(2) neuropsychopharmacology basics Flashcards
What is neuropsychopharmacology and how does it differ from psychopharamacology?
Psychopharmacology: study of drug effects on mood, perception, cognition & behaviour (mpcb)
Neuropsychopharmacology: study of drug effects on nervous system & how changes in nervous system affect mpcb
What is a drug? Why is the concept of “drug” complicated?
“administered substance that affects physiological functioning”
What is endogenous & exogenous?
- endogenous: inside of body
- exogenous: outside of body
What are the 2 primary reasons we use drugs & why are these concepts complicated?
- Instrumental use: accomplish specific purpose
2. Recreational use: experience drug’s effects
How many names does a drug have? What do each mean?
- Trade names: trademarked & owned by a company
- Generic names: some classification of drug
- Chemical names: created by International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry (IUPAC)
- Street names: used by ppl not in pharmaceutical industry
What is dose?
amount of drug per body weight (mg or g/kg)
What is the dose-response/effect curve?
- How many ppl responded to drug
- How strong effect is (per individual)
- give drug at different doses (at least 3) to different ppl
- draw line of best fit to data collected
What is ED50?
Median effective dose: when 50% of effect was observed / effect observed in 50% of participants
- to find ED50: draw line from 0.5 to meet curve then go down
What is potency?
Strength
- more potent: less of drug to achieve effect
- dose-response curve shifts left -> more potent
- dose-response curve shifts right -> less potent
What is TD50?
Median toxic dose: when 50% of toxic effect observed / 50% of participants had adverse effects
What is the therapeutic index = TD50/ED50?
- number increases, difference b/w TD50 & ED50 increases
- higher number → safer drug
What is certain safety index = TD1/ED99?
- TD1: when 1 person has toxic effects
- ED99: when effects observed in 99% of participants/99% of effects observed
- higher number → safer drug
What is LD50?
Median lethal dose: when 50% of participants die
- measured same way as ED50
What is pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics?
Pharmacokinetics: movement of drug thruout the body
Pharmacodynamics: physiological actions of drugs
How can we acquire information about the world? What are some limitations of these means (including examples)? (1)
Ask someone else (rely on authority figure)
- weakest form: not based on info, only based on trust
- often exploited
- problem with authority: bullshit
How can we acquire information about the world? What are some limitations of these means (including examples)? (2)
Intuition
- commonly starting point in science
- draws from life experience
- sometimes correct, often wrong
Problems:
1. illusory correlation 2. correlation not equal to Causation 3. susceptible to bias 4. overconfidence
How can we acquire information about the world? What are some limitations of these means (including examples)? (3)
Observe
- critical to good science: empiricism
- works best w/ objective measures
- not enough to acquire best info about world
- Problem: bias/limited explanatory behaviour
How can we acquire information about the world? What are some limitations of these means (including examples)? (4)
Scientific method: observation + testings
1. observation → generates idea
2. consult past research → if new, design hypothesis
3. design study to test hypothesis → get ethical approval
4. collect & analyse data → do comparisons
5. hypothesis wrong → modify & repeat
or
6. consider implications of results → build theories
What are the five key ingredients to good science?
- Materialism: presumption that everything is made up of matter/energy
- everything can be observed
- Universalism: systematically structured
- Communality: results must be publicly available
- Disinterestedness: no stake in outcome
- Organised skepticism: evaluate science based on quality/scientific merit
What is behavioural pharmacology?
study of drug effects on behaviour, uses conditioning methodologies
