20 Pharmacology: Neurotransmitters

Question 1

Endocannabinoids

• What kind of signaling are these used in?
• What disorders are associated with daily weed use?

Answer 1

Question 2

LTP and Gene Expression

• Why would an increase of NMDA-R activity result in a change in gene expression?
• What effect does this have on the synapse?

Answer 2

Question 3

Metabotropic Receptors

• What does Gα_​s do to adenylyl cyclase activity?
• What does Gα_​i/o ​do to adenylyl cyclase activity?
• What does an increase in cAMP do to kinases, and what do kinases do to proteins, generally?

Answer 3

Question 4

Glutamate Receptors: AMPA and NMDA

• What channel must open first in order for both of them to be activated?
  
  • Why?
• What are the 3 things that NMDA-Rs require for activation?

Answer 4

Question 5

NTS

• Give the post-synaptic effect of all these

Answer 5

Question 6

Serotonin

• What nuclei in the pons and upper brainstem are associated with this?
• What is special about this NT in terms of brain functions?
• What are the peripheral affects of this NT?

Answer 6

Question 7

NTs

• Which NTs have multiple postsynaptic effects?

Answer 7

Question 8

Norepinephrine

• What mood disorders are implicated in increased NE?
• What nuclei made degenerate prior to getting Parkinsons?

Answer 8

Question 9

Metabotropic Receptors

• Are they slower or faster compared to ionotropic receptors?

Answer 9

Question 10

Receptor Desensitization

• What are 3 ways that this can occur?

Question 11

Glutamate

• How common is glutamate in excitatory synapses?
• Metabotropic Receptors
  
  • What are these called for glutamate?
    
    • What are they coupled to?
• Inotropic Receptors
  
  • What are the 3 ionotropic receptors for glutamate?
  • Which one is presynaptic?

Answer 11

Question 12

Glutamate Receptors: AMPA and NMDA

• AMPA-R
  
  • Wha ions are these receptors permeable to?
  • They are tetramers. What subunit can make them permeable to calcium?
  • Are these fast acting?
  • What is notable about the sensitivity of these receptors?
• NMDA-Rs
  
  • What ions are these receptors permeable to?
  • What do NT do they require as a coagonist?
  • What ions are bound with the pore of these channels?

Answer 12

Question 13

What are the presynaptic neuron, postsynaptic neuron, and glial targets for CNS drugs?

Answer 13

Question 14

Acetylcholine

• Is this inhibitory or excitatory?
• What are the 4 nuclei in the basal forebrain and brainstem that Acetylcholine originates?
• What neurodegenerative disorder shows a loss of cholinergic neurons?

Answer 14

Question 15

Metabotropic Receptors

• What are the 3 ways that kinases can affect synaptic plasticity?

Answer 15

Question 16

LTP

• What ion increases inside the cell when NMDA-R activity increases?
  
  • What does this activate, and what changes in the cell’s membrane?
  • What happens in regards to the presynaptic signal?
  • How long does this last?
  • What enzyme is activated by the increase in the above ion, and how does this relate ro retrograde signalling?

Answer 16

Question 17

Receptor Sensitization

• What are the 3 steps that cause receptor sensitization?

Answer 17

Question 18

GABA

• What is the difference between GABA-A and GABA-B in terms of therapeutic targets?

Answer 18

Question 19

Metabotropic Receptors

• What are the 4 steps in which Gα_q activation increases intracellular calcium levels?

Answer 19

Question 20

Just remember this important stuff from this slide

Answer 20

Question 21

Dopamine

• What is the excitatory receptor?
• What is the inhibitory receptor?
  
  • What kind of circuits utilize this?
• What system is this THE main NT for that uses the cingulate gyrus?

Answer 21

Question 22

Serotonin

• What is the only receptor that is an excitatory inotropic serotonin receptor?
• What drugs act on serotonin pathways?

Answer 22

Question 23

Dysregulated Glutamate Signalling

• What 2 psychiatric disorders are related to this?
  
  • Which can be treated with ketamine?
• What neurodegenerative disorder is now using non-competitive NMDA-R antagonists for treatment?

Answer 23

Question 24

LTD

• What frequency of Glu release by the presynaptic neuron causes this?
• What does this do to NMDA-R activity, and what enzyme will this not be activated?
• What enzyme is activated if Ca2+ levels are not high?
  
  • What does this do to AMPA-R’s at the synapse?

Answer 24

Question 25

Dopamine

• Relate schizophrenia and Parkinsons to this NT
  
  • Which one shows an increase in dopamine activity?
  • Which shows a decrease in activity?

Answer 25

Question 26

Postsynaptic Plantations

• Fill in the blacked out boxes

Answer 26

Question 27

Histamine

• Where do histamine neurons project FROM? Where do they project to?
• What are the CNS functions of it?
• What receptor is used in the CNS?

Answer 27

Question 28

Pathways

• Differentiate between hierarchical NT pathways and Diffuse NT pathways
• Give the NT associated with each area
  
  • VTA and Substantial Nigra
  • Locus Coeruleus
  • Raphe Nuclei
  • Nucleus Basalis of Meynert

Answer 28

Question 29

PEptide NTs and Neuromodualtors

• Pain
  
  • What is released with glutamate to modulate pain?
• Enkephalins
  
  • What do these mediate?
• Orexin
  
  • What is this involved in?
• What is released from the adrenal gland in response to stress?
• Modulators
  
  • What is important for the regulation of renal function and GFR?

Answer 29

Question 30

NTS

• Where in the body is glycine used as an inhibitory NT?

Answer 30

Spinal Cord