6. Which of the following neurological conditions involve the excessive firing of nerve cells
   in the brain?
7. Hemorrhagic stroke
8. Hydrocephalus
9. Hematoma
10. Epilepsy
11. Myasthen ia gravis
12. A person whose corpus callosum has been sectioned would be expected to show which of
    the following?
13. I ncreased frequency of epi leptic seizures.
14. Coordinated control of his right and left hands.
15. Reading an interesting book held in his right hand.
16. Making obscene gestures with his left hand.
17. None of the above are correct.
18. An important function of the corpus callosum is to _____________________ _
19. channel sensory information to the thalamic relay centers
20. control the movement of the hands and feet
21. interconnect the cerebral hemispheres
22. modulate the release of neurohormones from the pituitary
23. dampen neural firing in the cortex
24. 9. Surgical sectioning of the corpus callosum is intended to ______________________ _
25. reduce swelling of the brain in hydroencephalus patients
26. minimize long-term memories of traumatic events
27. promote the development of the memory systems
28. reduce the severity of epileptic seizures
29. None of the above are correct.
30. 10. In most persons, a key function of the left hemisphere ______________________ _
31. is to control the left side of the body
32. is the control of language
33. relates to spatial perception
34. is to integrate the tactile information from the left side of the body
35. is to receive olfactory information from the right nostri I

Instructions as follow:

“The purpose of this project is to introduce you to drug actions in the treatment of psychological disorders and some of the scientific literature that supports this form of treatment. Specifically you will choose a particular serotonin pathway and search for literature that illustrates the effectiveness and problems with using drugs like Zoloft or Prozac (Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors, SSRI’s) to treat the associated psychological disorders.

Drugs can be agonists, that is they potentiate or mimic the effect of a neurotransmitter, or they can be antagonists, working against the action of a neurotransmitter. A drug can block re-uptake of the neurotransmitter thus keeping it effective in the synapse longer. Zoloft, for example, blocks the re-uptake of the indolamine neurotransmitter serotonin (5HT) and thus it remains active in the synapse longer. The movies, neurotransmission and drug action illustrate the process of synaptic transmission and some mechanisms by which drugs can serve as agonists and antagonists. In the case of the SSRI’s like Zoloft (which you might want to look up by either going to your local pharmacy and requesting package inserts or visiting web sites) you will see that they are FDA approved to treat some of the serotonin deficiency disorders like depression, panic, and eating disorders associated with the different pathways. Clinically some of the movies in this project illustrate patients with these disorders.

Pathway-Anatomy-Psychological Disorder

1. Raphe to Prefrontal Cortex Depression
2. Raphe to Basal Ganglia OCD
3. Raphe to Limbic & Temporal Ctx Panic/anxiety
4. Raphe to Hypothalamus Eating Disorders
5. Raphe to Raphe and Spinal Cord Slow Wave Sleep

Don’t forget to use your DSM-IV (or DSM-V if you have access to that). You should find three or four references for the pathway/disorder you have chosen involving the use of SSRI’s. You will produce a final report that includes the Indications for SSRI use in the disorder, the Contra-indications, the Side effects, and the results of your literature search. As a conclusion write whether or not you think SSRI’s should be used in normal clinical practice.”