Neuroscience 101
This cell type is the basic functional unit of the nervous system, responsible for transmitting electrical signals.
What is a neuron?
This disorder is defined by compulsive drug seeking and use despite adverse consequences and is characterized by cycles of intoxication, withdrawal, and craving.
What is substance use disorder?
This stage of sleep is associated with vivid dreaming and rapid eye movements.
What is REM sleep?
This neurotransmitter, often associated with mood, is largely produced in the gut.
What is serotonin?
This class of drugs slows down central nervous system activity and includes alcohol and benzodiazepines.
What are depressants?
1. Gather information on the external and internal environment
2. Process the information gathered
3. Produce a coordinated response to the integrated information
What are the functions of the nervous system?
In addiction, this neurotransmitter’s phasic release in the mesolimbic pathway reinforces drug-taking behavior by encoding reward prediction and salience.
This hormone, released by the pineal gland, helps regulate the sleep–wake cycle
What is melatonin?
This cranial nerve is the primary pathway sending signals between the gut and the brain.
What is the vagus nerve?
This naturally occurring psychedelic compound found in certain mushrooms acts primarily as a serotonin receptor agonist and can alter perception, mood, and cognition.
What is psilocybin?
This neurotransmitter is heavily involved in reward, motivation, and is implicated in addiction.
What is dopamine?
This opponent-process phenomenon contributes to the negative emotional state during withdrawal, driven by recruitment of stress systems like CRF in the extended amygdala.
What is negative reinforcement?
This sleep disorder is characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep.
This term refers to the trillions of microorganisms living in the digestive tract that influence brain function and behavior.
What is the gut microbiome?
This class of drugs increases alertness and arousal, and includes substances like caffeine and amphetamines.
What are stimulants?
This insulating structure around axons increases the speed of neural signal transmission.
What is the myelin sheath?
Through this learning process, previously neutral cues become capable of eliciting craving and physiological responses after repeated pairing with drug use.
What is classical conditioning?
This stage of non-REM sleep, also called deep sleep, is dominated by slow delta waves and is important for physical restoration.
What is N3 (Slow-Wave) sleep?
Often called the “second brain,” this extensive network of neurons embedded in the walls of the gastrointestinal tract can function independently of the central nervous system.
What is the enteric nervous system?
This potentially life-threatening condition occurs when excessive serotonergic activity leads to symptoms like agitation, hyperthermia, and neuromuscular abnormalities.
What is serotonin syndrome?
This division of the nervous system controls voluntary muscle movements
What is the somatic nervous system?
This brain region, involved in decision-making and impulse control, often shows reduced activity in individuals with substance use disorders.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
This neurological sleep disorder involves sudden episodes of muscle weakness triggered by strong emotions and is often associated with REM sleep intrusion.
What is narcolepsy?
Dysregulation of the gut-brain axis has been linked to this category of disorders, including anxiety and depression.
What is mood disorders?
This brain pathway, connecting the ventral tegmental area to the nucleus accumbens, is heavily involved in reinforcement and addiction.
What is the mesolimbic pathway?