Antagonist SAQ

Study

Antonova conducted a study with the aim of investigating if scopolamine affected hippocampal activity in the creation of spatial memory. Participants were randomly allocated to one of two conditions; either the scopolamine or placebo injection. An hour after receiving the injections, participants were put into a fMRI where they were scnanned while playing the 'Arena Task', a virtual reality to test spatial memories. The goal of the game was to navigate around an arena to reach a pole, after learning the location, the screen went blank for 30 seconds and participants were told to rehearse how to get back to the pole. When the area reappeared, participants had to determine how to get back to the pole. Then, 3 weeks later, participants redid the trail, reciving the opposite injection. The results showed that when injected with scopolamine, it was significantly harder for participants to relocate the pole.

Intro

This essay will explain the role of an agonist with reference to one study. Neurotransmitters are the body's natural chemical messengers that transmit information from one neuron to another. This electrical impulse is called the action potential, which travels through the axon of the neuron. Neurotransmitters, stored in the neuron's terminal buttons, are released into the synapse gap to pass on the message, then are either broken down by an enzyme or reobsrobed, called reuptake. An antagonist is any substance that fits into a receptor site on the post-synaptic neuron, inhibiting the neuron, causing the neuron to not fire, thus preventing a behavior. The hippocampus has a high concentration of acetylcholine, a neurotransmitter playing a role in the formation of memories. However scopolamine, an antagonist, inhibits the functions of acetylcholine.

Conclusion

This study illustrates the role of an antagonist, specifically scoplamine, plays in inhibiting the encoding of spatial memories. When participants were injected with the scoplamine, this acted as an antagonist, decreasing the effect of the neurotrasmitter acetylcholine, making it harder for participants to find the pole again due to limitations of spatial awareness. However, when injected with the placebo solution, the antagonist was absent, allowing the acetylcholine to be fully functioning and neurtransmit messages without interference. This resulted in participants relocating the pole easier. Ultimately, the study demonstrates the interference antagonists play in spatial memory.