Neuroplasticity & Effects Of Psychoactive Drugs [AP Psychology Unit 2 Topic 8]

Summary

In this episode of the Mr. Sin channel, we delve into Unit 2 Topic 8 of AP Psychology, exploring the concept of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to adapt and change. We discuss how experiences and learning shape neural pathways, and differentiate neuroplasticity from neurogenesis. The video also covers the impact of psychoactive drugs on the brain, including depressants, opioids, stimulants, and hallucinogens, and their effects on consciousness. Mr. Sin encourages viewers to engage with the content through his Discord server and review materials for AP Psychology success.

Takeaways

• 🧠 The human brain is highly adaptable and can change, modify, or even repair itself, a phenomenon known as neuroplasticity.
• 🔄 Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life due to learning, experience, or injury.
• 👨‍🔬 Michael Gazzaniga, a student of Roger Sperry, has significantly contributed to the understanding of brain lateralization through his research on split-brain patients.
• 🤕 Brain damage from factors like tumors, infections, strokes, or head injuries can trigger neuroplasticity as the brain adapts to the damage.
• 💊 Psychoactive drugs can alter an individual's perceptions, consciousness, or mood by affecting neural activity, and they are categorized into depressants, opioids, stimulants, and hallucinogens.
• 🚫 Psychoactive drugs can lead to addiction, altered consciousness, and withdrawal symptoms, with varying effects depending on the type of drug.
• 🧪 Neurogenesis is a distinct process from neuroplasticity, involving the formation of new neurons in the brain.
• 💭 Consciousness is a complex topic with theories like William James' 'stream of consciousness' and Freud's division of the mind into conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious parts.
• 📚 The video script is part of a series designed to help students excel in AP Psychology, including resources like a review packet and a Discord server for additional support.
• 🎓 Mr. Sin encourages viewers to engage with the content by answering questions and participating in the community to enhance their understanding of psychology.

Q & A

What is neuroplasticity?

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, is the ability of the human brain to change, modify, or even repair itself. It involves the neural networks changing their connections and behaviors due to various factors such as information, external experiences, damages, or developmental changes throughout a person's life.

Who is Michael Gazzaniga and what is his contribution to neuroscience?

Michael Gazzaniga is a cognitive neuroscientist who was a student of Roger Sperry. He has made significant contributions to our understanding of brain lateralization through his research with individuals who have undergone split-brain procedures.

How can the brain adapt to damage?

The brain can adapt to damage from various factors such as tumors, infections, strokes, neurotoxins, genetic factors, or head injuries. This adaptation depends on the extent of the damage and which brain structures are impacted.

What is the difference between neuroplasticity and neurogenesis?

Neuroplasticity refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt its neural pathways, while neurogenesis is the process of forming new neurons in the brain.

What are psychoactive drugs and how do they affect the brain?

Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that are used to alter an individual's perceptions, consciousness, or mood. They can be categorized into depressants, opioids, stimulants, and hallucinogens, each affecting the brain and body differently.

What are some examples of depressants?

Examples of depressants include sleeping pills and alcohol, which reduce neural activity, causing effects like drowsiness, muscle relaxation, and potentially slurred speech or lowered breathing.

How do opioids differ from other depressants?

While opioids also function as depressants, they are categorized separately due to their highly addictive nature. Opioids provide pain relief and include substances like morphine, oxycodone, and heroin.

What are stimulants and what effects do they have on an individual?

Stimulants are drugs that excite and promote neural activity, leading to increased energy, reduced appetite, irritability, or increased body temperature. Examples include caffeine, nicotine, and cocaine.

What are hallucinogens and how do they impact an individual's perception?

Hallucinogens distort an individual's perception, causing them to sense things that are not there and potentially reducing motivation. They can also lead to panic. Examples include marijuana, psilocybin (found in magic mushrooms), and LSD.

What is consciousness and how has it been studied?

Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of external stimuli as well as one's own mental activity. It has been a topic of research and discussion for generations, with theories like William James' 'stream of consciousness' and Sigmund Freud's model of the conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious mind.

What is the 'ultimate review packet' mentioned in the script and how can it help students?

The 'ultimate review packet' is a resource designed to help students with their AP Psychology studies. It provides comprehensive review materials to assist students in achieving high grades and excelling on the national exam.

