PSY 200 Lecture Notes - Lecture 6: Arvid Carlsson
Document Summary
Individually, choose a neurotransmitter to research and answer the following questions: Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that controls/regulates movement and emotional response. It is also associated with the brain"s reward and pleasure system as well as attention and learning. Dopamine was discovered in lund (sweden) in 1957 by the pharmacologist arvid carlsson. Carlsson and colleagues were working/studying the topic, when they made new observations about the amine, leading to the discovery of dopamine as a transmitter in the central nervous system. It"s movements are affected by changes in the electrical properties of the neurons, that then alter the way the dopamine transporters work. The neurons release dopamine in response to pleasure inducing activities related to emotions and movement. Drugs (like cocaine) and like substances can deactivate or block dopamine (and other neurotransmitters) or its travel within the brain. Dopamine deficiency can result in parkinson"s disease.
