PassingPsych

Neurotransmitters are chemicals that travel across a synapse and are released in the brain which can affect the behaviour or mood of an individual. Neurotransmitters play an important role in neural connections. They are chemical messengers that carry messages between nerve cells (neurons) and other cells in the body, they influence everything from mood to involuntary movement. Neurotransmitters can be predictable in many ways, but they can also be affected by drugs, disease and interaction with other chemical messengers. This process is referred to as neurotransmission or synaptic transmission. In this essay, I will give a detailed account of neurotransmitters including the supporting study of Antonova et al.

The Antanova et al study aimed to determine the role of acetylcholine in the formation of spatial memory. In their study, they used a sample of 20 healthy male adults, with a mean age of 28 years old. The study used a double-blind procedure and participants were randomly allocated to one of two conditions. They were injected with either Scopolamine or a placebo (control variable). Participants were then put into an fMRI where they were scanned while playing the Arena task. This is a complex VR game in which researchers are observing how well participants can create spatial memories. The aim was for the participants to navigate around the arena to reach a pole. After reaching the pole the screen would go blank for 30 seconds. During this time, participants were told to rehearse how to get to the pole in the arena. When the arena reappeared, the participants were at a new starting point in the arena and would have to use their spatial memory to determine how to get to the location. The procedure was repeated 3-4 weeks later, each participant received the other treatment. The results showed that blocking acetylcholine receptors in the brain can affect spatial memory. The researchers found that when participants were injected with scopolamine, they demonstrated a significant reduction in the activity in the hippocampus compared to when they received the other treatment.

Antanova et al demonstrate the role of neurotransmitters in human behaviour. For example, participants when injected with scopolamine showed a significant redemption in brain activities in the hippocampus than those injected with the placebo. This is important because Scopolamine blocks the receptors in the postsynaptic neuron preventing the acetylcholine from transferring across the synapse and causing a 2nd action potential decreasing impulses in the brain and memory recall. Therefore neurotransmitters affect memory recall.