Outlines

00:00

🧠 Introduction to Neuroplasticity and Psychoactive Drugs

This paragraph introduces the topic of neuroplasticity, which is the brain's ability to change, modify, and even repair itself. It discusses how neural networks can alter their connections due to various experiences and changes throughout a person's life. The paragraph also mentions the contributions of Michael Gazzaniga to cognitive neuroscience, particularly in the field of brain lateralization. The concept of brain damage and its role in demonstrating neuroplasticity is explored, highlighting how the brain can adapt to damage from various causes. Additionally, the paragraph touches on the constant change in the brain due to learning, practicing skills, and processing information, which all contribute to the formation and strengthening of neural pathways. The difference between neuroplasticity and neurogenesis is also clarified. The paragraph concludes with an overview of psychoactive drugs, their categories, and their effects on neural activity and consciousness.

Keywords

💡Neuroplasticity

Neuroplasticity, also known as brain plasticity, refers to the brain's ability to change, modify, and even repair itself. This concept is central to the video's theme as it discusses how the brain adapts to various experiences and damages throughout a person's life. The video explains that neural networks in the brain can change their connections due to information, external experiences, or developmental changes, illustrating this with the example of how learning and practicing skills create and strengthen neural pathways.

💡Cognitive Neuroscience

Cognitive neuroscience is a branch of neuroscience that focuses on the study of how the brain supports cognitive processes like perception, memory, and language. In the video, Michael Gazzaniga's work in cognitive neuroscience is highlighted, particularly his research with split-brain patients, which has advanced our understanding of brain lateralization, a concept discussed in a previous video.

💡Brain Lateralization

Brain lateralization is the concept that each hemisphere of the brain has different functions and processes different types of information. The video mentions this concept in relation to Michael Gazzaniga's research, emphasizing how understanding lateralization helps us comprehend the distinct roles of the brain's left and right hemispheres.

💡Psychoactive Drugs

Psychoactive drugs are chemical substances that alter an individual's perceptions, consciousness, or mood. The video discusses how these drugs can change the brain and body in various ways, leading to addiction, altered consciousness, and withdrawal. The script categorizes psychoactive drugs into depressants, opioids, stimulants, and hallucinogens, each with distinct effects on neural activity and individual behavior.

💡Depressants

Depressants are a type of psychoactive drug that reduce neural activity, causing effects like drowsiness, muscle relaxation, and potentially life-threatening symptoms such as lowered breathing. The video provides examples of depressants, including sleeping pills and alcohol, and explains their impact on neural activity and overall consciousness.

💡Opioids

Opioids are a class of drugs that are both depressants and have their own category due to their highly addictive nature. They are used for pain relief and include substances like morphine, oxycodone, and heroin. The video discusses how opioids can change the brain's chemistry and lead to dependence.

💡Stimulants

Stimulants are psychoactive drugs that excite and promote neural activity, leading to increased energy, reduced appetite, and potentially irritability or increased body temperature. Examples given in the video include caffeine, nicotine, and cocaine, which all demonstrate how stimulants can significantly alter an individual's mental state and behavior.

💡Hallucinogens

Hallucinogens are drugs that distort an individual's perception, causing them to sense things that are not present or reducing their motivation, potentially leading to panic. The video mentions marijuana, psilocybin (found in 'magic mushrooms'), and LSD as examples, highlighting how these substances can profoundly affect consciousness and perception.

💡Consciousness

Consciousness is the state of being awake and aware of one's external environment and internal mental activity. The video discusses different theories of consciousness, including William James's 'stream of consciousness' and Sigmund Freud's model of the conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious mind. Understanding consciousness is crucial for grasping how individuals perceive and interact with their world.

💡Neurogenesis

Neurogenesis is the process of generating new neurons in the brain. The video contrasts this with neuroplasticity, noting that while neuroplasticity involves the brain's ability to change and adapt, neurogenesis specifically refers to the creation of new neurons. This distinction is important for understanding the different ways the brain can change over time.

Highlights

Introduction to Unit 2 Topic 8 of AP Psychology: The Adaptable Brain

Neuroplasticity defined as the brain's ability to change, modify, or repair itself

Michael Gazzaniga's contributions to neuroscience and cognitive neuroscience

Brain lateralization and its significance in understanding brain function

Causes of brain damage and its impact on neuroplasticity

Daily activities and their role in shaping neural pathways in the brain

The process of creating and strengthening neural pathways through practice

Neuroplasticity versus neurogenesis: the difference between changing connections and forming new neurons

Psychoactive drugs and their impact on neural activity and consciousness

Classification of psychoactive drugs: depressants, opioids, stimulants, and hallucinogens

