PSY 201 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Phineas Gage, Primary Sensory Areas, Cerebral Cortex

• School: University of Oregon
• Department: Psychology
• Course: PSY 201
• Professor: Magaret Sereno

Document Summary

Neurotransmitters: events ending transmitter influence, reuptake: chemical is taken back up to presynaptic terminal button, enzymes: can deactivate/brake down neurochemical, autoreceptors: signal the axon to stop releasing neurotransmitters. Drugs affect behavior by modulating neurotransmitter function: agonists: increase the release of neurotransmitters, block reuptake of neurotransmitters, antagonists: block the release of neurotransmitters, can destroy neurotransmitters in the synapse. Drug effects on behavior: effects of addictive drugs (e. g. cocaine, meth, alcohol, nicotine, heroine etc) Reward circuits become more active during any pleasurable/rewarding experiences: drugs cause a huge increase in release and effects of the neurotransmitter. History of functional localization -- phrenology felt bumps on the skull surface correspond to personality traits. Modern methods of localization: massive vascular system is needed fmri scans depend on blood flow to give functional images of human brains. If neurons are firing at a certain part of your brain -- so will blood and oxygen: can study exclusively human behaviors (eg. interpreting maps)