AP Psychology — neurons, drugs and the brain

Unit 1 of AP Psychology asks you to connect biology to behavior, and topics 1.3 and 1.4 carry the densest vocabulary in the course. The course framework is unusually precise here: it names exactly which neurotransmitters and hormones the exam can ask about, the drug classes, the brain structures and the research methods. That precision is useful, because it tells you what to learn thoroughly and what you can leave out.

This material covers that list. On the neuron side it trains the difference between neurons and glial cells, the reflex arc with its sensory neurons, interneurons and motor neurons, and neural firing: threshold, the all-or-none principle, the refractory period and reuptake. It works through the eight neurotransmitters the framework names (dopamine, serotonin, norepinephrine, glutamate, GABA, endorphins, substance P and acetylcholine) and the five hormones (adrenaline, leptin, ghrelin, melatonin and oxytocin), how agonists, antagonists and reuptake inhibitors act at the synapse, and the four drug classes with the framework's examples: stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens and opioids, together with tolerance, addiction and withdrawal.

On the brain side it covers the cerebellum, the reticular activating system and reward center, the limbic structures, the four lobes with the somatosensory and motor cortices, plasticity after damage, and the tools used to study the brain: EEG, fMRI, lesioning and case studies.

It deliberately does not repeat what the category's biological bases material already covers (myelin, dopamine antagonists, Broca's area, the autonomic nervous system), and split-brain research appears in the core concepts material.

Four formats are offered. The quiz has twelve questions built on invented cases, such as a runner whose leg ache fades as the race goes on or a stroke that removes feeling from one arm, with explanations that say why each neighboring term does not fit. The flashcards cover every neurotransmitter, hormone and drug class on the list, plus the main structures. The oral exam opens with a reflex and continues one question at a time through synapses, drugs and brain structures, ending with brief feedback. The written work is a printable sheet of eight open questions, from tracing a reflex arc to comparing what EEG and fMRI can and cannot show.

The material is based on the published AP Psychology course framework, Unit 1, topics 1.3 and 1.4, including the October 2025 clarifications.

• Distinguish neurons from glial cells and trace a reflex arc through sensory neurons, interneurons and motor neurons
• Explain threshold, the all-or-none principle, the refractory period and reuptake
• Match the neurotransmitters and hormones named in the course to their roles, and explain agonists, antagonists and reuptake inhibitors
• Classify psychoactive drugs as stimulants, depressants, hallucinogens or opioids and distinguish tolerance, addiction and withdrawal
• Locate functions in brain structures and lobes, explain plasticity, and compare EEG, fMRI, lesioning and case studies

Practice material written by Zestly, based on the College Board AP Psychology Course and Exam Description (effective fall 2024, with the October 2025 clarifications), Unit 1, topics 1.3 The Neuron and Neural Firing and 1.4 The Brain. The lists of neurotransmitters, hormones and drug classes follow that framework. All cases are invented.