, and general intellectual   functioning Alzheimer’s     Nicotine 

Nerve gas 

 Curare

Atropine
Dopamine  Involved in movement, attention, learning, and pleasurable sensations Parkinson’s Schizophrenia  l-dopa 

amphet.          

cocaine 

 Some anti-psychotic drugs
Serotonin     Involved in sleep, moods, and emotional states   Anxiety,

 mood disorders,

insomnia

    LSD 

SSRIs

  
Norepinephrine  Involved in increasing  heartbeat and arousal,  as well as learning and memory retrieval  Mental disorders, especially depression Anxiety  Lithium

cocaine

amphet.

caffeine

  
GABA (gamma-aminobutyric acid)   Helps to offset excitatory messages and regulate daily sleep–wake cycles  Anxiety Sleep and eating disorders  Alcohol,  

Valium, 

Xanax,

Barbit.

  
Endorphins Involved in pain perception and positive emotions   Body  experiences pain  Body may not give adequate warning about pain  Opiates

Alcohol

 Naloxone

Naltrexone

 

Summary of the Major Brain Structures

Structure                      Function

                                      (The brainstem is made up of the hindbrain and the
            midbrain)  

Hindbrain                     Incoming sensory messages cross over to the opposite side of the brain; outgoing motor

                                    messages cross over to the opposite side of the body.

•   Medulla                    Controls vital autonomic functions, such as breathing, heart rate, and digestion.

•   Pons                          Relays information from higher brain regions to the cerebellum.

•   Cerebellum              Involved in the control of balance, muscle tone, coordinated muscle movements, and the

                                    learning of motor skills.

•   Reticular                  Network of neurons at the core of the medulla and pons that

    formation                 helps regulate attention and sleep.

 

Midbrain                       Plays a role in processing auditory and visual information before sending it to higher

                                    brain centers.

•   Substantia                 Involved in motor control and dopamine production.

    nigra

 

Forebrain  

•   Cerebral                   Contains centers involved in complex behaviors and

    cortex                       mental processes. Each hemisphere has four lobes:

 

    Temporal lobe         Processes auditory information.

    Occipital lobe          Processes visual information.

    Parietal lobe            Processes bodily sensations.

    Frontal lobe             Processes voluntary muscle movements and involved in
          thinking and planning.

 

•   Corpus                      Communication link between the left and right cerebral

    callosum                   hemispheres.

 

Limbic System

•   Hippocampus           Involved in learning and forming new memories.

•   Hypothalamus          Regulates the autonomic nervous system, behaviors related to survival, and the pituitary

                                    gland.

•   Thalamus                 Processes and distributes motor and sensory information going to and from the cerebral

                                    cortex. Involved in regulating awareness, attention, motivation, and emotional aspects

                                    of sensations.

•   Amygdala                Involved in emotional responses (especially fear and rage), learning, and memory    

                                    formation.