Drugs and Neurotransmitters: Agonist or Antagonist?

In this video I discuss some ways that drugs can influence the functioning of neurotransmitters by binding to receptors on postsynaptic neurons. I explain the difference between agonist drugs which increase effects of a neurotransmitter and antagonist drugs which reduce … Read More

Introduction to Neurotransmitters

In this video I introduce several neurotransmitters including acetylcholine, dopamine, GABA, serotonin, and norepinephrine. I also describe some of the functions of each of these neurotransmitters, with the caveat to avoid oversimplifying the role of neurotransmitters in explaining complex behaviors. … Read More

Counting Cards, Sending Signals

This is an activity I created to illustrate the concepts of excitatory/inhibitory stimulation and triggering thresholds using a deck of playing cards. Students form groups of 5: of these 4 students will play the roles of dendrites and one student will … Read More