Effects of psychoactive drugs on perception, consciousness, and addiction

Medical and recreational uses of psychoactive drugs

William James's perspective on consciousness as a continuous stream

Sigmund Freud's theory of consciousness comprising conscious, pre-conscious, and unconscious minds

The importance of understanding consciousness in the study of psychology

Encouragement to engage with the community through the Discord server and review materials

Conclusion of the topic review video and call to action for viewers to check their understanding

Transcripts

hello there and welcome back to the mr

sin channel today we're gonna be going

into unit two topic eight of ap

psychology the adaptable brain but

before we get started don't forget to

check out the discord server and also

the ultimate review packet in the

description of this video these are two

great resources that'll help you get an

a in your class and five on the national

exam also don't forget to hit that

subscribe button so you don't miss out

on any future content now we've already

talked about just how complex and

amazing the brain is but over time the

brain grows and changes the ability for

the human brain to change modify itself

or even repair itself is known as

neuroplasticity also known as brain

plasticity the neural networks in the

brain change their connections and even

behavior changes due to different

information external experiences damages

or developmental changes that occur

throughout a person's life people like

michael gazoniga have made significant

contributions to our understanding of

neuroscience because anika was a student

of roger sperry and he specializes in

cognitive neuroscience he's done

research with individuals of split brain

and has made significant advances in our

understanding of brain lateralization a

concept that we talked about in our last

video now at the start of this video i

mentioned brain damage when talking

about neuroplasticity the brain can

become damaged from a variety of

different factors such as tumors

infections a stroke neurotoxins genetic

factors or head injuries and that's just

to name a few this damage can cause the

brain to adapt to the damage that has

occurred in the brain and of course all

this depends on the amount of damage

that's occurred in the brain and which

structures have been impacted and it

isn't just brain damage that can show

neuroplasticity in fact your brain's

changing all the time every single day

you are learning practicing skills

discussing certain topics feeling

emotions and processing information all

of this creates neural pathways in your

brain the more you practice a certain

skill or learn a concept the more

developed that path is when you learn

something new or practice a new skill

you start to create a new path in your

brain the more you continue to practice

that skill the stronger those

connections in your brain get if you

stop practicing the skill then the

pathways in your brain become weaker all

of this is neuroplasticity your brain is

constantly changing and adapting to what

you're doing in your life now i do want

to highlight that neuroplasticity is

different from neurogenesis which is the

process in which new neurons are formed

in the brain now another way in which

the brain can be changed or altered is

by taking psychoactive drugs which are

chemical substances that are used to

purposely alter an individual's

perceptions consciousness or mood

psychoactive drugs can be broken down

into a couple different categories there

are depressants which reduce the neural

activity in an individual these drugs

will cause drowsiness muscle relaxation

and can also cause slurred speech

lowered breathing or possibly death

examples of this would be sleeping pills

or also alcohol opioids which also

function as a depressant however opioids

have their own category due to their

addictive nature opioids give an

individual pain relief examples would

include morphine oxycodone or heroin now

there are also drugs that stimulate an

individual these are known as stimulants

these drugs excite and promote neural

activity a couple symptoms of stimulants

would be an increase in energy reduction

in appetite irritability or increased

body temperature examples of this would

be caffeine nicotine or cocaine lastly

there are hallucinogens these distort an

individual's perception these drugs can

cause an individual to sense things that

are not really there they can also

reduce an individual's motivation and

can lead to an individual to panic

examples would include marijuana pyote

or lsd you can see that each of these

different types of psychoactive drugs

change the body in different ways this

can lead to an addiction alter an

individual's consciousness and can cause

the individual to go through withdrawal

some of these drugs are used for medical

purposes while others are used for

recreational now throughout this video

i've been talking about an individual's

consciousness and this is when an

individual is awake and aware of their

external stimuli and they're also aware

of their own mental activity our

consciousness has been a topic of

research and discussion for generations

william james who we last talked about

in our unit 1 topic 1 video argued that

our consciousness was a stream that you

could not break the consciousness into

parts while sigmund freud believed that

our consciousness was actually made up

of three different parts our conscious

mind our subconscious or pre-conscious

mind and our unconscious mind we'll talk

more about freud's beliefs and

contributions later in this class and

just like that another topic review

video is complete now you know the drill

answer the questions on the screen and

check your answers in the comments below

also don't forget to check out my

ultimate review packet if you need more

help with ap psychology and of course

the discord server there's a lot of

students there that would help you get

an a in your class and a five on that

national exam as always i'm mr sin thank

you so much for watching and until next

time i'll see you online

[Music]

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