Weeks 4-5

Question 1

What is the reward system made up of?

Answer 1

Ventral tegmental area (VTA)
Nucleus accumbens
Amygdala
Hippocampus
Prefrontal cortex (PFC)

Question 2

What regions of the reward system do substances affect?

Answer 2

Basal ganglia
Amygdala
Prefrontal cortex

Question 3

What are the two primary reward pathways in the body?

Answer 3

Mesocortical dopamine pathway
Mesolimbic dopamine pathway

Question 4

Describe the mesocortical pathway

Answer 4

Starts in the VTA, travels to the nucleus accumbens and then to the PFC (skips the limbic system)

Question 5

Describe the mesolimbic pathway

Answer 5

Starts in the VTA, travels to the nucleus accumbens, and then spreads into the limbic system (hippocampus and amygdala)

Question 6

What is the main difference between the mesocortical and mesolimbic pathways?

Answer 6

Mesocortical is more about behavior while mesolimbic is more about emotions/learning (hippocampus)

Question 7

What hormone does stress increase the release of?

Answer 7

Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH)

Question 8

What does stress do to the reward system?

Answer 8

Strengthens the amygdala and weakens the hippocampus and PFC

Question 9

Hypofrontality

Answer 9

Decrease in PFC activity (often due to atrophy from substance use; common in schizophrenia)

Question 10

What are control orientations?

Answer 10

Ways to manage stress (primary or secondary)

Question 11

What are peptides?

Answer 11

2 or more amino acids linked by peptide bonds, widely distributed in CNS and PNS

Question 12

What are the most common endogenous peptides?

Answer 12

Enkephalins, endorphins, dynorphins

Question 13

What are the functions of endogenous peptides?

Answer 13

Mediate the reward and reinforcement properties

Question 14

How does substance use interplay with endogenous peptides?

Answer 14

Drugs are exogenous peptides which increase endorphins and enkephalins resulting in a dopamine surge

Question 15

Where is alcohol metabolized

Answer 15

Liver (hepatic)

Question 16

What are the neural effects of alcohol?

Answer 16

CNS depressant, indirect GABAa receptor agonist which results in sedation

Question 17

Where do we see the most alcohol use? (among whom)

Answer 17

The ends of the SES spectrum

Question 18

What are neuropsychiatric conditions that can result from drinking?

Answer 18

Wernicke’s encephalopathy (thiamine deficiency)
Korsakoff psychosis (thiamine deficiency)
Alcoholic neuropathy
Alcoholic cerebellar damage
Alcoholic myopathy
Alcohol withdrawal syndrome
Fetal alcohol syndrome disorders

Question 19

Describe Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff psychosis and how they are related?

Answer 19

Both due to thiamine deficiency, Wernicke’s encephalopathy is the acute phase (still treatable) whereas Korsakoff psychosis is chronic and untreatable

Question 20

What are fetal alcohol syndrome disorders?

Answer 20

FASD is an umbrella term for a range of physical, cognitive, and behavioral disorders caused by prenatal alcohol exposure.

Question 21

What do stimulants affect?

Answer 21

Epinephrin, norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin

Question 22

What do stimulants create/cause?

Answer 22

Alertness, attention, energy

Question 23

People with ADHD show a ___ reduction in symptoms using stimulants.

Answer 23

80%

Question 24

How is nicotine absorbed?

Answer 24

Through blood stream via the lungs if you are inhaling but when using smokeless tobacco, it is absorbed through the mucosal membranes of the mouth, nose, and skin

Question 25

How fast does nicotine reach the brain?

Answer 25

7 seconds

Question 26

What neurotransmitter does nicotine mimic?

Answer 26

Acetylcholine

Question 27

How is nicotine metabolized and excreted?

Answer 27

Liver, lungs, kidneys and excreted through the urine

Question 28

What makes up the endocannabinoid system?

Answer 28

Neuromodulation system made up of CB1 and CB2 receptors

Question 29

How is cannabis metabolized?

Answer 29

Liver

Question 30

What does THC mimic?

Answer 30

Anandamide

Question 31

What does anandamine effect?

Answer 31

Energy, mood, appetite, perception of time

Question 32

Effects of THC

Answer 32

Decreases GABA and increases glutamate which leads to an increase in dopamine

Question 33

What are the 2 categories of hallucinogens?

