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galactorrhea

n. abnormal expression of breast milk, which may occur either in women at times other than when nursing or in men. Lactation is stimulated by the pituitary hormone prolactin, and the neurotransmitter dopamine normally acts to inhibit the release of prolactin. Therefore, administration of dopamine-receptor antagonists (e.g., conventional antipsychotics), which inhibit the effects of dopamine, may cause galactorrhea. Pituitary tumors or injury to the pituitary gland, causing excessive secretion of prolactin, may also result in galactorrhea. The dopamine-receptor agonist bromocriptine may be used to treat the condition.

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Psychology term of the day

December 24th 2024

phonics

phonics

n.

1. a method of teaching reading, popularly known as sounding out, that concentrates on the sounds of the letters or letter combinations in a word rather than on the word as a unit. The speaker or reader thus tries to match graphemes and phonemes. Also called phonic method. Compare whole-word method.

2. a former name for acoustics.