Prefrontal Cortex

Dopamine Signalling

How strongly dopamine is signalling, mostly in the reward and motivation circuits. This is the route by which a compound that raises prolactin ends up flattening drive: dopamine holds prolactin down, so a sustained prolactin rise is read backwards as reduced dopaminergic tone.

G Protein-Coupled Estrogen Receptor

A membrane estrogen receptor separate from ER-alpha and ER-beta. It responds in seconds, which is why some estrogen effects in the brain appear far too fast to be explained by gene transcription.

NMDA Glutamate Receptor

The receptor that carries the calcium current behind learning. It is also the route by which too much glutamate kills the cell, so the same channel that writes memory is the one that destroys the neuron when it stays open too long.

Executive Function

Planning, switching between tasks, and holding back a response you are about to make. The last of those is the one that matters here: reported aggression on these compounds is often better described as a failure of the brake than as an increase in anger.