Answer 33

Classic and dissociative

Question 34

High sugar diets lead to a decrease in what?

Answer 34

Brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) which modulates growth, development, and communication between synapses

Question 35

What system does technology/gaming affect?

Answer 35

Mesolimbic pathway

Question 36

What are the 3 theories of feeling emotions?

Answer 36

James-Lange theory Cannon-Bard theory Schachter-Singer theory

Question 37

What is the core processor of fear?

Answer 37

Amygdala

Question 38

What other limbic systems does the amygdala interact with?

Answer 38

Hippocampus (long-term memories) Hypothalamus (sympathetic nervous response, fight or flight) Thalamus (unconscious fear processing; classical conditioning and unconditioned fear response)

Question 39

3 internal nuclei of the amygdala

Answer 39

Lateral nucleus Central nucleus Basal nucleus

Question 40

What is the role of the lateral nucleus?

Answer 40

Sensory input gateway

Question 41

What is the role of the central nucleus?

Answer 41

Key role in emotional response to aversive stimuli (stress)

Question 42

What is the role of the basal nucleus?

Answer 42

Major output pathways to the cerebral cortex (projects to the VMPFC)

Question 43

Disorders of the amygdala

Answer 43

Kluver-Bucy syndrome (acquired--herpes, tumor, stroke, TBI) Urbach-Weithe Disease (genetic)

Question 44

What modulates aggression?

Answer 44

Serotonin inhibits aggression and risky behavior

Question 45

What is the VMPFC the interface between?

Answer 45

Emotional responses and control of complex behaviors

Question 46

VMPFC and the train ethics test

Answer 46

Those with VMPFC lesions don't care with the train test whether they push someone onto the tracks or pushes a button to divert the train to one person because the outcome is the same (moral judgement is effected)

Question 47

Effects of love

Answer 47

Increases in caudate nucleus Increase in Ventral Tegmental Area (which increases hyperfocus) Increases in cortisol and adrenaline (increases in HR, sweating, anxiety, nervousness) Decrease in PFC activation (love is blind)

Question 48

Which side of our face are we more expressive on?

Answer 48

Left side

Question 49

What are the 5 stages of sleep?

Answer 49

Wakefulness NREM stage 1 NREM stage 2 NREM stage 3 REM

Question 50

How long is a full sleep cycle?

Answer 50

90 minutes

Question 51

What are the chemicals involved in sleep?

Answer 51

Adenosine Histamines Acetylcholine Norepinephrine Orexin Melatonin

Question 52

What is adenosine a byproduct of?

Answer 52

ATP

Question 53

How does caffeine work?

Answer 53

Blocks adenosine receptors

Question 54

During what stage is serotonin low?

Answer 54

REM (limits movement)

Question 55

What are the sleep disorders?

Answer 55

Insomnia Sleep apnea (obstructive versus central) Narcolepsy REM sleep behavior disorders Maladaptive slow-wave sleep behaviors in children

Question 56

What are the parts of narcolepsy?

Answer 56

Sleep attacks, cataplexy, sleep paralysis

Question 57

What are the maladaptive slow wave sleep behaviors in children?

Answer 57

Night terrors, sleep walking, bed wetting

Question 58

What are the waves associated with each sleep stage?

Answer 58

Wakefulness = alpha and beta Stage 1 = theta Stage 2 = sleep spindles and K complexes Stage 3 = delta REM = theta and beta

Question 59

What sleep stage is involved in the consolidation of declarative memories?

Answer 59

Stage 3 (slow-wave deep sleep)

Question 60

What sleep stage is involved in the consolidation of non-declarative memories?

Answer 60

REM sleep

Question 61

Where is melatonin created/produced?

Answer 61

Pineal gland

Question 62

What is the waste clearance system of the brain? (immune system of the brain)

Answer 62

Glymphatic system

Question 63

What are the main functions of sleep?

Answer 63

Waste clearance and memory consolidation

Question 64

What does sleep deprivation lead to?

Answer 64

Decreased glycogen stores and an increase in adenosine which results in sleepiness

Question 65

What are the parts of an emotional response?

Answer 65

Behavioral, autonomic, hormonal

Question 66

Where do we modulate expression?

Answer 66

Orbitofrontal cortex

Question 67

What neurotransmitter inhibits aggression?

Answer 67

Serotonin